In 2023, fish cage farming has continued to recover after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With advantages in sale, fish cage farming has brought a fair source of income to thousands of households, especially those residing around Hoa Binh reservoir.
This year, fish cage farming on Hoa Binh reservoir develops stably with good consumption.
Tien Phong is one of the communes of Da Bac district where fish cage farming has been developing vigorously. Currently, there are about 800 fish cages with 400 local households engaged in farming. After experiencing many difficulties due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the two past years (2022 - 2023), fish cage farming households in Tien Phong commune have actively restored production and product consumption. In particular, the establishment of Da Giang Eco Cooperative in the commune has helped promote product supply and consumption linkages.
Xa Ngoc Hung, the cooperative’s director, said it currently has seven official members and 90 affiliated households. When the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting the country, its products were unsold, but the consumption of the fish has been much more favourable over the past two years. At present, farmed fish is sold well, particularly specialty fish such as ca lang (hemibagrus wyckii) are sought after.
To develop fish cage farming stably and sustainably, the cooperative has signed contracts with farming households to purchase fish at market prices, he said.
The cooperative is aiming for intensively processed fish products instead of selling fresh fish as before, he said, adding that this suits the needs of customers and is convenient for transportation, thus improving product values, Hung noted.
In 2023, the Da Giang Eco Cooperative had three products rated as three-star under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme, namely Da River black ca lang (hemibagrus wyckii), Da River black ca tram (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and Da River ca nganh (Cranoglanis sinensis).
Da Bac district has 143ha under aquaculture and 2,060 fish cages, concentrating in Hien Luong, Vay Nua and Tien Phong and other communes.
Bui Khac Vinh, Head of the district’s Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in 2023, the protection of aquatic resources has been strengthened and the use of electric shock, explosives, and toxic chemicals to exploit aquatic resources has decreased significantly. Fish cage farmers have paid attention to managing the farming environment and implementing measures to prevent farmed fish from diseases. The district has focused on promoting consumption linkages to develop sustainable fish cage farming and bring high economic efficiency.
Hoa Binh province has a fish farming area of 2,695ha with nearly 5,000 cages. It has built trademarks for fish and shrimp of Da River, which have been certified by the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam. The province has set up three product consumption chains in Hoa Binh city, Da Bac district and Tan Lac - Mai Chau, thereby helping to improve the value of Da River’s fish and shrimp as well as expanding product consumption markets.
Hoang Van Son, Director of the provincial Sub-department of Fisheries, said to develop sustainable aquaculture, in the coming time, the sector will continue to restructure fishery and speed up the application of new technology to fishery activities to diversify products. It will also promote research, transfer and application of scientific and technical advances with priority given to high technology and new advanced scientific and technological solutions.
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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