(HBO) – The Business Association of Hoa Binh Veterans (BAHV), founded in September 2017, has become a venue for war veterans to gather for a new front – the front of poverty reduction and contribution to the province’s development.
The
cage fish farming following VietGAP standards of veteran Pham Van Thuat has
attracted a number of BAHV members coming to learn from his experience.
Pham Van Thuat is an outstanding BAHV member in economic
development when he has adopted cage fish raising technique following VietGAP
standards. In 2014, basing on the provincial Party Committee’s Resolution 12 on
development of cage fish farming in the Hoa Binh hydropower reservoir, he
discussed the aquaculture with his family. At first, his company invested in
more than 20 cages in Voi hamlet of Thai Thinh commune. After two years, it has
developed three cage fish farming establishments with 250 cages in Hoa Binh
city and Da Bac and Mai Chau districts.
Thuat said cage fish farming is not simple, especially for
inexperienced persons. With the determination to build a quality and
prestigious brand for Da River fish, the company hired experts and agricultural
engineers to give guidance and transfer techniques. Its staff has also made
efforts to practice the farming following VietGAP standards.
Cage fish farming is difficult, but how the products enter the
market is also not easy. Therefore, Thuat has actively sought market,
introduced his products, and pledged clean fish supply for consumers. His fish
products such as lang (hemibagrus), dieu hong (Oreochromis
sp), ro (anabas), nganh (Cranoglanis
sinensis), and tram (Ctenopharyngodon
idella) have been sold in major markets like Hanoi, Hai Phong city
and Ho Chi Minh City and big supermarket chains like Big C. The company
produces 4 – 5 tonnes of fish per year, gaining 3 billion – 4 billion VND
(131,700 – 175,600 USD) in revenue.
Pham Van Thuat is only one of the many BAHV members who are always
dynamic and creative in seeking new directions for their business. Despite
difficulties, they have made efforts to legitimately enrich their families and
contribute to the society.
Among them, Nguyen Thanh Giam is a distributor of many high-end
tile and toilet accessories brands in Hoa Binh and Son La province. Meanwhile,
Thanh Bien is the owner of a chain of telecom services, entertainment centres,
and the Sao Mai education centre.
There are 240 BAHV members across Hoa Binh at present, including
50 business owners, five owners of cooperatives, 40 others with service
businesses, and over 100 doing farm-based economic activities.
Aside from supporting one another in economic development, the
BAHV members have also offered mutual assistance in daily lives. In the first
two months of operation, the association spent 40 million VND (over 1,700 USD)
on supporting four members affected by natural disasters.
With its meaningful activities, the BAHV continues to attract a
number of new members. The provincial association decided to set up 11 chapters
at the district level, and three of them have been put into operation,
contributing to promoting connection for economic development and poverty
reduction and ensuring social welfare./.
According to data from the Hoa Binh Provincial Party Committee, the industrial production index for the first six months of 2025 is estimated to have increased by 20% compared to the same period last year. This marks the highest year-on-year growth rate for this period since 2020.
In the first six months of 2025, Hoa Binh province’s export turnover was estimated at 1.145 billion USD, marking an 18.11% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Import turnover was estimated at $ 804 million, a 17.15% increase, which helped the province maintain a positive trade balance.
The lives of the ethnic minority farmers in Tan Lac district have gradually improved thanks to the new directions in agricultural production. This is a testament to the collective strength fostered through the professional associations and groups implemented by various levels of the district’s Farmers’ Union.
With the motto the "product quality comes first,” after nearly one year of establishment and operation, Muong village’s Clean Food Agricultural and Commercial Cooperative, located in Cau Hamlet, Hung Son Commune (Kim Boi district), has launched reputable, high-quality agricultural products to the market that are well-received by consumers. The products such as Muong village’s pork sausage, salt-cured chicken, and salt-cured pork hocks have gradually carved out a place in the market and they are on the path to obtaining the OCOP certification.
In the past, the phrase "bumper harvest, rock-bottom prices" was a familiar refrain for Vietnamese farmers engaged in fragmented, small-scale agriculture. But today, a new spirit is emerging across rural areas of Hoa Binh province - one of collaboration, organisation, and collective economic models that provide a stable foundation for production.
Maintaining growing area codes and packing facility codes in accordance with regulations is a mandatory requirement for agricultural products to be eligible for export. Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hoa Binh province has intensified technical supervision of designated farming areas and packing facilities to safeguard the "green passport" that enables its products to access international markets.
