Women confidently step into the digital age.

In Ca Mau, the digital transformation wave is not only taking place in administrative agencies or businesses, but is also spreading strongly to rural areas. Today, rural women are boldly "transforming" themselves, confidently stepping into the digital age with their own creativity and determination. From being accustomed only to housework and farming, many women have become "digital women," contributing to bringing the simple agricultural products of their homeland further into the market.

• Women in Ca Mau unite, innovate, and assert their position.
• Women of Bac Lieu, with their strength and intelligence, are entering a new era.
• Women in Ca Mau join hands to reduce poverty sustainably.

From traditional sticky rice grains to an OCOP brand reaching the world.

Tan Quang A hamlet, Cai Doi Vam commune, where people have been connected to the sea for generations, is now known for the Hai Thinh sticky rice flake brand of Ms. Ho Thi My Thuoc, a woman who has turned her family's traditional rice flake making craft into a 3-star OCOP product .

Ms. Ho Thi My Thuoc applies technology to the production and packaging process of products, contributing to improving quality and expanding the consumer market.

Born into a family with three generations of rice flake makers, Ms. Thuoc has always cherished the tradition of preserving her grandmother's and mother's craft. From traditional handcrafted production, she boldly innovated technology, investing in processing lines, vacuum packaging, packaging design, and brand registration. Her product, "Floating Rice Flakes from Tan Quang Village," made it into the Top 10 of the Ca Mau Startup Competition 2023, and is expected to be recognized as a 3-star OCOP product by 2025 – a source of pride for her hometown, Tan Quang A.

Not stopping there, Thuoc also embraced digital transformation in her business: listing products on e-commerce platforms, promoting them on social media, and learning livestreaming sales skills.

Ms. My Thuoc introduced a product of glutinous rice flakes with improved, modern packaging, contributing to elevating the brand of her hometown's specialty.

---

" Digital transformation has helped me bridge the gap, transforming me from someone working in a traditional profession into a modern businesswoman ," shared Ms. Ho Thi My Thuoc.

---

Currently, Hai Thinh sticky rice flakes are included in Tet gift baskets, tourist packages, and exported with diverse product lines such as sweet rice flakes, mixed grain rice flakes, brown rice flakes, and shredded pork rice flakes… priced at 150,000-220,000 VND/kg. The facility provides stable employment for 5-10 female workers, with an income of 5-6 million VND/month.

Ms. Dao Thi Thanh An, Vice President of the Women's Union of Cai Doi Vam commune, commented: "What is valuable is that Ms. Thuoc has inspired many rural women to start creative businesses , affirming that technology is not something far-fetched; it starts from the hands and hearts of women."

Boldly stepping into the "digital arena"

In Ong Quyen hamlet, Tan An commune, a region with salty sea breezes at the estuary, Ms. Phan Thi Chuyen has written an impressive entrepreneurial story by transforming the barramundi fish, which previously had little economic value, into a well-known 3-star OCOP specialty product.

Ms. Phan Thi Chuyen packages dried snakehead fish with garlic and chili - a local specialty processed to ensure safety and rich flavor, ready to be brought to market to serve consumers.

With skillful hands and creative thinking, she successfully processes various products such as fermented snakehead fish paste, dried snakehead fish with garlic and chili, and fermented roosterfish paste – flavorful, convenient dishes that suit consumers' tastes. In particular, the dried snakehead fish with garlic and chili sells for 700-800 thousand VND/kg, significantly increasing the value of the snakehead fish.

A major turning point for Chuyen was when she boldly ventured into the "digital arena." "At first, I didn't know how to shoot videos or post them on TikTok. But I just kept doing it and learning. Unexpectedly, the first few clips already had people ordering them, and even Vietnamese expats messaged me to inquire about the products," Chuyen confided.

Now, her small riverside kitchen has become a well-equipped production facility with a separate preparation area, vacuum sealing machine, packaging machine, descaling machine, and order printing machine.

Besides being a fish sauce maker, Ms. Chuyen has also become a content creator on TikTok, filming and editing videos herself, responding to comments, and conducting online transactions.

---

" It seemed very complicated at first, but now that I'm used to it, it's easy. As long as you're willing to learn, any rural woman can do it," shared Ms. Phan Thi Chuyen.

---

The fermented fish paste made from snakehead fish – a 3-star OCOP product of Ms. Phan Thi Chuyen's family – contributes to promoting local specialties to markets inside and outside the province.

Digital women - pioneers in the new era.

The women's entrepreneurship movement and the application of digital transformation are spreading strongly in Ca Mau, with the support of the Provincial Women's Union in providing ideas, skills, and connecting products for sale.

By leveraging technology, rural women not only increase their income but also assert their position, becoming a pioneering force in sustainable development. Many women have become proficient in video production, product promotion, trademark registration, online sales, and bringing fish sauce, sticky rice cakes, crab, dried shrimp, etc., to e-commerce platforms, demonstrating the shift from manual labor to the digital economy.

Examples like Ho Thi My Thuoc and Phan Thi Chuyen demonstrate that technology is a tool for equality and development. They not only contribute to the economy but also help create a new face for Ca Mau – a place where innovation begins from the heart and is connected by technology.

Kieu Nuong

Source: https://baocamau.vn/phu-nu-tu-tin-buoc-vao-thoi-dai-so-a123450.html