(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.
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.
