THE HANOI TIMES — A variety of more than 1,000 local specialties and OCOP items are on display in the Son Tay Town pedestrian zone in Hanoi through May 19.

The event features over 100 booths from Vietnam's northern mountainous provinces and other cities and covers a space for cultural tourism, traditional craft villages, and ornamental plants.

At the opening ceremony on May 16, Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the event aims to help OCOP producers connect with partners and consumers while 

Hanoi plans to sell these local products in supermarkets, commercial centers, and OCOP showrooms throughout the city.

As part of the program, the department and the authorities of Son Tay Town will organize cultural tours to explore the heritage and traditional crafts of Xu Doai region (the vast land of ancient Son Tay in the west of Hanoi).

The OCOP program is a key pillar of Vietnam’s rural economic development strategy from 2021 to 2025. In line with the National Target Program on New Rural Development, it promotes local entrepreneurship and value creation.

Since 2019, Hanoi has rated 3,317 OCOP products, accounting for 21.3% of the national total. Maintaining the program is part of the city's efforts to promote brand building for further regional supply chain and domestic and international distribution networks.