Prominent Localities, Enterprises, and OCOP Products at Vietnam OCOPEX 2024

The Vietnam OCOPEX 2024 Exhibition (October 31 – November 4, 2024) brought together 230 OCOP enterprises and cooperatives from 38 provinces and cities nationwide, showcasing over 460 OCOP products rated from 3 to 5 stars across 250 booths. Participating regions spanned across the North, Central, Central Highlands, and Southern Vietnam. Below are some highlighted localities, enterprises, and exemplary OCOP products featured at the event:

- Bắc Kạn: Tài Hoan Cooperative – Tài Hoan glass noodles (the province's first 4-star OCOP specialty).

- Sơn La: Bích Thao Coffee Facility – Bích Thao pure ground coffee (5-star OCOP, Sơn La specialty coffee).

- Phú Thọ: Hoài Trung Tea Facility – Hoài Trung premium green bud tea (specialty green tea, 5-star OCOP).

- Thái Nguyên: Hảo Đạt Tea Company – Tân Cương Hảo Đạt tea (famous green tea brand, 5-star OCOP).

- Quảng Ninh: Quý Hoa Yellow Camellia Tea Co., Ltd. – Quý Hoa yellow camellia tea (herbal tea from Camellia chrysantha, 5-star OCOP).

- Hải Dương: Hải Dương Specialty Enterprise – Mung bean cake (traditional Hải Dương specialty, 5-star OCOP).

- Bắc Giang: (Represented with processed lychee products, e.g., 4-star OCOP dried lychees).

- Yên Bái: Văn Yên Cinnamon Cooperative – Văn Yên cinnamon powder (5-star OCOP spice specialty).

- Ninh Bình: Ninh Bình Trade Promotion Center with 4 booths presenting featured OCOP specialties such as Như Quỳnh scorched rice, products from Sinh Dược Cooperative (medicinal herbs, essential oils), Yên Sơn Medicinal Cooperative (yellow camellia tea), Thanh Tùng kudzu starch, and Cúc Phương forest honey.

- Hưng Yên: (The host province presented 4-star OCOP specialties such as dried longan, longan blossom honey, Bần fermented soy sauce, etc.).

- Thanh Hóa: Lê Gia Company – Lê Gia shrimp paste (traditional shrimp paste, 5-star OCOP).

- Nghệ An: Đức Chung Bamboo and Rattan Facility – Handicrafts from bamboo and rattan, 5-star OCOP.

- Thừa Thiên Huế: Hue Specialty Enterprise – Hue beef noodle soup spice pack (5-star OCOP complete seasoning).

- Kon Tum: (Ngoc Linh Ginseng Kon Tum Enterprise – processed Ngoc Linh ginseng, 5-star medicinal specialty).

- Đắk Nông: Department of Industry and Trade & Đắk Nông Cooperative Alliance participated with 3 booths featuring 4 key cooperatives: Cao Nguyên Xanh Cooperative (ground coffee, cocoa), Bình Tiến Organic Pepper Cooperative, Krông Nô Agricultural Cooperative (macadamia nuts, dried mango), and An Phúc Khang Medicinal Cooperative. Đắk Nông products included coffee, pepper, macadamia, and cocoa (3–4-star OCOP) showcased at the event.

- Đắk Lắk: (Enterprises from Đắk Lắk featured Buôn Ma Thuột specialty coffee, pure cocoa, and other OCOP products from the province).

- Gia Lai: (Gia Lai Agricultural Cooperative – Phương Di pepper and honey, 4-star OCOP products).

- Lâm Đồng: (Lâm Đồng Tea Enterprise – Dalat artichoke tea, Cầu Đất Arabica coffee – OCOP specialties of Lâm Đồng).

- Bình Phước: Hà My Facility – Salt-roasted cashew nuts (Bình Phước cashew specialty, 5-star OCOP).

- Bình Thuận: (Bình Thuận enterprise – soft-dried dragon fruit and Phan Thiết fish sauce – OCOP specialties of the province).

