(HBO) – With a sack of about 30kg of bamboo shoots harvested in less than an hour, Cao Viet Pot, a resident in Ren hamlet of Gia Mo commune (Tan Lac district), can earn 450,000 VND (over 19 USD). This is a major source of income for mountainous residents like him. In many places across Hoa Binh province, many families have earned tens of millions of VND annually from bamboo shoots.
Bamboo shoots have become a considerable source of income for Cao Viet Pot in Gia Mo commune, Tan Lac district.
Pot said that "lanh hanh” is originally a bamboo variety growing in nature. Many years ago, after trips to the forest to earn a living, he decided to plant this species near his home to prevent erosion and landslides. Now, it has developed into a forest covering up to a hectare.
In recent years, when bamboo shoots have become a specialty of Hoa Binh province and popular among consumers far and wide, Pot has earned tens of millions of VND each year from this produce. Aside from the shoots, he has also sold fully-grown trees, adding to his family’s income.
Across Hoa Binh, a number of families have also earned big from bamboo shoots. In Doi Thung hamlet of Quy Hoa commune (Lac Son district) and Bua Cau hamlet of Hung Son commune (Kim Boi district), people have long relied on harvesting bamboo shoots in forest to earn their living. Each local household can gain tens of millions of VND from the shoots each crop. As a result, many have had stable income to improve their living conditions and support their children’s learning.
The shoots are brought to wholesale markets to distribute to different localities and also sold to factories for export processing.
Recent data from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development show that Hoa Binh is currently home to more than 17,700ha of bamboo of all varieties, most of which are planted ones. The majority of the area, 71%, is in Da Bac and Mai Chau districts.
Nguyen Huy Nhuan, Director of the department, said the planting and trading of bamboo and related products have helped improve livelihoods of local residents, especially poor and ethnic minority people. Many households have enjoyed a better life thanks to the planting and harvesting of bamboo and bamboo shoots.
In 2022, the province harvested about 5 million bamboos of all varieties and over 5,250 tonnes of shoots, earning some 136.3 billion VND, statistics show.
Bamboo is also a material for the manufacturing of industrial products, household equipment, and handicrafts serving domestic consumption and export. There are three businesses producing bamboo items for export in Hoa Binh at present, including the biggest bamboo processor of Vietnam based in Mai Chau district.
In 2022, Hoa Binh recorded 50.85 billion VND (2.16 million USD) in the bamboo product value, including over 29 billion VND in exports and 21.76 billion VND in domestic consumption.
Thanks to such results, bamboo and the shoots are considered a life changer for many households and ethnic minority communities in the province./.
Over recent years, the Farmers' Union of Mai Chau district has implemented numerous specific programmes and activities to support its members in developing products under the One Commune One (OCOP) programme. These efforts have contributed to enhancing local agricultural branding, increasing goods value, and improving incomes and living standards for residents.
Since 2022, the Hoa Binh Department of Education and Training has provided advice for the provincial People's Committee to issue Plan No. 219/KH-UBND on November 17, 2022, which outlines the implementation of a project titled "Enhancing the application of Information Technology (IT) and Digital Transformation in Education and Training for the 2022–2025 period, with a vision to 2030.” As of now, the local education sector has made significant progress in IT adoption and digital transformation.
Hoa Binh allocated over 30 trillion VND (nearly 1.18 billion USD) to develop infrastructure systems in ethnic minority and mountainous areas during 2019 - 2024. Priority was given to transport and irrigation infrastructure; markets; schools; medical stations; communal houses; and power grid, telecommunication, radio, and television systems.
The Hoa Binh provincial organising committee for anniversary activities on December 17 held a ceremony to unveil a ceramic mural on the local military-civilian ties and release a book on the Party and political work of the provincial armed forces during 1947 – 2024, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and 35th anniversary of the All-People Defence Festival.
In recent years, Hoa Binh has allocated significant resources to foster cooperative economy, helping ethnic minorities capitalise on their potential and advantages to escape poverty.
As a mountainous district still facing numerous challenges, Da Bac has made notable progress in advancing administrative reforms across various areas. The district has prioritised reorganising and streamlining its administrative apparatus, operating "one-stop-shop” units, and applying information technology (IT) in the handling of administrative procedures. Efforts have also been directed toward upgrading infrastructure and equipment to enhance service quality for residents and businesses.
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