(HBO) – Luong Van Suong, a resident in Na Loc village, Dong Chum commune (Da Bac district) started his agricultural business not by growing rice, maize or any other food crops but grass. The man’s determination has been translated into a persuasive economic model, helping him gain the title of "Vietnam’s excellent farmer” last year.
Luong
Van Suong has dedicated his efforts to cow raising and passion fruit farming,
earning millions of VND on an annual basis.
Everything began in 2012 when Suong knew he needed to switch to a
new production model and was interested in growing grass for cow and buffalo farming.
After careful consideration, he used five hectares of his family’s corn field
to grow crass, offering a good source of nutrition for his cattle to be healthy
and thrive. The herd now grows to 150 heads, producing between 20 and 40 calves
and generating more than 300 million VND each year.
He also offers jobs to poor families by contracting them to raise cows
and buffalos, who will raise the cattle till they produces calves and give back
half of their profits from the cattle to Suong. The service has helped many
needy households escape poverty.
In 2016, Suong invested in 10 hectares of clean passion fruit
plantation, with all fruit harvested sold to a processing company. In the first
fruit crop, the garden yielded 60 tonnes of fruit, reeling in around 100 million
VND.
Suong’s business has also created stable-income jobs for dozens of
local labourers.
As Suong moved forward with his agricultural projects, he learned
the danger of herbicide. He then became the first in his locality to encourage
people to say no to the dangerous substance. One-hundred percent of households
in Na Loc signed an anti-herbicide commitment and agreed to make it part of the
village’s informal common law. The campaign spread throughout Dong Chum commune
and local people agreed to follow the commitment since January 1, 2017, with no
violations spotted to date. Dong Chum was the first commune in Da Bac district
and Hoa Binh province to successfully launch the campaign.
Suong now began raising free-range chickens on his fields. He said
when people used weed killers rampantly, the method was impossible, as the
chickens kept dying of herbicide poisoning. Now, the environmentally friendly
free range farming has been proved effective and attracted increasing
involvement of local farmers./.
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
