Village on livestream: Technology helps highland agricultural products 'transform'

Images of terraced fields stretching out, bustling and colorful highland markets are no longer typical of the Northwestern highland provinces like Lai Chau . Today, amidst the sounds of birds and the mist of the Northwestern mountains, many people here are holding smartphones, confidently livestreaming to introduce local specialties such as sweet potatoes, Seng Cu rice, tea, honey,... to consumers across the country.

This is the result of the "Agricultural Journey" project, an agricultural digital transformation initiative initiated by Viettel Post since August 2025.

This model has created a strong "push" to bring hundreds of tons of local agricultural products deep into the digital market.

When e-commerce 'touches' the highlands

Mr. Tong Thanh Hai - Vice Chairman of Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee said that the province has identified digital transformation in agriculture as an important direction and e-commerce is an inevitable trend in the current socio -economic development process and a tool to increase income for ethnic people. The province has coordinated with Viettel Post and other digital platforms to help agricultural products and OCOP products of highland people directly access domestic and foreign markets.

Mr. Tong Thanh Hai - Vice Chairman of Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee. (Photo: Viettel)

From there, training classes were opened. People were instructed on how to take product photos, write attractive descriptions, create online stores, and even confidently livestream to sell products. Viettel Post experts also directly instructed farmers, cooperatives, and local craft villages on how to create content on TikTok, operate e-commerce stores, and implement livestream sales.

This enterprise also takes care of the entire logistics process, from collecting, packaging to transporting agricultural products to consumers. This model helps people access technology, practice modern business skills and gradually participate more deeply in the digital agricultural economy.

At first, the phrase "online sales" was unfamiliar to people. But after many training courses, people gradually mastered the technology. The first broadcasts may have been awkward, the language was not yet complete, but the spirit was full of determination.

Ms. Vu Bich Hong accompanied the people in the livestream training to sell agricultural products. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

This change is also contributed in no small part by people like Ms. Vu Bich Hong (TikToker “Co Ba Hong”) - who moved to Lai Chau to live for nearly two years to accompany the people.

"When I first arrived, many people did not believe me and were afraid of being cheated, especially the Mong, Tay, and Thai people in remote villages. I had to live with them, go to the fields, light fires, and share a lot to gain their trust," said Ms. Hong.

A typical case of 'life-changing' in the Northwest is Vu Thi Xia (born in 2000) and Vu Thi Chu (born in 1999) in Binh Lu commune (Lai Chau). The two Mong sisters overcame their inferiority complex, language and technology barriers to successfully "start a business" on TikTok Shop.

Vu Thi Xia and Vu Thi Chu, two H'mong ethnic minority sisters, have successfully "started a business" on TikTok Shop. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Chu confided that, although they were strongly inspired by the success stories of their ethnic compatriots, they were still overwhelmed by fear of... technology. But the desire to escape poverty and send their children to school helped Chu and Xia start with both self-confidence and a sense of weakness, because they understood that if they did not do it, they would miss out on opportunities for development.

"When I sold the product, I didn't dare believe it. When the customer received the product and the money was in my pocket, I truly dared to believe that I had the ability and that selling on the e-commerce platform really made money," Vu Thi Chu confided.

Now, their lives have completely changed. In less than a year, each person can earn 30-40 million VND per month from selling ginseng on TikTok Shop, a number they never dared to dream of before.

From their personal success, the two sisters began to think about others. They spent time teaching women in the village how to shoot videos, create sales channels and talk to customers over the phone. From the confusion of those who first touched technology, they are learning how to "master" technology to "change their lives."

To date, about 20 ethnic minority women in Lai Chau have been able to livestream themselves and earn a stable income. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

To date, about 20 ethnic women like Chu and Xia have been able to livestream themselves. Some earn more than 10 million VND per month, and one household even sold hundreds of tons of ginseng in just 2 months.

The biggest highlight was the livestream session on November 4, 2025, Viettel Post coordinated with TikTok Shop and the Department of Industry and Trade of Lai Chau province to organize a livestream session to introduce and consume local agricultural products in Binh Lu commune.

The 4-hour livestream session successfully closed more than 2,500 orders, with more than 10 million views. In total, 350 tons of agricultural products were consumed through digital activities.

To date, the hashtag #HanhTrinhNongSan has reached nearly 30 million views on TikTok - an unimaginable number for many local people. It is not only a testament to the effectiveness of digital communication, but also an indicator of the comprehensive transformation of highland agriculture.

Viettel Post cooperated with TikTok Shop and the Department of Industry and Trade of Lai Chau province to organize a livestream session to introduce and sell local agricultural products in Binh Lu commune. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

With the success in Lai Chau, Viettel Post has now begun to replicate the "Agricultural Journey" model to 34 other provinces and cities, creating a nationwide digital connection network for Vietnamese agricultural products.

Digital infrastructure - the 'runway' for the dream of digital transformation in agriculture to 'fly far'

Behind the vibrant livestream sessions in those remote villages is a story of persistent comprehensive digital infrastructure. Few people know that the 4-hour livestream session on November 4, 2025, was deployed entirely on the 5G network platform, ensuring image quality and stable transmission in mountainous areas.

To bring signals directly from remote villages to the city, the prerequisite is a stable telecommunications network. Realizing that, for many years, Viettel and Lai Chau authorities have closely coordinated to deploy digital infrastructure, from mobile waves, broadband Internet, to data management platforms.

The 4-hour livestream session on November 4, 2025, was deployed entirely on Viettel's 5G network platform. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

"We consider technology as the key to shortening the gap between the mountainous and lowland areas. Wherever we go, we see people eager to learn. If given the opportunity, they will grasp it very quickly," said a representative of Viettel Lai Chau.

Up to now, 100% of commune centers and more than 98% of villages in Lai Chau have mobile and internet signals. Hundreds of broadcasting stations and thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cables have been stretched to remote areas - places that were thought to be impossible to connect.

It is the result of inter-sectoral coordination: the government supports land and ensures security; telecommunications engineers "stay in the village" day and night, crossing mountains and streams to bring fiber optic cables to each household. These efforts not only bring the Internet closer to the villages but also pave the way for knowledge, commerce, services and modern administration.

Not only people benefit from digital transformation. The entire operating system, from the intelligent operation center (IOC) to the digital platform in the Party, government, health, education, tourism, etc. in Lai Chau, is gradually being digitized.

Information is seamlessly connected between the province - district - commune. Government management is more transparent and operations are more efficient. This change lays the foundation for a comprehensive digital society where people are no longer left behind.

"Thanks to the digital platform, Lai Chau people can not only sell agricultural products but also build their own brands, escape the mindset of small-scale production, and gradually become digital citizens," affirmed Mr. Tong Thanh Hai - Vice Chairman of Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee.

Mr. Tong Thanh Hai also said: "In the field of digital transformation, Lai Chau and Viettel have signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate the strong implementation of digital infrastructure. Investing in and upgrading modern 5G infrastructure and high-speed Internet infrastructure to each commune and ward has brought practical benefits to both the government and the people."

The story in Lai Chau is a testament to the three-way cooperation model: government - business - people. When technology reaches the village, infrastructure is connected, and people are trained in skills, highland agricultural products can reach far and wide without limits.

In less than three months, 350 tons of agricultural products were consumed, a number that not only reflects the effectiveness of the project, but also shows that digital transformation in agriculture is no longer a slogan. It is a promising path to reality if there is the right companionship.

Thanks to technology, “no one is left behind” in the economy is being realized every day. People in the highlands will have a stable income, and consumers nationwide will have more options to access high-quality Made in Vietnam products./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ban-lang-len-song-livestream-cong-nghe-giup-nong-san-vung-cao-chuyen-minh-post1075817.vnp