The traditional Nam Duong rice noodle, also known as Chu noodle, village is in Nam Duong commune, Luc Ngan mountainous district, 40km east of Bac Giang City.

Dao Thi Huong said Trai Lam cooperative now has 10 products in different colors. Apart from the traditional white noodle, there are several types of fruit and vegetable mixed in with the rice such as turmeric, sweet gourd, moringa, rice with bran, or beetroot to create more eye-catching colors, as well as improving the nutritional value of the noodle. The traditional white noodle of the cooperative is made from Bao thai hong (a variety of rice) while the fruits and vegetables are grown under the VietGAP standards, meeting international requirements.

Thus, rice noodle product of Trai Lam cooperative has got into many demanding markets worldwide. “In 2023, the cooperative sold around 250 to 400 tonnes of noodle, including 60 tonnes exported to Japan, the UK, Russia, the Republic of Korea, China, Laos, and more.”

Specifically, for the Japanese market - one of the most demanding markets, Trai Lam cooperative exported more than 13 tonnes of products to Japan last year.

Xuan Truong Chu rice noodle cooperative is another trading unit that also has exported products to Australia, Hong Kong and received positive responses. The cooperative also plans to do business in the long run with targets to Africa and Europe along with completing standards like HACCP, ISO certifications, especially food safety certificates for export to Islamic countries or others with high requirements in this field.

Trai Lam Rice Noodle Production and Trading Cooperative - photo: Quynh Nga

Emphasis on product quality

Dao Thi Huong repeatedly confirmed that her cooperative always gives high priority to food safety and product quality to develop the traditional brand and for sustainable development.

However, to help export mountainous agricultural products, especially clean products, to more markets around the world, Huong hopes that relevant sectors and agencies will support the cooperative in investing in cold storage for storing goods and greenhouse films for packaging goods.

Vice Chairman of Luc Ngan District People’s Committee Nguyen The Thi said that, being aware of the importance of developing OCOP (One Commune One Product) products, especially Bac Giang’s Chu rice noodle products, since 2018, Luc Ngan District People’s Committee has proactively directed specialized agencies to review this noodle, facilitate the locality to develop the Chu rice noodle brand, and create a sustainable supply for export.

With the support from Luc Ngan district and local cooperatives, Chu rice noodle products have reached the world markets and brought wealth to the local farmers in return. The production and consumption of Chu rice noodle is a very good example for many other mountainous agricultural products to follow, so as not to worry about the story of good harvest but low prices.