(HBO) - For last few years, along with forest farming, the livelihood of honey beekeeping has brought about prosperity to the poverty-stricken rural neighbourhoods of Lac Sy (Yen Thuy). This sweet nectar of the forest are enjoying chances of being further promoted as it qualified for standard of 3 star district level One Commune-One Product (OCOP) with viable prospect of provincial level OCOP certification.
Honey
products by Lac Sy (Yen Thuy) Agricultural Cooperative qualified for district 3
star OCOP certification.
Guided by the villagers, we managed to arrive at the house of
Mr. Bui Van Khoa, Manager of Lac Sy Agricultural Cooperative. As the autumn
coming to an end, the dry weather means most of the flowers are withering,
leading to drops in honey harvests compared to those during summer, he said.
However, during this season the bees can add the sap from acacia and other
plants to their diet, which increase the medical potency of the honey. The wild
flowers nectar and acacia plant sap make Lac Sy honey stand out from other
regions’ products.
Honey beekeeping has been around in Lac Sy since ancient time
as the villagers learnt to relocate wild bees to homemade beehives. By now, the
commune boasts 200 beekeepers, many among them wealthy, such as Mr. Bui Van Nam
family in Thong Nhat hamlet with nearly 100 bee colonies, Mr. Bui Van Chieu in
Sao Vot hamlet with 50 colonies.
Remarkably, since its foundation in late 2019, Lac Sy
Agricultural Cooperative has become a hub spot to help villagers sell their
products. Instead of beekeepers selling their honey at local farmers’ markets
or in neighbouring districts, the cooperative steps in to offer quality
certification and sell the products through interconnected buyers. In 2020, Lac
Sy honey sold via the cooperative amounted to 1.000 litres with prices
fluctuating between 150.000 VND and 200.000 VND per litre.
Mr
Khoa shared his hope that with boosted promotion, Lac Sy honey will soon appear
on the shelves at mainstream supermarkets, big wholesalers and electronic
trading platforms.
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.