Story behind local specialties

The “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) program has been evolving in depth and quality. Within this framework, OCOP producers are increasingly focused on crafting narratives around their agricultural and local specialty products, weaving their stories into the process of brand building and product identity.

Nguyen Thi Hoang, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee, visits the exhibition booth showcasing products participating in the first round of OCOP evaluation in 2025. Photo: B. Nguyen

Dong Nai Province has recently added 15 products certified under the OCOP program, including 6 potential 5-star products. What stands out is how OCOP producers have brought to consumers compelling stories behind their products, which reflect rich cultural values, local soil, and the dedication and journey of those who create them.

Message of the brand

Among the 15 newly certified OCOP products from Dong Nai, six have been recognized as potential 5-star products, all of which are produced by Gia Bao Group JSC (Binh Phuoc Ward). These include: Original-taste cashew nuts, peeled cashew nuts, cashew nuts with inner skin, cashews with Himalayan pink salt (both peeled and skin-on), and a gift set of five-flavored cashew products.

What made this business memorable was the story behind its signature product, “Ba Tu Binh Phuoc cashew nuts”. Ba Tu Binh Phuoc is a woman who has devoted her life to the cashew tree. Her family’s heritage orchard, with decades-old trees, has been lovingly tended across generations. These ancient trees embody tales of love, perseverance, and pride, which are symbols of a family deeply rooted in the tradition of cashew cultivation. The brand also represents the spirit of passion passed down through generations, inspiring descendants to carry forward the family legacy and bring Vietnamese cashews to the global market. Ba Tu Binh Phuoc Cashews is a story of the red basalt soil that gives Binh Phuoc cashews their distinctively rich, buttery flavor, a hallmark of one of Vietnam’s most treasured agricultural specialties.

OCOP producers are encouraged to actively enhance their management skills and business capacity, stay ahead of market trends, and effectively utilize government support resources to drive growth. They are also encouraged to promote technological adoption, enhance deep-processing capabilities, and strengthen connections with local raw material zones to establish comprehensive value chains and develop distinctive, high-value OCOP products.

Nguyen Thi Hoang, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee

OHAL Trading and Services Co., Ltd. (Binh Phuoc Ward) has introduced a compelling narrative through its product line: OHAL reishi mushrooms, reishi–agarwood tea, and instant reishi powder. Among these, the reishi–agarwood tea stands out as a refined fusion of tradition and modernity, combining rare medicinal herbs with Vietnam’s rich and deeply rooted tea culture.

For centuries, reishi mushrooms have been revered in Eastern medicine as a "panacea," symbolizing health, longevity, and balance. Meanwhile, agarwood has long been intertwined with Vietnamese spiritual life, present in religious rituals, meditative spaces, and the cultural consciousness of tranquility and peace. By blending reishi mushrooms with deeply fermented agarwood leaves, OHAL has created more than just a tea, as it is a cultural experience, a distilled spiritual essence shaped by time and tradition.

According to Le Duy Khanh, Deputy Director of OHAL Trading and Services Co., Ltd., behind every product lies OHAL’s startup story, a young Vietnamese enterprise with the ambition to elevate local medicinal herbs. Beyond merely producing reishi mushrooms, OHAL strives to combine traditional ingredients with modern technology, turning each product into not just a drink, but a source of cultural pride and Vietnamese identity.

Investing in the art of storytelling

One of the greatest strengths of the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) program lies in its distinct local identity and authenticity. Building a meaningful story around an OCOP product must stem from the pride of the people and communities who create it. Only they can tell how a product originated, evolved, and embodies the cultural essence of their homeland. A product story captures the uniqueness of its local roots and serves as an effective tool for communication and brand promotion. Although intangible, it resonates with the hearts and emotions of consumers, shaping their perceptions and even influencing their purchasing behavior. For OCOP producers, these narratives also carry the pride of their hometowns and the value of their heritage. In many cases, the story itself is what differentiates one product from another and makes it truly memorable. This feature is why product storytelling plays an essential role in helping OCOP submissions achieve higher evaluation scores.

A representative from the Dong Nai Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion emphasized that in the OCOP product evaluation process, the storytelling component plays a crucial role alongside product quality in determining final scores. An OCOP story not only enhances the product’s value but also helps leave a strong impression on consumers.

In the most recent evaluation, many producers presented compelling and well-crafted product stories that contributed to elevating the value of their products. In the future, OCOP participants are encouraged to invest more in developing distinctive and cohesive narratives, as these stories are what capture consumers’ attention and build trust.

According to Dang Tran Nhat Thoai, Deputy Head of the Trade Management Division under the Provincial Department of Industry and Trade, many OCOP producers have begun integrating circular farming and green production models into their product narratives, an emerging trend aligned with future development directions. Environmental considerations are now more important than ever, as many international partners are conducting site inspections of production facilities. Just one violation could cost businesses valuable opportunities, he emphasized. In the near future, the Department of Industry and Trade will organize additional training sessions on e-commerce, encouraging OCOP entities to actively participate in order to broaden their market presence and access new distribution channels.

By Binh Nguyen – Translated by Thuc Oanh, Minho