Mekong Delta OCOP Forum 2025 opened in An Giang

Diverse activities beyond exhibitions

On September 25, Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in Long Xuyen Ward, An Giang province, came alive as the Mekong Delta OCOP Forum 2025 officially opened.

With the theme “Linking for Development - An Giang 2025”, the event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee. The forum provides a meaningful space for exchange and connection, highlighting OCOP products, enhancing trade, and promoting sustainable rural economic development.

The opening ceremony, broadcast live by An Giang Newspaper and An Giang Radio and Television, attracted wide public attention. Attending the event were Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam; leaders from Mekong Delta provinces and cities; enterprises, cooperatives, and hundreds of OCOP producers from across the region.

According to the organizers, the forum runs from September 25 to 28 and is expected to draw 500 delegates to the opening and more than 7,000 visitors in total. The exhibition space is on a large scale, featuring 226 booths from provinces, enterprises, and craft villages throughout the Delta, showcasing OCOP products, regional specialties, cuisine, and cultural items, alongside check-in spaces and traditional craft demonstrations.

An Giang province alone brought 36 booths to display OCOP products, typical rural industrial goods, start-up products, and a series of tourism, cultural, and culinary spaces. In particular, 20 booths dedicated to An Giang’s specialty cuisine and traditional cakes have added distinctive appeal for visitors.

The forum is not limited to product showcases. Key activities include a regional OCOP trade connection conference, a workshop on OCOP product development, livestream online sales programs, and a contest for outstanding OCOP products. Together, these events present a comprehensive picture that combines trade promotion with cultural, economic, and social values of the OCOP program.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, more than seven years after its launch, the OCOP program has recorded remarkable achievements. As of September 2025, Vietnam has over 17,300 OCOP products rated three stars or higher, with the Mekong Delta accounting for 3,907 products, ranking second nationwide. An Giang alone has 582 OCOP products, including 14 five-star items, which have proven their quality and brand value in the market.

An Giang Chairman Ho Van Mung emphasized that this is an important event to promote, connect, and sustainably develop OCOP products in the context of integration. Covering an area of 10,000 square kilometers and home to nearly 5 million people, An Giang is a key agricultural hub in the Delta, with 87.7 percent of its land devoted to farming. From this advantage, many signature “born-from-the-village” products such as rice, vegetables, aquatic products, fruit, and medicinal herbs have grown into OCOP products, serving both domestic markets and exports.

Chairman Ho  Van Mung highlighted that An Giang’s 582 recognized OCOP products, including 14 five-star items, not only enhance income and create jobs but also help preserve local cultural identity. He noted that the 2025 forum gathers 226 booths from provinces, enterprises, cooperatives, and craft villages across the region, with a vibrant lineup of trade networking, OCOP product contests, and cultural and culinary showcases unique to An Giang.

“With the spirit of Linking for Development, An Giang hopes the 2025 OCOP Forum will become an important step in fostering regional linkages, enhancing competitiveness, and affirming local product brands in both domestic and international markets”, Chairman Ho said.

OCOP Forum s a platform for exchange and cooperatio

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam underscored the region’s strategic role in agricultural and rural development and in ensuring national food security. The Mekong Delta is Vietnam’s main producer of rice, seafood, and fruit on a large scale, with unique ecological and cultural assets and natural advantages for trade and agricultural logistics.

He noted that the region has made strong strides in transforming its agricultural growth model toward greener practices, emission reduction, digital transformation, and multi-value integration, linking production with processing, services, and rural tourism. Since 2021, the regional OCOP product forum has been held annually, rotating across provinces, becoming a common platform for exchange, promotion, and cooperation in developing signature products.

After more than 15 years of implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Development, rural economies have seen clear progress, with the OCOP program standing out as a highlight. By September 2025, the country has nearly 17,400 OCOP products from more than 9,300 producers rated three stars or higher. These products increasingly meet quality standards, food safety, and environmentally friendly packaging, with the capacity to access modern distribution channels and export markets.

The Mekong Delta alone has over 3,900 OCOP products from more than 2,000 producers, ranking second nationwide. Food products dominate the portfolio (82.3 percent), reflecting the region’s strengths in fruit, seafood, and rice. The OCOP program has promoted value chain linkages, built specialty raw material zones, encouraged start-ups, and generated jobs, particularly for women, ethnic minorities, and vulnerable households.

Deputy Minister Nam affirmed that from 2026 to 2030, Vietnam will enter a new phase that demands strong innovation in digital transformation, science and technology, and international integration. To that end, the OCOP program must be elevated, with priorities including strengthening quality management tied to branding, developing environmentally friendly products, planning specialty raw material zones, linking OCOP with tourism, festivals, and cultural traditions, expanding trade connections domestically and internationally, and supporting disadvantaged groups in participation.

He praised the efforts of the An Giang People’s Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and regional localities in organizing the forum, reflecting the Delta’s determination to pursue sustainable development, advance new rural construction, and elevate Vietnam’s OCOP products in the global marketplace.