In Hau Giang , many village dishes from the time of reclamation are also present in restaurants with natural colors, sparkling with the value of delicious and strange dishes, shimmering with the colors of "Each village - one product (OCOP)...".
The similarities between the Italian countryside and the place we live in are the vivid stories that transcend time.
Tien Tho is a restaurant specializing in selling traditional quintessence dishes that are closely associated with customs, practices, etiquette and the sophistication of leisure time... From the treasure trove of traditional cakes, the "phu - the" cakes, the stylized "bang tet nhung nhi" (mixed glutinous rice) - 3-color sticky rice, sweet cakes with pineapple jam to "Nang Hai" snakehead fish sausage... are proof of creativity from a person who cherishes the dream of enriching local resources, turning inspiration into delicious dishes, confident to the point that no matter where they go, customers will eventually turn to their homeland.
The idea of creating a rest stop, welcoming tourists and promoting a product line with 100 savory and sweet dishes close to nature; imbued with the Delta's character, rustic character, more refined with "kitchen" talent... Ms. Vo Thi Tho believes that the delicious folk dishes here will make diners remember the land of the West of Hau River, understand the hearts of the people who diligently make diverse delicious dishes, worthy of buying as gifts.
Similarly, Ms. Vo Thi Phuong Trang, co-founder, promotes the traditional wine brand Ut Tay and massage oil UT, reminiscent of the legendary Xa No canal, opening up the vast rice fields of the West Hau River.
Standing Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee (old) - Nguyen Van Hoa awarded the championship prize of the 4th Startup Competition of Hau Giang province to Ms. Vo Thi Phuong Trang, Ut Tay Traditional Wine Production Facility.
The 4th Startup Competition in Hau Giang Province, portrayed by stories associated with innovative startups, integrating OCOP - the final on June 18, 2025 - has the meaning of promoting the subjects to rise up, towards the goal of sustainable development, starting from self-told stories with many emotional levels. Ms. Phuong Trang won the Champion of the competition with the story of the descendants of the pioneering generation, distilling wine and preparing traditional medicine into health care products (bones and joints) - a way to connect the quintessence of the family and social needs, the image increases the symbolism of the place where she lives with customers everywhere.
The story of Ut Tay is the journey of a super small establishment, trying to portray the brand mark, cherishing joy, filtering out very real worries, intertwining deep emotions, genuine attachment to traditional products and creative adaptation to alcohol control regulations. Taking advantage of broken rice in the process of processing rice in the West of Hau River region, Ut Tay and his wife (Quang Anh - Phuong Trang) applied the technique of separating harmful substances from wine and researched and practiced how to make many lines of wine "intoxicating friendship". From there, wine and the trauma healing formula from the family martial arts school have created a new product to relieve pain caused by injuries and joints.
Up to now, Ut Tay has 7 product lines, including: Wine (many different types of tonic wine) and UT herbal massage oil (2 types). Of which, 4 products have achieved typical OCOP in the Mekong Delta. On January 17, 2025, Ut Tay Cordyceps Lao Tuu wine and Snor's wine achieved 5-star OCOP certification at the national level.
Sometimes it is just an urgent order call - "Send quickly...", even if it is just one box, nearly 200 kilometers or more away, but it is a joy - showing the trust of the customer, showing the meaning of the driving force that helps a super small facility connect with the large flow of goods. From there, products from Hau Giang go to Saigon, Tay Nguyen, Hanoi or somewhere else according to orders. "There is still much to do in shortening the geographical distance, connecting the traditional and the contemporary, connecting the past and the present, connecting products and the community towards customers at duty-free stores...", Ms. Phuong Trang said about the "small joy of life" but it is a great encouragement, urging the idea of renewing the product with spiced wine and "S'Nor specialty" to mix Cocktails in the future.
Duong Hien, a girl from the North living in Hau Giang, by approaching Tra Thom “Happy Queen” to demonstrate her determination to enrich the forgotten values from pineapple peels, is enthusiastically realizing the idea of processing pineapple silk into filter bags, pineapple pulp into jam… leading the story of 2,800 hectares of pineapple from the alum soil. First, pineapple is grown on difficult land, then overcoming challenges and barriers to have a story from hardship to happiness. That multi-layered message will be written by the operators of Happy Cooperative.
Interns from the Faculty of Rural Development, Can Tho University, sat listening to messages from Duong Thi Hien at the contest, imagining pineapple tea with honey from Tran Nim (in Hau Giang), connecting pineapple cake compo from Tien Tho... who knows, maybe the art of adapting and combining to enhance taste will become a tea party, simple, compact but memorable.
