Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam needs to turn its One Commune One Product (OCOP) products, traditional craft villages and agricultural resources into distinctive tourism experiences to increase the value of local products and generate stable incomes for rural communities, experts said at a conference in Hanoi on October 9.
The conference on agricultural and rural tourism promotion was held as part of Vietnam’s Agricultural and Rural Tourism Promotion Week.
Phuong Dinh Anh, Deputy Chief of the Central Coordination Office for National Target Programmes, said Vietnam had more than 21,000 OCOP items rated three stars or higher as of September 2026, with over 10,000 participating entities. The country had also developed more than 600 rural tourism models, including nearly 400 recognised tourist destinations.
These resources offer significant potential for agricultural and rural tourism. However, links between production and tourism remain limited. Many OCOP products are simply displayed and sold at tourist destinations, while their production processes, local cultural value, and traditional craft stories remain underutilised.
Anh said production facilities should become destinations in their own right, allowing visitors to learn about production processes, take part in selected activities, sample products and discover the cultural stories behind traditional occupations. These experiences could be enjoyed at tea and coffee farms, fish sauce production facilities, pottery studios, and agricultural cooperatives.
To develop these products, producers need to invest in visitor facilities, hygiene, safety and service quality. Travel companies should also participate from the planning stage, helping assess market demand and design suitable experiences rather than connecting with destinations only after they are fully developed.
Doan Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre, said many localities had developed community and agriculture-based tourism and craft village tours linked to local specialties and OCOP products. However, not all destinations had turned their potential into competitive products capable of generating stable revenue.
Some experiences still focus mainly on sightseeing, photography, dining and shopping, while service quality, infrastructure and hospitality skills vary. Limited coordination among local authorities, producers, cooperatives, travel companies and media organisations has also prevented destinations from making full use of available resources.
Giang called for a shift from developing individual destinations to building connected experience-based tourism routes. A single itinerary could combine visits to raw-material growing areas and craft villages with hands-on production activities, local cuisine and OCOP shopping. This approach would enrich visitors’ experiences, expand markets for agricultural products and increase local incomes.
Digital technology also needs to play a greater role in promotion, providing information about destinations and services and supporting bookings. Attractive communications highlighting local characteristics and distinctive experiences would help visitors find and choose suitable itineraries.
Hoang Hoa Quan, a representative of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stressed the need for closer coordination between tourism, agriculture, industry and trade. Local authorities can improve infrastructure and connections, travel companies can create tours and engage customers, while residents, cooperatives, and producers can offer experiences directly.
Cooperation between localities with complementary strengths could also create joint tourism routes, broaden visitor choices and encourage longer stays. Clear service standards, responsibilities and benefit-sharing mechanisms are needed to ensure local communities receive a fair share of tourism revenue.
Experts stressed that rural tourism can develop sustainably only when local communities actively participate and benefit from it. Investment in transport, accommodation and attractions must go hand in hand with clean water, waste treatment, hygiene, traditional craft preservation and environmental protection.
As part of the programme, participating parties signed a memorandum of understanding on agricultural and rural tourism development to strengthen cooperation and promote sustainable tourism products./.
