Binh Lu vermicelli and the mark of the guide

LAI CHAU Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, owner of the Binh Lu commune vermicelli production cooperative, has been involved in the profession for more than a decade and has become a 'brand' associated with local vermicelli products.

At the age of over 60, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Director of Binh Lu Agricultural and Service Cooperative (Binh Lu commune, Lai Chau province) is still working hard at his job, earning billions of dong each year. He is known as the person who "made a name" for Binh Lu vermicelli.

Desperately looking for a way out of poverty

Going up and down National Highway 4D towards the center of Binh Lu commune, on both sides of the road are solid level 4 houses, the yard is full of neatly arranged bamboo panels waiting for the shiny white vermicelli strips to be brought up to dry. Occasionally, motorbikes carrying cassava and sweet potatoes cross the concrete road, heading towards the processing factories in the commune. There, Mr. Anh is affectionately called by the people as the "midwife" of the local vermicelli brand.

Born and raised in Thai Binh (now Hung Yen), following the call of the Party, he volunteered to go to the Northwest region to build a new economy several decades ago.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh (in black shirt), a pioneer in developing cellophane noodles in Binh Lu. Photo: Duc Binh.

In the early days of hardship, this land only had corn and cassava to make a living and fight hunger. From the knowledge accumulated since childhood, Mr. Anh and other households discussed how to make vermicelli to improve meals. Then the profession of making dong vermicelli gradually "took root" on this land.

Binh Lu land has many flat areas, temperate climate, cool all year round. The arrowroot tubers are suitable for the soil, giving good yield, big tubers, rich in starch - "building" the first strips of arrowroot vermicelli. The products were brought to the lowlands and people asked to buy them. From then on, he and a few brothers started trial production, then gave them as gifts. When the quantity increased, they switched to selling. "Just like that, the profession came naturally. When more and more customers came to buy, I felt the true potential of the profession", Mr. Anh said.

By 2014, 13 households in Km2 village (old) together established a Cooperative at the encouragement of the commune government and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lai Chau province (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment). The orientation of the Cooperative is linked to the new rural development program. Mr. Anh and the members agreed on the point of view: This is a "second family", must together build a production process, register collective trademarks, trace growing areas, and develop a sustainable collective economy .

The name “Binh Lu” was chosen to guide the journey of building OCOP products for the locality. Binh Lu Agricultural and Service Cooperative became the leader, leading dozens of households to produce dong vermicelli in the direction of VietGAP, forming a raw material area of ​​more than 200 hectares and organizing large-scale production.

Binh Lu vermicelli products are very popular with tourists whenever they have the opportunity to visit Lai Chau province. Photo: Duc Binh.

After 6 years of efforts, in 2020, the cooperative's vermicelli products were recognized by the province as achieving 3-star OCOP. In early 2021, the Provincial People's Committee agreed to allow the People's Committee of Tam Duong district (old) to use the place name "Binh Lu" to register the certification mark "Binh Lu Vermicelli". That name was officially recognized at the end of October 2022.

Brand enhancement

Binh Lu vermicelli products are now the crystallization of arrowroot and ginseng - a combination created by the "artisan" Anh Sang himself. Accordingly, the ratio of ginseng and arrowroot powder is divided equally to ensure quality and health benefits. "Ginseng is a naturally grown agricultural product with many benefits for digestion, cardiovascular, endocrine, liver detoxification... helping to balance the hot properties of arrowroot," Mr. Anh explained.

Mr. Anh leads tourists to visit the cassava growing area. Photo: Duc Binh.

This formula is applied by vermicelli processing facilities in Binh Lu. Mr. Pham Ngoc Que, owner of Ngoc Que vermicelli production facility in Binh Lu commune, said: Each factory buys 5 tons of ginseng from people at a price of 9,000 VND/kg. "Thanks to Mr. Anh's formula, the vermicelli product now has an increased sweet aftertaste, which is loved by customers. We also create many other types of products such as black bean vermicelli, green bean vermicelli, cassava vermicelli... to diversify our products."

In the digital age, Binh Lu vermicelli products are widely promoted on platforms such as TikTok and Facebook. "Many tourists come to Lai Chau for tourism, stop by my store to buy vermicelli, and are curious to directly experience the vermicelli making process," said Mr. Anh. In addition to the Binh Lu Agricultural and Service Cooperative, the commune also has 2 production facilities and more than 100 households participating in production. Each year, Binh Lu produces about 200 tons of vermicelli, with a revenue of nearly ten billion VND, creating jobs and stable income for thousands of local workers.

Everyone wants to see the vermicelli production process with their own eyes. Photo: Duc Binh.

From that foundation, Binh Lu commune unanimously approved the project to build a cluster of traditional vermicelli production villages, including many sub-areas: production area, experience area, product display area.

Mr. Tran Van Hop, Vice Chairman of Binh Lu Commune People's Committee, said that the locality has a plan to arrange a separate land area to form a concentrated craft village space. Nearly 100 production facilities in the commune will be planned in a concentrated area to protect the environment. "Each tourist coming here will experience the stages of making vermicelli, then buy the products directly with a variety of designs. This model will combine agricultural development with local experiential tourism," Mr. Hop affirmed.

In addition, the commune cooperates with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lai Chau province to establish areas for growing cassava and ginseng to establish traceability, creating a stable supply for vermicelli production facilities. From the planting process to export and packaging, the process will be closed, ensuring food safety and hygiene when reaching consumers.

In the journey of Binh Lu vermicelli making, Mr. Anh's mark is still evident in every step of the craft village.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/mien-dong-binh-lu-va-dau-an-cua-nguoi-dan-duong-d783826.html