Integrating introduction of OCOP goods with local tourism

The Hung King Temple Festival and Ancestral Land Culture-Tourism Week 2024 provide an opportunity to promote tourism’s potential and strengths. Phu Tho province has directed departments, branches, and localities to strengthen coordination, promotion, introduction, and connection of typical products, particularly by participating in the province’s “One Commune One Product” Program (OCOP) to become a tourism product with high economic value.

Several OCOP goods from the province were shown and presented at the exhibition.

Hundreds of characteristic items from localities around the province, as well as many provinces and towns across the country, have congregated in Hung Vuong Square in Viet Tri city, roughly 10 kilometers from the Hung King Temple historical relic site. OCOP Phu Tho Trade and Product Fair 2024 drew a significant crowd to come and purchase from the first day. The fair has over 350 booths divided into two areas: the general trade area, which has over 250 booths of businesses, production, and business establishments from within and outside the province; and the exhibition area, which displays and introduces OCOP products, typical rural industrial products from Phu Tho province, and Departments of Industry and Trade from provinces and cities, which has nearly 100 booths.

In addition to the province’s OCOP items, several well-known consumer goods, bronze art products, and other provincial products were sold during the fair, attracting a large number of visitors and shoppers.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, stated that this is the first time the Department of Industry and Trade has arranged a large-scale socialization fair, with booths constructed in open space and with layouts. Creating circumstances for customers to access, choose, and acquire suitable items and goods, while assuring quality and fair costs. As a result, domestic consumption is increased, and the “Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods” campaign is propagated. The fair is being held in conjunction with the Hung King Temple Festival and Ancestral Land Culture-Tourism Week 2024, providing a chance to promote and present traditional items, as well as the country’s potential and power, the province’s commerce and tourism attracting visitors from all over; at the same time, it provides a chance for enterprises, cooperatives, and OCOP organizations to promote association activities, investment promotion, and the consumption of prospective products.

At the fair, the province designated a distinct section for displaying, introducing, and selling local OCOP items. Some items are extremely “attractive” on the first day of sale, such as cassava cake, bamboo shoots, and banh chung... Businesses and cooperatives regularly carry items from the site of production to locations of sale to maintain an ample supply of goods, hence servicing the purchasing power of people and visitors.

Customers utilize non-cash payment to purchase items at the fair, which promotes the digital transformation process in trade promotion activities.

To maximize the fair’s potential, the Department of Industry and Trade has chosen a convenient location, a spacious campus, and unique color designs, creating a sense of closeness and friendliness with people, landscapes, products, and local culture, attracting people and tourists from all over to stop shopping on their way to the Ancestral Land to offer incense.

Au Co Commercial Service Cooperative, Hien Luong commune, Ha Hoa district, provided a cake steamer at the fair, allowing clients to directly see the baking process.

Ms. Minh Thu, a visitor in Quang Ninh province, stated: "Previously, when talking about Phu Tho, I only thought about sour pork delicacies, but this time, when visiting the region’s OCOP product display area, I learnt about many other appealing items, including as green tea, cassava cake, rice noodles, banh chung... are not only excellent and have their own distinct flavor, but the design and packaging are also quite beautiful, making them ideal as gifts for friends and family."

Aside from OCOP products, the trade fair area sells consumer products, handicrafts, household appliances, construction equipment, electricity, electronics, garments, fashion, agriculture, forestry and water products, pesticides, fertilizers, machinery for agriculture and rural mechanization, handicrafts, craft village products... from businesses, craft villages, cooperatives... inside and outside the province, which attracts many customers.

It is clear that the OCOP Phu Tho Trade and Product Fair in 2024 has served as a bridge between production and product consumption while also stimulating tourism demand and promoting the tourism image of Phu Tho province in general, and the Hung King Temple Festival in particular, to tourists. The fair takes place from April 12 to 18 (lunar March 4 - 10).

Ha Nhung