Proud of our local agricultural products.

At the end of the lunar year, we returned to Phuc Gia village, Nam Giang commune (now Tho Long commune). The small road leading to the fields seemed busier than ever with the hustle and bustle of year-end work. The factory complex had been expanded, and the production space had been enlarged. Amidst the whirlwind of machinery, it was hard to imagine that the plant that once grew wild, associated with simple meals in the past, had now been elevated to an OCOP product, gradually establishing its place in the market.

Products made from Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) by Phong Cach Moi Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company (THQueenFarm) participated in the Spring Fair 2026. Photo: Contributor

Taking advantage of a break, Le Viet Ngoc, Director of the Dong Ngau Agricultural and Livestock Cooperative, poured a cup of tea for his guest and recounted his "fortunate encounter" with this very ordinary plant.

Born and raised in a purely agricultural area, Mr. Ngoc and his wife rented 3.5 hectares of land in the Ngau rice fields to start a farm in 2012. From the purslane bushes growing along the pond's edge, which they kept because they "found delicious and memorable," and then expanded to a few square meters for family use, Mr. Ngoc never imagined that this would be the beginning of a whole new direction: "At first, I just thought of growing vegetables to eat, but gradually the planting area expanded, and when we couldn't eat it all, we sold it at the market. Who would have thought that one day we would 'make something big'!"

The story of a simple, down-to-earth farmer like Mr. Ngoc, born and raised in the village, doesn't begin with grand schemes, but with very real-life experiences. These include the ups and downs of vegetable seasons; the high prices and low sales; and the worry about how to make the water spinach business independent of the local market, so his wife wouldn't have to carry the vegetables back and forth with worry. "We can't just rely on selling fresh vegetables; if we want to go the distance, we have to process them," Mr. Ngoc said.

They put their idea into action. In 2019, the couple borrowed money from the bank and decided to invest in machinery to produce centella powder using a closed-loop process, adhering strictly to food safety and quality standards. Thus, pure centella powder, centella powder with mung beans, centella powder with lotus seeds, centella powder with five flavors, and most recently, centella tea... were successively created. Notably, the pure centella powder product has been recognized with a 3-star OCOP rating – an important "passport" for the cooperative to expand its market and participate in trade promotion programs; the centella powder with mung beans and centella powder with lotus seeds have also completed the application process for OCOP recognition.

According to Mr. Ngoc, the distinguishing feature of Dong Ngau Centella asiatica lies in its ancient variety, with small leaves and a rich, unique flavor. In addition, the application of freeze-drying technology helps the product retain its natural color, aroma, and nutrient content. This is the key factor that has led to positive consumer feedback and increasingly stable orders. To meet market demand, the cooperative has invested in additional processing machinery. Currently, the Dong Ngau Agricultural and Livestock Cooperative has over 2.5 hectares of Centella asiatica, of which about 1 hectare is linked with more than 10 households in the commune, forming a stable raw material area for processed products.

At THQueenFarm (Luu Ve commune) - belonging to Phong Cach Moi Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company, after more than 5 years of persistently pursuing high-tech agriculture , the journey of developing products under the Thanh Hoa brand of Centella asiatica has left many clear marks, gradually bringing local Centella asiatica to the shelves of many provinces and cities nationwide.

From the very beginning, Mr. Tran Van Tan – the owner of THQueenFarm – clearly defined a strategy to build a complete production chain. After surveying and learning about high-tech agricultural production models in Japan and Israel, he was determined to introduce water spinach production according to organic and VietGAP standards. From an initial 0.5 hectares of trial land, he expanded it into an organic raw material area, linking production with approximately 100 hectares in many localities in the province. 2021 marked a significant turning point when THQueenFarm invested in a high-tech preliminary processing and processing line, using modern equipment supplied by a Japanese-Vietnamese joint venture, with a processing capacity of more than 1 ton of fresh vegetables per day. The application of advanced technology not only helps the product retain its nutritional value, color, and distinctive flavor of Thanh Hoa's pennywort, but also meets the requirement for product origin transparency through QR code traceability labels – a prerequisite for expanding domestic and international markets.

After more than 5 years of effort, THQueenFarm has launched a diverse range of products such as centella powder, tea bags, centella jelly, centella colostrum, etc. These products clearly demonstrate a transformation from the concept of "traditional agricultural products" to convenient, high-quality, healthy food that meets consumer needs. Some of THQueenFarm's centella products have achieved OCOP 4-star status and have become exemplary representatives of high-tech agriculture. THQueenFarm's dynamism is further demonstrated through its model of collaboration with many farmers – transferring technology, seeds, cultivation techniques, and guaranteeing product purchase – creating a sustainable and harmonious production network within the community, while also contributing to job creation and increased income for rural workers.

Not stopping at existing processed products, Mr. Tran Van Tan said: "In 2026, the company will research and plan to invest in a technology line to extract saponin essence from Centella asiatica to serve the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. When the line becomes operational, the Centella asiatica raw material area will continue to expand, estimated at about 300 hectares, creating a foundation for large-scale production and the development of a sustainable value chain."

Along the sun-drenched and windy Thanh Hoa province, the pennywort plant, in its unique way, evokes images of the arduous and challenging North Central region. Slender, unassuming, yet resilient, pennywort stands as a silent symbol of a land of hardship and resilience, where people and plants learn to thrive amidst the scorching sun, the hot Lao winds, and the harsh rainy seasons. Beyond its value as a simple, rustic food, this small plant, once associated with the arduous rice paddies, now carries a larger story – a story of local agricultural identity, of unlocking the potential of the most familiar resources, and of a path to sustainable prosperity for farmers.

Viet Huong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tu-hao-nong-san-ban-dia-277840.htm