Ethnic minority and mountainous women enhance the flavor of the mountains and forests through each product

Amidst the modern pace of life, the products with the breath of the mountains and forests of the association's members and women are making a difference and being accepted by the market in a unique way, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

In the flow of the digital age and market economy , when industrial products are popular with convenience and mass production, hand-woven brocades, herbal medicine bags, sour meat tubes fermented by traditional techniques... of ethnic minority areas have become attractive and have a solid position in the market. Each product made by ethnic minority women not only has material value, but also contains cultural and spiritual values of each ethnic group and each region.

Catching up with modern consumer needs

Taking us on a tour of the sour meat production area of the cooperative, Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep (Deputy Director of Thanh Son - Phu Tho sour meat cooperative, Phu Tho province) said that the entire sour meat production process of the cooperative is kept according to the traditional method of the Muong ethnic people.

From the selection of ingredients, she also strictly chooses local pork, which is raised without using chemicals. The next steps, from preliminary processing, slicing, mixing spices, fermenting the meat in bamboo tubes… although nowadays, there are more supporting machines, the flavor and soul of the sour meat dish are still preserved in each product.

The process of producing sour meat of Thanh Son - Phu Tho sour meat cooperative is kept according to the traditional method of the Muong ethnic people.

Also from the traditional medicine left by her ancestors, Ms. Tan Ta May (Red Dao Community Cooperative, Ta Phin Commune, Lao Cai Province) has developed a bathing medicine of the Red Dao people, combining 10 - 120 different types of leaves and stems of medicinal plants in the forest to help visitors restore their health.

Not stopping there, from traditional medicine, referring to current information, the Cooperative has successfully tested, produced and sold to the market 4 sets of packaged products, convenient to use such as bath products; foot bath products: foot bath medicine in filter bags; foot bath medicine in water bottles; shampoo products including shampoo, medicinal soap; massage products with essential oils, massage balms...

Ms. Tan Ta May and members of the cooperative produce and sell packaged products that are convenient to use and suitable for modern consumer needs.

Ms. Tan Ta May said that these product sets are highly appreciated by buyers for their beneficial effects on users' health, convenience and reasonable price. From medicinal plants in the forest, Ms. Tan Ta May not only enriches herself but also creates jobs for local ethnic minority women and treats many people.

In the mountainous areas of Nghe An, artisan Sam Thi Tinh (Quy Chau commune, Nghe An province) is also bringing a modern breath to the traditional brocade products of the Thai ethnic group in Hoa Tien village. Not stopping at the familiar brocades, Ms. Sam Thi Tinh also collaborates with fashion designers, turning brocade from the village into fashionable dresses and shirts in the modern city. Moreover, brocade is also the material used in fashion collections performed on international catwalks in England, Switzerland, etc.

Artisan Sam Thi Tinh brings a modern breath into traditional ethnic brocade products

Nowadays, many traditional products of ethnic minority and mountainous women have gone beyond the village boundaries to enter the large market. From Red Dao medicinal bath products in Lao Cai, Thanh Son sour meat in Phu Tho... all products are OCOP certified, trusted by domestic and foreign consumers, bringing economic value and contributing to bringing indigenous culture closer to the world.

Enhancing products with ethnic minority and mountainous women

Behind the success of these products with the spirit of the mountains and forests is the strong support of agencies and organizations, including the Women's Union at all levels. Through activities to support women in starting businesses and participating in collective economic development, Women's Unions at all levels nationwide have organized training courses on brand building, design improvement, livestream sales, etc. to help ethnic minority women access modern markets.

Women-owned cooperatives in ethnic minority and mountainous areas are supported in packaging design, QR code registration, and connection to e-commerce platforms. In addition, the Association at all levels organizes many trade activities and fairs to help members and women promote and sell their products.

Exchange and connection activities, introducing typical livelihood models for women in ethnic minority and mountainous areas organized by Women's Unions at all levels in Lao Cai province

In order to support the consumption of products from ethnic minority and mountainous areas, in recent times, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has coordinated to organize market seminars, guide the development of a handbook to introduce specialty products from ethnic minority areas, and at the same time deploy rotating sales points between mountainous areas and large cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; promote the introduction of products to e-commerce platforms to expand the market for regional products; organize training courses in localities for businesses and cooperatives in ethnic minority and mountainous areas to connect, promote products, learn digital skills and access markets in the new era...

Challenges to overcome

Although it has found a place in the modern consumer market, preserving and enhancing the products of ethnic minority and mountainous areas still faces many difficulties.

Many traditional crafts in villages are gradually disappearing as the young generation leaves to work as factory workers. Folk knowledge such as medicinal recipes, food recipes, production methods, etc. have not been systematized or digitized, so they are at risk of being forgotten.

Meanwhile, market trends require products to be uniform, convenient, and modern, forcing many producers to choose between maintaining tradition or pursuing profit. In addition, competition from counterfeit products, imitations, and "copycats" of local products affects the reputation of producers.

"In today's rich commodity market, consumers increasingly look for products with clear origins, cultural stories in each product and humanistic social values.

That is the special competitive advantage that indigenous products of ethnic minority women are holding. We really hope to have more systematic and long-term strategies to support ethnic minority communities to preserve and promote indigenous values in products," said businesswoman Hoang Thi Hoa, Tuyen Quang province.

Removing barriers for rural women and ethnic minority areas to sustainably reduce poverty

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/phu-nu-dan-toc-vung-dan-toc-thieu-so-va-mien-nui-nui-nang-tam-huong-vi-nui-rung-qua-tung-san-pham-20250807163555755.htm