A member of Thien An Cooperative introduces agricultural products via digital platforms. (Photo: backan.gov.vn)

Like most other industries, farming and forestry production in the mountains of Bac Kan province have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tan Thanh Agricultural Cooperative, located in a Dao ethnic village in Bac Kan city, makes turmeric-based healthcare products and sells them throughout Vietnam.

After the pandemic and the social distancing measures it provoked cut into sales, the Cooperative started advertising its products on social networks, set up online shops on e-commerce platforms, and built up its own website.

Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, the Cooperative’s Director, said, “We built a website in 2018 and used multiple avenues of trade promotion and marketing to introduce and advertise our products. During the pandemic, the website was used to directly introduce our products to customers, who could immediately place an order with us. The products were then delivered to customers by post. It’s very convenient.”

The main products of the Thien An Cooperative in Vi Huong commune are herbal pillows and herbal medicines made by members of the Dao ethnic minority.

Though its products have attained a firm foothold in the local market, it has been difficult to expand the market. To bring their products to a greater number of consumers, the Cooperative invited IT experts to show them how to use IT and explain to them what digital transformation and digital marketing are.

Now their market has expanded to dozens of provinces and cities through promotions on several e-commerce platforms, says Ly Thi Quyen of  Thien An Cooperative.

“Our products are becoming known in Vietnam and abroad. The volume of orders has increased, and the lives of the Cooperative members have improved, too,” said Quyen.

In Bac Kan, there are dozens of cooperatives and small and medium-sized businesses owned by ethnic minority women, mainly in agriculture and forestry.

Nguyen Thi Hoan, Director of the Tai Hoan Cassava Vermicelli Cooperative, was the first to introduce Bac Kan agricultural products to the European market.

Hoan told VOV, “I’ve taken many training courses to learn how to sell our products on e-commerce platforms. In today’s Industry 4.0 era, technology is playing a key role in bringing our items to more customers here and abroad.”

Society’s perception of the role of women in economic development is changing.

Ly Thi Ba, Director of the Tan Son Agricultural Cooperative, said, “At first my family didn’t support me. According to Dao customs, men are the masters of family finances. Women have no rights in financial management. But when the Tan Son Agricultural Cooperative became profitable, many men asked to join.”

Bac Kan recently set up an e-commerce platform and many local agricultural cooperatives have signed up to participate.