- Khánh Hòa: (Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company – natural bird’s nest and agarwood – premium OCOP specialties of Khánh Hòa).

- Long An: Department of Agriculture & Rural Development led a group of enterprises with 4-star OCOP products such as Chợ Đào fragrant rice, Gò Đen rice wine, Châu Thành dragon fruit, showcased at the Long An booth.

- Đồng Tháp: Đồng Tháp OCOP Enterprise – Dried lotus seeds (Tháp Mười lotus specialty, 5-star OCOP) and lotus/mango-based 4-star OCOP products.

- An Giang: Palmania JSC – Palmania palm sugar (5-star OCOP, specialty of Bảy Núi). Notably, Palmania has recently received USDA and EU organic certification for its powdered palm sugar.

- Bến Tre: (Bến Tre OCOP Facility – Bến Tre coconut candy, coconut milk, coconut-based handicrafts – 4–5-star OCOP products).

- Sóc Trăng: (Enterprises showcased ST24 and ST25 fragrant rice – award-winning specialty rice, 4–5-star OCOP products).

- Kiên Giang: (Representatives presented traditional Phú Quốc fish sauce, 5-star OCOP, and Phú Quốc pepper – signature products of the province).

(In addition to the above examples, many other provinces participated, including Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, Lào Cai, Hà Nội, Nam Định, Thái Bình, Quảng Trị, Quảng Nam, Tây Ninh, Vĩnh Long, Trà Vinh, Cà Mau, etc., bringing the total to 38 participating provinces and cities.)

OCOP Enterprises’ Demand for Networking and Cooperation

Vietnam OCOPEX 2024 aimed to create opportunities for OCOP businesses and cooperatives to showcase products, seek distribution partners, and expand markets both domestically and internationally. During the exhibition, OCOP enterprises had the chance to directly connect with international importers and distributors to negotiate inclusion in major overseas distribution networks. Common demands among participating entities included:

- Seeking distribution and import partners: Most businesses aimed to meet potential distributors and sign contracts to bring products into supermarkets and retail chains in new markets—this was the top priority for expanding their international distribution network.

- Promoting international trade: OCOP producers were eager to boost direct exports of their flagship products, leveraging the exhibition to connect with foreign enterprises and international trade promotion organizations. Many businesses viewed the event as a "golden opportunity" to integrate local specialties into global value chains.

- Attracting investment and expanding production: Some businesses sought investors or joint venture partners to scale up production in response to rising international demand. Investment would enable them to improve production lines, increase output, and enhance product quality.

-  Accessing technology and improving quality: Through expert-led workshops on export-import practices, OCOP businesses learned about quality standards and advanced processing and packaging technologies to make their products competitive in demanding markets. For example, OCOPEX 2024 hosted discussions on the requirements for OCOP products to enter foreign supermarket systems and sustainable production methods with international certification.

Overall, OCOPEX 2024 participants actively sought long-term cooperation opportunities, aiming not only to generate short-term sales at the booths but also to build stable supply chain partnerships for the future.

Expanding into the Czech Republic and the European Union

With the goal of bringing Vietnamese OCOP products to international markets, many enterprises at Vietnam OCOPEX 2024 expressed a strong interest in expanding into the European Union (EU), including the Czech Republic. The EU is seen as a promising market thanks to the EVFTA agreement, and the event prioritized inviting international buyers from Vietnam's key export markets (including Europe) for business matchmaking. Notable examples include:

- Tài Hoan Cooperative (Bac Kan): This glass noodle producer previously exported 5.3 tons to the Czech Republic in 2020. This milestone has laid a solid foundation for the cooperative to further penetrate the EU market by leveraging its high-quality OCOP product line. At OCOPEX 2024, Tài Hoan expressed its intention to find additional EU distribution partners and expand its export scale following its success in the Czech market.

- Palmania JSC (An Giang): A young enterprise offering palm sugar products with EU organic certification. A Palmania representative stated that... (continued in your original document)

Appendix

Below is a list of some typical businesses that have participated in Vietnam OCOPEX 2024 Exhibition, along with contact information: