Lao Cai recognizes 58 new OCOP products

Proactively investing to upgrade product ratings

Recently, Lao Cai Provincial Council for the Assessment and Classification of OCOP Products organized an assessment and classification of products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program from producers in various communes and wards across the province.

In the first assessment round of 2026, Lao Cai recognized 58 products meeting three- and four-star OCOP standards. Of these, 14 products received four-star ratings, including two newly assessed, 11 upgraded, and one reassessed. Meanwhile, 44 products received three-star ratings, including 19 newly assessed and 25 reassessed.

Notably, the 11 products upgraded to four-star status show that participation in the OCOP Program is shifting from simply seeking certification toward greater emphasis on quality improvement, production standardization, and market expansion.

Yen Thanh Ready-to-Eat Bamboo Shoots and Thac Ba Crispy Chili Bamboo Shoots, produced by Yen Thanh Joint Stock Company, are two of the 14 products recognized as four-star OCOP products and among the 11 products upgraded in this assessment round.

Nguyen Duc Dung, Director of Yen Thanh Joint Stock Company, said the company’s two products had been recognized as three-star OCOP products three years ago. At that time, as their assessment scores were already close to the four-star threshold, the company set a goal of upgrading their ratings and proactively prepared the necessary conditions.

“We set the goal of upgrading our products to four stars and therefore proactively prepared the necessary conditions, rather than waiting until applying for the four-star assessment to begin,” Nguyen Duc Dung said.

One of the key requirements is that production facilities must meet ISO 22000:2018 food safety standards. To achieve this certification, production processes must be standardized, ensure food safety, and enable product traceability.

Accordingly, input materials and every stage of production are subject to strict control. Information on when a product was made, who handled it, and which production stages it went through must be recorded for monitoring and traceability when necessary.

Not only the production process, but also production facilities, machinery, tools, equipment, water sources, packaging, and containers must meet food safety requirements. Any items that do not yet meet the standards must be further upgraded, reorganized, and standardized.

Nguyen Duc Dung said the cost of establishing an ISO system depends on the actual conditions of each facility. For facilities that have already been comprehensively equipped from the outset, additional investment costs are not substantial. To upgrade from a three-star to a four-star OCOP rating, the company also had to redesign parts of its packaging and labeling to comply with new regulations, including the requirement to declare nutritional content.

According to Nguyen Duc Dung, the quality of products themselves was not changed until the company began preparing for the four-star upgrade. The company’s production process has long followed Japanese technology and had already been stabilized. Products must meet requirements for physicochemical indicators, food safety, pesticide residues, and other relevant standards.

To achieve the latest upgrade, the company spent nearly two years preparing, proactively completing its ISO system and other required standards well in advance.

Yen Thanh Ready-to-Eat Bamboo Shoots and Thac Ba Crispy Chili Bamboo Shoots have been developed by the company over the past three years, primarily for the domestic market. Unlike dried and pickled bamboo shoots, which were previously mainly exported as raw materials, the two new products are processed through to the final stage, fully packaged, and ready for consumption.

This is also part of the company’s strategy to increase deep processing, expand the domestic market, and bring its branded products directly to consumers.

Continuing to improve quality

Nguyen Huu Truong, Deputy Head of the Sub-Department of Quality and Rural Development under the Lao Cai Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that under current regulations, OCOP products must undergo reassessment after 36 months.

The reassessment is not simply aimed at maintaining the existing star rating but also considers the product’s development, its ability to maintain quality, production and business performance, and market growth.

In practice, some OCOP products continue to grow and expand their markets after certification, while others struggle to find buyers and fail to maintain production and business activities. Therefore, reassessment at the end of each cycle is necessary to evaluate product quality, production and business efficiency, and the product’s market viability.

As part of the management process, relevant agencies monitor producers through production and business reports and other related information. At the same time, the province regularly guides producers in improving their products, from packaging and labeling to trade promotion, while creating opportunities for them to participate in conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions and product promotion events to expand their markets.

According to Nguyen Huu Truong, another new requirement that producers need to pay attention to is intellectual property. Under the new regulations, even three-star OCOP products must meet requirements related to intellectual property documentation. This is considered a more demanding criterion than before, particularly for small-scale producers that have paid limited attention to, or lack sufficient understanding of, intellectual property registration and protection.

Therefore, to maintain or upgrade an OCOP rating, producers cannot focus solely on product quality. They must also proactively complete requirements related to intellectual property, packaging, labeling, documentation and other mandatory criteria. Without proactive improvements, consistent quality and market development, products will face increasing difficulty in meeting assessment requirements.

Alongside raising quality requirements, Lao Cai is implementing a support policy that encourages products to achieve higher OCOP ratings. Under Resolution No. 21 of the Lao Cai Provincial People’s Council, the current policy no longer provides financial support for three-star OCOP products. Four-star OCOP products receive support of VND 50 million, while nationally recognized five-star OCOP products receive VND 100 million.

Focusing resources on higher-rated products is intended to encourage producers not to stop after receiving OCOP certification, but to continue investing in quality improvement, product innovation, market expansion and the pursuit of higher ratings.

With 58 products recognized under the first 2026 OCOP assessment, including 11 upgraded to four-star status, Lao Cai is showing a stronger focus on product quality and market development potential. OCOP recognition is not the final destination; products need to maintain quality, improve their designs, build brands and expand their markets.

$ 1 = VND 26,320 - Source: Vietcombank.