The community forest in Ba Tang hamlet, A Doi commune (formerly Ba Tang commune, Huong Hoa district) is rich in bamboo shoots. In 2023, the Ba Tang Cooperative was established with 16 members, most of them poor Van Kieu ethnic women. Since then, the cooperative has helped to increase the value of forest bamboo shoots and other local specialties like wild pepper and chili. With support from local authorities, the cooperative has built solar-powered drying houses and bamboo shoot processing facilities.

Local resident Ho Thi Nho told VOV that since the establishment of the cooperative, people’s approach to doing business has changed. “The areas of our mountain fields are small, so villagers have taken the initiative of collecting forest bamboo shoots for sale. Although we grow cassava and acacia, bamboo shoots provide more income. Families can collect 2 to 3 large bags per trip and earn 18 to 24 USD,” said Nho.

Villagers bring bamboo shoots and other forest products to the cooperative for processing and distribution. The cooperative turns these materials into high-quality finished products for the market. Besides bamboo shoots, it also processes wild bananas, bitter gourds, forest tea, papaya flowers, wild tangerines, and medicinal herbs.

Nguyen Huu Khoa, a local resident, sells these products at trade fairs and markets, locally and in other regions. “We want to introduce the Ba Tang Cooperative’s clean agricultural products—dried bamboo shoots, dried papaya flowers, dried wild bananas—to people nationwide so they’ll know the unique products of our border region,” said Khoa, adding, “High-quality products offer good consumer experiences and create stable incomes for cooperative members during the farming off-season.”

In Thuong Trach commune, villagers have developed fresh and dried bamboo shoots that are popular with consumers. To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods, the communal authorities established the Ca Roong Cooperative and invested in production, drying, branding, and packaging to increase product value. The cooperative’s dried bamboo shoots, recognized as a 3-star OCOP product under the brand Ca Roong Dried Bamboo Shoots, are sold widely.

According to Dinh Tieng of A Ky hamlet, Thuong Trach commune, “After picking bamboo shoots, villagers sell them to the cooperative. The whole village can collect over 100 kilograms. Last year, during the pilot phase, I collected one large bag—about 6 to 7 kg—and sold it to the cooperative for processing.”

Quang Tri has been implementing the “Mountain, Remote, and Island Trade Development Program from 2021 to 2025,” under which the two-way trade model has been widely applied in mountain and border areas.

Dao Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, said after almost five years, the program has yielded positive results. “Mountain trade infrastructure has improved, with new sales points established. Residents can buy essential goods more easily, and local products are distributed more efficiently. Markets have expanded, and Quang Tri’s unique brands have been promoted more widely,” Tuan noted.

The two-way trade model has proven successful in Quang Tri. To replicate this model, the locality plans to introduce additional support mechanisms for local businesses and cooperatives from clean, high-quality production and processing to marketing and product testing to ensure standards, quality, and food safety. This will strengthen market access for agricultural products from Quang Tri’s mountain and ethnic minority areas.