Khanh Hoa's OCOP program: Emerging as a 'tourism ambassador'

With over 600 OCOP products, Khanh Hoa province has set a new goal: to transform agricultural products and traditional crafts into 'tourism ambassadors' in the 2026-2030 period.

Khanh Hoa's OCOP products reach 5-star national standards.

As of November 2025, Khanh Hoa province had recognized 600 OCOP products with 3 stars or higher that were still valid, with the participation of 274 entities. The product structure mainly belonged to the food group (71.7% - 430 products) and beverages (18.2% - 109 products). Notably, product quality has made breakthrough progress, evidenced by the presence of 85 products achieving 4 stars and, especially, the province's first 5-star national-level OCOP product, Tri Tin dehydrated sea grapes from Tri Tin Co., Ltd.

The first 5-star OCOP product of Khanh Hoa province. Photo: Engineer.

This is a significant achievement, not only recognizing the efforts of the company but also affirming the value of Khanh Hoa's local agricultural products in the international market. Furthermore, this product, along with V.Robi puffed roasted seaweed snacks and V.Robi filled seaweed snacks (also from Tri Tin Co., Ltd.), are among the products that have been nominated for 5-star and potential 5-star OCOP product recognition in recent evaluations.

In addition, the provincial-level 4-star product catalog is extremely diverse, focusing on key specialties. Notable examples include four traditional bird's nest products: Bird's nest stewed with rock sugar, Ready-to-eat bird's nest stew for dieters, Premium bird's nest drink, and Premium bird's nest drink for children, all of which have been awarded 4 stars by Hoang Kim Trading and Manufacturing Service Co., Ltd.

The processed seafood sector includes products such as steamed and fried fish cakes under the Thuan brand, which have affirmed their 4-star quality. Along with that, processed fruit products such as frozen durian from Phuong Dai are also included in the list of 4-star products.

Many products have become local brands and key specialties, well-known to tourists from both within and outside the province, including: bird's nest, agarwood, sea grapes, fish sauce, grapes, apples… along with traditional craft products such as Bau Truc pottery and My Nghiep brocade weaving. This forms a solid foundation for Khanh Hoa to continue exploiting the strengths of local products in conjunction with tourism development.

Khanh Hoa's OCOP products are very diverse, with 600 different items. Photo: KS.

To support these entities in achieving these results, the People's Council of Khanh Hoa province promptly issued Resolution No. 08 dated July 19, 2022, on regulations regarding support policies for the OCOP Program giai đoạn 2022-2025. The total budget for implementing the OCOP Program in Khanh Hoa province after the merger is over 61.6 billion VND for the period 2021-2025, with a disbursement rate of 80.76%.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Khanh Hoa province, said that this funding has been used effectively to support businesses in improving their products. Key activities include: building advanced quality management systems such as HACCP and VietGAP; designing product packaging and labels; registering product codes, barcodes, electronic stamps, and traceability systems; developing product stories; and organizing promotional and trade activities through 18 established OCOP product display and introduction points.

Transform agricultural products into "tourism ambassadors".

To leverage the strengths of over 600 existing OCOP products, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is developing a draft plan titled "Developing OCOP products to become tourism ambassadors of Khanh Hoa province in the period 2026-2030" to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval, with a total estimated budget of nearly 98 billion VND. The plan aims to closely link OCOP products with tourism, contributing to enhancing the value of agricultural products and traditional crafts, and affirming the Khanh Hoa tourism brand.

Agarwood is a signature product of Khanh Hoa province. Photo: Engineer.

Accordingly, there must be at least 50 OCOP products linked to tourism. The selection should focus on distinctive, unique products that reflect local identity and have the potential to become tourism ambassador products. Priority should be given to OCOP products that have achieved 4 stars or higher, and unique products not found in other localities that have been recognized with 3 stars, such as: bird's nest, sea grapes, agarwood, grapes, apples, mangoes, pomelos, durian, asparagus, garlic, various types of seaweed, goat meat, lamb meat, etc.

Establish at least 30 OCOP (One Commune One Product) tourism introduction and experience points. Priority will be given to selecting locations in communes and wards with convenient transportation access, creating inter-regional connections between tourist routes and destinations. Specifically, 15 points will be established in the South Khanh Hoa area and 15 points in the North Khanh Hoa area. These points will not only be places for display and shopping but also cultural spaces and opportunities to experience the production process of traditional crafts and agricultural products.

Regarding specific objectives, the plan sets out that by 2030, revenue from OCOP products linked to tourism will account for at least 15% of the total OCOP revenue of the entire province. 100% of OCOP products will be available in high-end distribution channels requiring stringent standards, such as hotels, resorts, airports, and large shopping malls. At the same time, the province will develop specific rural tourism and craft village models, allowing tourists to directly experience the production process, thereby creating livelihoods and helping to increase sustainable income for local people.

One of the key highlights of the Project is the acceleration of digital transformation. The province will build a digital map of OCOP products linked to tourism and implement a QR code system for tracing the origin of 100% of participating products. In particular, the application of 3D technology and 360-degree videos to promote products on digital platforms will be prioritized, aiming to make OCOP products "tourism ambassadors" in the new era. Currently, Khanh Hoa has pioneered the digitization of processes by implementing the evaluation and classification of OCOP products on digital software, contributing to data standardization and transparency in the product recognition process.

Intellectual property and standardization of evaluation processes

Despite significant achievements, the implementation of the OCOP Program in the province still faces many challenges, especially in upgrading product star ratings. The mandatory criteria for products to achieve 4 OCOP stars or higher require a very high level of professionalization from the participating entities.

Cam Lam mangoes, an OCOP (One Commune One Product) product. Photo: Engineer.

The Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Khanh Hoa province pointed out that one of the biggest bottlenecks is the intellectual property criterion. Currently, the percentage of products meeting criterion 3e - Intellectual Property - of entities in the province is very low, only 13.9%. The main reason is that the time taken to process applications for protection by the Intellectual Property Office is often much longer than the stipulated 12 months, with some applications even taking up to 3 years, significantly hindering the completion of dossiers for upgrading product star ratings.

Furthermore, Ms. Lan also pointed out that the current registration and evaluation process for OCOP products still involves many procedures and steps, causing apprehension among businesses, especially small-scale producers. This prevents many products with potential quality from participating or upgrading their ranking.

To address this issue and encourage businesses to upgrade their product ratings, the Khanh Hoa Department of Agriculture and Environment has requested the Intellectual Property Office to pay attention and implement effective solutions to expedite the processing of intellectual property protection applications within the stipulated timeframe. Simultaneously, the Department requested the Intellectual Property Office to cooperate with and support localities in providing registration information for assessment, evaluation, and search purposes, thereby minimizing disputes and infringements of intellectual property rights. The Department also requested the central government to review regulations on the criteria and evaluation process for OCOP products, and to issue a framework for the implementation program for the period 2026-2030, along with supporting policies and mechanisms, to ensure localities have a basis for synchronized and uninterrupted implementation.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/ocop-khanh-hoa-vuon-minh-thanh-dai-su-du-lich-d784652.html