Cần Thơ’s three-region OCOP shop in Ninh Kiều Ward showcases more than 70 product lines rated 4–5-star levels under the country’s “One Commune – One Product” programme. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hiền

CẦN THƠ — Cần Thơ is stepping up efforts to expand and improve products recognised under the national “One Commune – One Product” (OCOP) programme, aiming to strengthen quality and market access.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city aims to have about additional 30 products rated three to four stars under the programme this year.

It will support OCOP producers with machinery upgrades, packaging improvements and product traceability codes that allow consumers to check product origins, as well as building sustainable value chains for OCOP products.

Priority will be given to potential products, key products and those with export capacity.

OCOP recognition has helped many products improve their reputation and expand distribution networks.

The Hai Son Cake Processing Co,.Ltd. in Hồ Đắk Kiện Commune has eight kinds of pía cake (a Vietnamese pastry with fillings of durian, mung bean paste, candied pork fat, and sometimes salted egg yolk) recognised as four-star OCOP products.

Trương Hồng My, representative of Hai Son, said after being recognised as OCOP products in 2022, the company’s pía cakes are expanded their sales to supermarkets, shopping centres and major agents in many provinces and cities, and revenue increased significantly.

These products are now exported to demanding markets such as the US and Japan, she said.

Bùi Quang Huấn, director of Huấn Xoa Cờ Đỏ Cordyceps Co., Ltd in Thạnh Phú Commune, said OCOP certification helps raise product value and builds consumer trust.

The company’s Huấn Xoa freeze-dried cordyceps has been recognised as a 4 star OCOP product.

Cần Thơ has 895 OCOP products rated from three to five stars. Among them, four products are rated five stars, 242 are rated four stars and 649 are rated three stars.

Lê Văn Tính, deputy head of the Cần Thơ Office for Coordination of the National Target Programmes, said the city’s OCOP products mainly focus on the food and beverage sector.

Assessments show that OCOP products in urban wards generally have better quality, packaging design, and food safety standards compared to those produced in poorer rural communes in remote and isolated areas, he said.

About 25 per cent of OCOP producers have adopted value chain production models.

Co-operative groups and co-operatives account for about 20 per cent of all OCOP producers. 

Trần Chí Hùng, deputy chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, has called on departments and sectors to connect OCOP products with centralised consumption systems such as school kitchens, hospital canteens and company kitchens.

“OCOP products have stable prices, clear origins and assured quality. They are suitable to replace food of unclear origin in collective kitchens,” he said.

Trade promotion

Alongside OCOP product upgrading, Cần Thơ is strengthening trade promotion, including showcasing these products in fairs and other events.

It participated in the Spring Fair 2026 in Hà Nội from February 2 to 8 to introduce OCOP products and other speciality products.

The city has encouraged producers to join e-commerce platforms and more than 70 per cent of OCOP products have been assisted in selling on these platforms.

It has also set up 34 product display and introduction points.

At several tourism destinations, OCOP products are displayed with clear price labels and delivery services for visitors.

The city officially opened a shop for showcasing OCOP products produced across the country’s three regions in Ninh Kiều Ward on February 11.

Products recognised under the country’s “One Commune – One Product” programme are showcased at Cần Thơ’s three-region OCOP shop in Ninh Kiều Ward. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hiền

The three-region OCOP shop sells more than 70 key product lines, including ST25 rice, which has won the World’s Best Rice title three times, along with many other regional specialties.

It also expands online sales and livestream activities through a team of well-trained agricultural extension officers.

All products sold at the shop meet four-star or five-star standards under the OCOP programme.

Nguyễn Minh Đức, director of the Cần Thơ City Agricultural Extension and Services Centre, which manages the shop, said: “Instead of selling products widely, the centre carefully selects only two or three outstanding items from each of 34 provinces and cities nationwide.

“The model serves as a bridge to help consumers in Cần Thơ and the Mekong Delta easily access specialties from the northern and central regions without having to travel far,” he said.

Besides business activities, the shop also provides agricultural technical advice, as well as the transfer of plant varieties and cultivation processes. These services aim to help farmers cut costs and increase profits. — VNS