Bringing agricultural products to a wider market.

Thanks to effectively exploiting its potential and advantages to develop OCOP products, Bac Ha commune has attracted many tourists to visit and experience, creating sustainable livelihoods and increasing income for the people.

Every Sunday, Bac Ha market attracts thousands of visitors. Covering over 2.1 hectares, the market is divided into five sections, with the central section showcasing many unique local OCOP (One Commune One Product) products. The brocade stall of Ms. Ha Thi Dung from San Bay village is a familiar stop for international tourists.

Besides handcrafted products such as bags, wallets, scarves, and pillowcases, she also dedicates a space for tourists to experience painting patterns with beeswax – a traditional technique of the Hmong people of Bac Ha. The meticulousness in each painted pattern and embroidered line has helped her brocade products receive OCOP 3-star certification and become increasingly popular with tourists.

"For our 3-star OCOP products, we always pay attention to every detail. Items such as bags, wallets, pillowcases, and brocade scarves are all carefully and meticulously crafted, ensuring beautiful designs and good quality to meet the requirements of our partners," Ms. Dung shared.

Amidst the vibrant colors of the highlands, black sticky rice cakes – a specialty of the Tay people – are also sought after at the market. Made from upland sticky rice, cardamom, black pork, mung beans, and especially with the black color created from charcoal of the Nuc Nac tree, Bac Ha black sticky rice cakes have a distinctive flavor, are fragrant, chewy, and rich, and have been certified as a 3-star OCOP product since December 2024. Many tourists, including international visitors, come to the stall of Ms. Vang Thi Nguyet in Na Lo village to buy this gift that embodies the essence of the mountains and forests.

“To make a delicious banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake), first we have to choose the right banana leaves. The rice must also be long-grain glutinous rice. The filling is made from local black pork. Each cake we sell is wrapped and cooked for many hours to ensure it is soft and chewy,” said Ms. Vang Thi Nguyet.

Recognizing the great potential of the ancient Shan Tuyet tea from Bac Ha, Quang Tom Cooperative has focused on investing in deep processing to enhance its value. Beyond production, the cooperative has also built a tea experience space for tourists, allowing them to observe the processing process while promoting the brand naturally and effectively.

From 2021 to 2023, the cooperative successfully developed five OCOP (One Commune One Product) products: green tea, black tea, Pu-erh tea, dried Tam Hoa plums, and plum wine. Thanks to advanced processing, the value of the products has increased many times compared to selling fresh tea, while also allowing for longer preservation, easier transportation, and market expansion. Each year, the cooperative sells approximately 2 tons of tea, 1,000 liters of wine, and 2 tons of dried plums, providing stable employment for 15 local workers.

Ms. Sai Thi Bich Hue - Director of Quang Tom Cooperative

Bac Ha commune currently has 19 products that have achieved OCOP 3-star certification, belonging to various groups: herbs, agricultural products, food, beverages, and brocade. Notable examples include: dried Tam Hoa plums, Shan green tea, Nam Mon red peanuts, Tam That flower bud tea, Bac Ha braised pork, dried buffalo meat, local black pig fat, brocade products, and black sticky rice cakes. Eight entities in the commune participate in the OCOP program.

The development of OCOP (One Commune One Product) not only creates products with clear origins, attractive designs, and stable quality, but also helps people change their production mindset, shifting from traditional methods to commodity production and applying technological advancements to farming. OCOP also plays an important role in tourism development. At tourist attractions and central areas, OCOP product showrooms are equipped with freezers, refrigerators, vacuum sealing machines, etc., to ensure quality and increase attractiveness to tourists.

Mr. Phung Duc Toan, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Bac Ha commune, said: "Thanks to linking OCOP development with tourism, Bac Ha is becoming an attractive destination in the Northwest region. Each year, the locality welcomes more than 850,000 visitors, with estimated revenue reaching 1,250 billion VND in 2025. Average GRDP growth for the period 2021-2025 is projected at 12.13%, and average income will reach 48 million VND/person/year, an increase of 11 million VND compared to 2020."

For the period 2025-2030, Bac Ha aims to develop new OCOP products in the tourism and handicraft sectors; striving for an average income of 75 million VND/person/year and 1.5 million tourists/year. The locality also focuses on expanding raw material areas with over 800 hectares of temperate fruit trees, 103 hectares of red peanuts, 43 hectares of medicinal plants, along with ancient tea and organic tea growing areas in Hoang Thu Pho and Dam Bo; aiming to become a new rural commune and a unique tourist destination of the province and the Northwest region before 2030.

The synchronized development of OCOP "star-rated" products will be the foundation for these products to reach further markets, meet the trust of consumers both domestically and internationally, and contribute to stabilizing the lives of the people.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dua-nong-san-vuon-xa-post889198.html