Suoi Hoa commune in Tan Lac district, located next to the Hoa Binh lake bed, boasts favourable conditions to branch out the caged-fish farming model, helping build local caged-fish brand, better residents’ income, and improve local livelihoods.
Bui Thi Thoa, a resident in Suoi Hoa commune, Tan Lac district, has studied and applied advanced technology into her caged-fish farming model.
Stable market in the end of 2023 help secured farmers in Ngoi hamlet a bumper fish crop. Bui Thi Thoa, a local resident who bred various kinds of fish in 30 cages, said her fish was sold at higher prices than in the previous crop.
Last year, Thoa gained some 150 million VND (nearly 6,200 USD) from selling 5-6 tonnes of fish. She said she has spent all of the profit on purchasing fries and investing in a cage system, and attended training classes on technical transfer to prevent diseases, adding the move aims at developing the caged-fish model. Besides, her family has worked with hotels and restaurants to ensure stable market for the fish.
Suoi Hoa commune is now home to nearly three hectares of aquaculture areas with more than 600 fish cages. Currently, local farmers are focusing resources to develop their cage system, while popularising their products on social networks such as Facebook and Zalo to access more consumers. Total aquaculture production in the commune in 2023 was estimated at 55 tonnes.
With a view to supporting and developing the aquaculture sector, local authorities have urged farmers to capitalise on the commune’s potential and advantages to branch out caged fish farming. Along with joining hands with relevant authorities to organise training courses, they have created favourable conditions for local people to get access to consessional loans from the district’s bank for social policies.
However, challenges remain on the horizon for the commune to develop brand for its caged fish, including small-scale production, poor linkage among households engaged in the caged farming model, traditional farming habits, among others.
According to Vice Chairman of the communal People’s Committee Dinh Van Buong, the caged fish farming has shown efficiency, making contributions to sustainable poverty reduction.
However, to turn caged fish farming into an economic spearhead, authorities at all levels should pay further attention to creating favourable conditions for farmers to stabilise production.
They should bring farmers into cooperatives to strengthen linkage and develop value chain for their fish, he said, adding it is necessary to improve product quality, enhance popularisation work, and expand markets for the products.
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.
