(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.
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.
