(HBO) – Anyone who has visited Muong Hich commune in Mai Chau
district cannot help but mention Muong Hich blue-necked duck - a typical
agricultural product of the locality that is highly appreciated for its quality
and safe production, along with beautiful community-based tourism villages.
Muong Hich blue-necked duck product is certified by the provincial People's Committee as a three-star OCOP product.
The Muong Hich blue-necked duck has become a familiar poultry to people in Mai Hich commune. The outstanding advantage of this duck breed is its beautiful feather. Harvest ducks will have blue colour on their head and neck. Muong Hich blue-necked duck meat has delicious quality so it is favoured in the market.
With the goal of preserving and improving the prestige, quality and reputation of Muong Hich blue-necked duck products, duck breeders in the locality agreed to establish Muong Hich agricultural service cooperative last year.
To improve quality and prevent diseases for ducks, along with building hygienic barns, breeding households make use of banana trunks and other vegetables available in the locality as food for the poultry. The cooperative also purchases an incubator to provide baby ducks for cooperative members.
Unlike imported duck breeds that have a raising time of only about 50 days, Muong Hich blue-necked ducks are raised for 3-4 months before being sold. Thanks to safe food sources and being raised in areas near fields, ponds, and streams, duck meat contains high nutritional content. It’s not difficult to cook duck, just steam or boil, ensuring its flavour while saving time for preparation.
Through the farming process, the cooperative realised that Muong Hich blue-necked ducks have the advantage of consuming less food, are less susceptible to diseases and are suitable to local conditions, said Vi Thi Phuong, Director of Muong Hich Agricultural Service Cooperative. Most importantly, blue-necked ducks gain the trust of consumers due to their good quality, ensuring stable income for farming households and cooperative members.
Last year, Muong Hich blue-necked duck product was certified by the provincial People's Committee as a three-star product under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme. As a result, its consumption market has been expanded and more people know about the product.
It costs about 200,000 VND (8.1 USD) per one live duck and 250,000 VND per vacuum-packed duck.
Customers mainly come from tourism, restaurants and hotels in the locality as well as from Hanoi and some neighbouring provinces.
The cooperative constantly explores ways to promote products and build brands to secure stable output. Farmers are encouraged to apply scientific and technological advances in farming to achieve high economic efficiency, gradually expanding the scale of duck farming for the cooperatives, thus, helping thecommune meet advanced new-style rural standards in the coming time.
Once a mountainous province facing many challenges, Hoa Binh has, after more than a decade of implementing the national target programme on new-style rural area development, emerged as a bright spot in Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous region. In the first quarter of 2025, the province recorded positive results, paving the way for Hoa Binh to enter a phase of accelerated growth with a proactive and confident mindset.
Hoa Binh province is steadily advancing its agricultural sector through the adoption of high-tech solutions, seen as a sustainable path for long-term development.
The steering committee for key projects of Hoa Binh province convened on May 14 to assess the progress of major ongoing developments
A delegation of Hoa Binh province has attended the "Meet Korea 2025" event, recently held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and the People's Committee of Hung Yen province.
Hoa Binh province joined Vietnam’s national "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme in 2019, not simply as a mountainous region following central policy, but with a clear vision to revive the cultural and agricultural values in its villages and crops.
From just 16 certified products in its inaugural year to 158 by early 2025, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme in Hoa Binh province has followed a steady and strategic path. But beyond the numbers, it has reawakened local heritage, turning oranges, bamboo shoots, brocade, and herbal remedies into branded, market-ready goods - and, more profoundly, transformed how local communities value and present their own cultural identity.
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