(HBO) – With strength in traditional herbal medicine practice and dedication, responsibility of its members, Ngoc Sang Herbal Cooperative in Tien Lam hamlet in Bac Phong commune of Hoa Binh province's Cao Phong district has improved the quality of their products, contributing to preserving traditional practices while generating jobs for local Dao ethnic women.
Director of the Ngoc Sang Herbal Cooperative Bui Thi Ngoc is deeply dedicated to traditional herbal medicine products of the Dao ethnic group.
Bui Thi Ngoc, Director of the Ngoc Sang Herbal Cooperative, said taught by her husband's family, she started learning to collect herbs in 2018. Faced with the challenge of not only preserving the traditional practice but also enhancing its value, her family urged villagers to establish and develop the cooperative. Currently, it has seven members.
She added that with the advantage of abundant raw materials and several distinctive plant species, the cooperative has boldly expanded its market and developed the herbal practice more professionally. Currently, it has eight products, including stomach medicine and Dao people's herbal bath products as key ones.
Since its inception, the cooperative has partnered with local residents to buy medicinal materials. At the same time, it expanded material growing area to over 1 ha to grow valuable medicinal plants.
To achieve the success, Ngoc and the cooperative's members are grateful to the Women's Unions at various levels, which has supported them in training workshops, skill development sessions, and free traceability labels. They also joined trade promotion fairs in the northern region, through which their brand has become known. Each year, the cooperative produces around 300 kg of refined balm and two tonnes of raw herbs. Via trade fairs, they manage to sell about 200 kg of refined balm and one tonne of raw herbs. The remaining products are directly sold at the production facility or through online channels.
Bui Thi Dung, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Bac Phong commune, said since its establishment, the cooperative has achieved significant results, contributing to creating high economic value, stable jobs and steady income for its female members. Each member earns an average income of 8-10 million VND (347-434 USD) per month.
Furthermore, it has helped 20 local women with seasonal jobs, with each earning 5-6 million VND per month. With their efforts and achievements, the cooperative has recently received a certificate of merit from the provincial Women's Union in a programme to honour outstanding grassroots officials and exemplary models in the community.
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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