Bamboo shoots and the journey to OCOP products

Bamboo shoots are not only a source of food and livelihood, but also a product imbued with the cultural identity and characteristics of the ethnic minorities in Thanh Hoa. In particular, bamboo shoots have been affirming their value when out of 19 bamboo shoot products recognized as OCOP, most are from 11 mountainous districts.

Thanh Hoa has 19 bamboo shoot products recognized as OCOP.

From rustic dishes

On weekends, taking advantage of her free time, teacher Ha Thi Nho, a Thai ethnic, who teaches at Che Lau Kindergarten, Na Meo Commune (belonging to Na Meo Kindergarten, Quan Son) takes the opportunity to go into the forest to dig for bamboo shoots. "Since I was little, I have followed my grandmothers and mothers into the forest and was taught how to find and dig for bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots have become a regular dish on every meal tray and can be processed into many different types such as fresh bamboo shoots, dried bamboo shoots...", teacher Ha Thi Nho said.

In the daily life of the Thai ethnic group, bamboo shoots are not only a source of food but also a culinary culture. Bamboo shoots are available all year round, but the harvest time and the best taste of each type of bamboo shoot are also different. From the beginning of the year to April is the time for the development of small bamboo shoots, small bamboo shoots; from August to October, the best taste is bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots. During the bamboo shoot season, people go into the forest to pick bamboo shoots and then process them into many different types such as fresh bamboo shoots boiled, cooked in soup or pickled, made into chili salt, bamboo shoots are also dried, shredded or left whole to make salads, stir-fried, steamed, cooked with vegetables, vermicelli... Each type of processed bamboo shoots has its own delicious taste and characteristic aroma.

From many generations, ethnic minorities in Quan Son district have preserved and developed the local culture. Nowadays, bamboo shoots are not only a daily product but also a commodity that brings income to local households.

The forest in Quan Son district is mainly bamboo forest (such as: bamboo, reed, and bamboo) with an area of over 54,451ha/86,033.71ha of forested land. Every year, Quan Son district exploits and consumes over 10 million bamboo trees, from 5 to 7 thousand tons of bamboo, bamboo in the form of slats and over 500 tons of other non-timber forest products. The products are partly processed at forest product processing facilities in the area and partly exported to provinces and cities such as: Hanoi, Nam Dinh , Hoa Binh, Hai Phong and some southern provinces... The exploitation of bamboo, reed, and bamboo has been bringing income to the people, at the same time, products from wild bamboo shoots also contribute to creating a unique culinary culture.

Go to OCOP products

According to information from the Office of the New Rural Development Program Coordination of Thanh Hoa province, the province has accumulated 634 OCOP products (including 2 5-star products) from 478 production entities. Of which, 19 bamboo shoot products have been recognized (dried bamboo shoots, pickled bamboo shoots, fresh bamboo shoots, asparagus, etc.), mainly from 11 mountainous districts. The bamboo shoot products all carry the cultural characteristics of the land and people in the locality.

People in Quan Son district pick wild bamboo shoots.

Taking advantage of its potential and strengths, Quan Son district has developed bamboo shoots into commodity products, OCOP products, creating motivation and opportunities for people to sustainably reduce poverty. Accumulated to April 2025, Quan Son district has 13 products recognized as OCOP, of which 3 bamboo shoot products are recognized: "Nang Non dried bamboo shoots" of Thuy Nong Agricultural and Forestry Service Cooperative (Son Lu town); "Four-season hanging bamboo shoots" Muong Xia of business household Pham Thi Hang, Chung Son village (Son Thuy commune); "Duy Linh bamboo shoots" of Duy Linh Green Agriculture Cooperative, Zone 5 (Son Lu town).

As one of the bamboo shoot products recognized as OCOP, "Duy Linh Bamboo Shoots" of Duy Linh Green Agriculture Cooperative is trusted by people and customers. The young bamboo shoots harvested with the freshest flavor have been processed and naturally dried by the Cooperative. Ms. Vi Thi Thom, Deputy Director of Duy Linh Green Agriculture Cooperative, said: "The input materials are very important, which are bamboo shoots of bamboo, rattan, bamboo, etc., ensuring quality, young and sweet enough. The Cooperative has linked production and product consumption with households with forest plantation areas in the locality. Currently, bamboo shoots have a good consumption level, retailing at 250 - 300 thousand VND/kg. The production of dried bamboo shoots is not only for the consumption needs of neighboring communes, but the Cooperative is developing to distribute throughout Thanh Hoa province".

With favorable natural conditions for forestry development, Quan Hoa district is a locality with a large area of bamboo and rattan in the West of Thanh Hoa. Bamboo shoots are also a typical product of this land. Here, many products have been formed with the characteristics of the highland and border district. Up to now, Quan Hoa has 11 products recognized as 3-star OCOP, including 4 OCOP products from bamboo shoots. Specifically, they are "Muong Ca Da dried bamboo shoots"; "Pieng Cu sour bamboo shoots"; "Muong Khang shredded dried bamboo shoots"; "Le Hien hot bamboo shoots".

Among the OCOP products from bamboo shoots, we can mention "Le Hien bamboo shoots" (Nam Tien commune). While other types of bamboo shoots are processed by people by boiling and then drying, with "Le Hien bamboo shoots", fresh bamboo shoots are cleaned and then steamed. This product can be processed immediately or preserved by hanging in the kitchen for many days, the bamboo shoots still retain their fresh taste. Ms. Le Thi Hien, owner of "Le Hien bamboo shoots" said: "With this preservation method, people will have bamboo shoots to eat all year round. People here call this type of processed bamboo shoots "Le Hien bamboo shoots". Currently, the facility is creating regular jobs for many local workers, with an income of 3 to 5 million VND/person/month".

From a rustic dish of ethnic minorities, bamboo shoots have now become a specialty dish, known to many people. And more than that, when the product has been recognized as OCOP, it further affirms the value of wild bamboo shoots, the culinary culture of the land and people of the mountainous and highland regions of Thanh.

Source: https://vhds.baothanhhoa.vn/mang-rung-nbsp-va-hanh-trinh-den-san-pham-ocop-36569.htm