The young generation appeared in the selection of 20 out of 140 entries. Truong An, one of two girls in her teens and twenties, confidently talked about a family eco-tourism area, associated with seasonal delicacies, taking advantage of the living space as the expanded commune area after the merger of boundaries... Similarly, Ton Phuoc Nguyen, returned to Hau Giang to apply IoT and AI technology, grow and promote heat-resistant strawberries.
Ideas related to Be Em's candleberry, Hong Bich's roselle, growing mushrooms the way Van Anh does, surprises with Thanh Thuy's mushroom sausage; raising black apple snails by Ngoc Huong, raising ducks using biological bedding and ways to make clean soil or growing sprouts associated with a product chain in the direction of green consumption by Nguyen Van Thang... A new picture with colorful patches is emerging with the idea of symbiosis from indigenous resources connected with technology, taking advantage of AI, Chat GPT to locate formulas to combine ingredients in a personalized direction, building customer data, tracing the origin - showing many solutions to optimize activities that not only facilitate product trade but also have the depth of regenerating the environment, maintaining and developing the microbial community...
The competition entry was realized by Mr. Nguyen Van Thang (Enhancing the value of Muscovy ducks - raising ducks with biological bedding - combined with creating sprouts).
One can imagine good signals from thoughts that are coherently and clearly explained, based on reality to create, entrepreneurial spirit and awareness of regenerating resources from villages, valuing natural products, showing a clear desire to create jobs, change and create new vitality for the place where one lives... Finally, the solution to difficult problems is to use and be satisfied.
The stories may still have some flaws, limitations in financial calculations, market vision, rudimentary packaging and labels... but they have shown awareness and aspiration - without age boundaries, without barriers to creative thinking - in enriching the value of resources, finding ways to process further, integrating into the field of food development, alternative foods and cosmetics.
The new situation is being proven when the educated young generation has returned to their hometown to start businesses and integrate into OCOP alongside the younger generation to tell stories of the past and present. Hopefully, the future will be different.
No one mentioned Professor Morihiko Hiramatshu, who initiated and developed the OVOP (One Village One Product) idea in Oita Prefecture in 1979 - after that, OVOP spread to many other countries. And, we are learning and applying from Professor Morihiko Hiramatshu.
Thailand is one of the successful countries in embracing the OVOP spirit of Professor Morihiko Hiramatshu when practicing the principles of self-reliance, proactive innovation based on indigenous resources and culture; local action - global thinking; attracting young, well-trained human resources to rural areas to create jobs, improve livelihoods, increase welfare... In just 15 years, from 2001-2015, Thailand has developed 208,860 OTOP products and directed this product line to reach the global market.
Mr. Vo Minh Luan, an expert from the Office of National Target Program Coordination in Hau Giang Province, who has persistently supported OCOP entities to participate in training courses to improve their market participation capacity, said: Up to now, Hau Giang Province has recognized 363 products. Of which, 110 are 4-star products (accounting for 30.30%); 250 are 3-star products (accounting for 68.87%), and 3 products have achieved 5 national stars (0.83%). With 164 participating entities, including 24 companies (accounting for 14.63%); 46 cooperatives (accounting for 28.05%); 94 establishments and business households (accounting for 57.32%).
Hau Giang has a lot of experience in coordinating with departments and branches, establishing strategic goals, building a rich and diverse OCOP product structure and taking focused actions to create changes in creativity and innovation. There are still many products that need to be completed even though they meet 3-star standards, but the leading ones have proactively upgraded, large enough for sumptuous parties associated with stories originating from the time of land reclamation to June 2025.
The 20 stories selected for the final round out of 140 with great potential this time also show that the rest need help. There is a lot of room for creative thinking in the way of incubation and support in the future so that soon there will be more new subjects joining this dynamic and creative lineup.
June rains suddenly... Extreme changes are mentioned in OCOP stories, concerns when humans exploit beyond the ability of nature to heal and regenerate... But from there, environmentally friendly solutions have emerged, maybe just a small spark, but Hau Giang has built a team with the awareness to connect, share thoughts, harmoniously link different values, kindle big dreams from small projects, ready to connect villages in a new space of over 6,360 square kilometers, with a population of 4.19 million people.
In rural areas, spreading new ideas and attracting local human resources to create new values is considered a practical way to inspire and also an effective way to reduce the number of groups migrating to urban areas and leaving their villages behind.
There, human resources who cherish the desire to further enrich natural resources, preserve cultural identity and renew the story of rural economy... have more or less learned vital lessons from the past and know how to move forward.
Article and photos: CHAU LAN
Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/thang-6-dau-an-khong-the-nao-quen-o-hau-giang-a188039.html
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