OCOP products are displayed at the Autumn Fair 2025. (Photo: VNA)

More than seven years after its launch, Ho Chi Minh City’s One Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme is shifting gears, focusing less on sheer numbers and more on genuine sustainability, polished branding, and building a confident global presence for Vietnam’s beloved local specialities and crafts.

By late 2025, the city proudly counted more than 1,000 OCOP-certified products, including over 790 three-star and 220 four-star items, produced by nearly 430 participating entities, establishing a robust base for further expansion in the years ahead.

In major local supermarket chains, shoppers are paying more attention to OCOP labels, traceability information, expiration dates, and food safety certifications when deciding what to buy.

Tran Nhu Quynh, Deputy Head of the Trade Management Division at the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said there remains ample room to boost OCOP presence in key distribution networks such as Saigon Co-op, Satra and other modern retail chains. The department plans to step forward as a connector, guiding producers toward technical excellence, refined packaging, and flawless documentation, while collaborating on global and domestic trade promotion events.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Bui Minh Thanh stated that the city will conduct a comprehensive review of each producer’s capacity, needs, and operating conditions. Based on these evaluations, authorities will identify specific constraints and provide targeted, timely support. Assistance will be tailored to actual needs, helping enterprises improve product quality, refine production processes and enhance value-added and market competitiveness.

Looking forward, authorities intend to intensify post-certification monitoring of OCOP items, increase the frequency of quality checks, and tie star-rating maintenance to regular evaluations and consumer market feedback. Entities failing to uphold standards or breaching commitments on food safety and traceability may find their stars downgraded or their certificates withdrawn to protect the OCOP brand’s reputation and consumer interests.

The city is also working to standardise digital traceability by introducing a unified QR code system for OCOP products, making it easy to see where raw materials come from, how items are made, and any certifications or inspection records. This update not only strengthens regulatory oversight but also gives consumers the tools to check details themselves, helping to build trust.

On market strategy, Thanh stressed the need to focus on high-potential OCOP categories suited for mass-scale penetration, rather than spreading resources too thinly. Priority will go to supporting four-star products in their push toward five-star certification through technological upgrades, process standardisation, improved packaging and adherence to rigorous demands from modern retail and export channels.

Additionally, the city is encouraging OCOP producers to weave themselves into industry value chains, along with creating beautifully curated gift collections and bundled offerings steeped in local legend, heritage, and soul. In this way, commercial value is elevated while every customer is invited to feel not merely the product quality, but the heart, responsibility, and singular character behind it, moving far beyond the ordinary into something truly unforgettable.