(VOVWORLD) - Ly Thi Quyen of the Dao ethnic group in Bac Kan province has helped to turn local handicrafts into a profitable business. Quyen founded the Thien An Cooperative, which employs many local women and promotes Dao culture to tourists.
 Ly Thi Quyen, Director of Thien An Cooperative in Bac Kan checks her herbal pillow products. |
After graduating from university, Quyen set aside her dream of becoming a teacher and returned to her hometown in Na It village.
Recognizing that local people relied primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, she looked for a way to make farm produce more profitable. In 2017 she established the Thien An Cooperative, of which she is the director. Within a year, the co-op’s dried bananas had achieved market recognition and received a 3-star rating under Bac Kan province's “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) program.
"Many people here believe that women, especially from ethnic minorities, are destined to work in the fields and cannot engage in business. I received little support to build a business. Moreover, balancing business with family responsibilities was challenging for me, a single mother caring for elderly parents and a young child. My path to entrepreneurship was difficult," said Quyen.
After her success with dried bananas, Quyen researched and developed other products, such as banana chips, honey, and bamboo shoots. But lack of facilities, low production volumes, and market competition impeded revenue growth, so she shifted to producing herbal and brocade products.
Using the Dao people's rich knowledge of herbal medicine, her cooperative began producing massage oil, herbal balms, and herbal baths for adults, children, and postpartum women. The cooperative also produces brocade scarves, hats, face masks, and tablecloths, and hand-embroidered ethnic skirts, bedsheets, and pillow covers. Their herbal pillow combines an embroidered cover with herbal fillings that relieve fatigue and improve sleep quality.
“Quyen is a dynamic young woman who think big and act bold. She helped exploit and elevate the Dao’s valuable herbal resources, and create jobs for members of the Thien An Cooperative,” said Ngo Van Hung, Secretary of Na It village’s Party cell.
 Thien An Cooperative members use information technology for production management and promotion. |
To create brocade products of consistent quality that retained their natural colors, Quyen took out loans to buy a cold-drying system. They also developed product packaging that aligns with market trends.
Quyen has attended classes on digital transformation and trade promotion and learned how to produce videos, livestream sales, and make use of social media platforms and e-commerce sites to market products.
The cooperative’s products are now available in Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Ho Chi Minh City, and are sold online to foreign customers.
The Thien An Cooperative supplies more than 200 herbal textile products to the market, and employs 15–20 Dao workers who earn about 250 USD per month.
“I used to do sewing at home. Now, working for Quyen's cooperative, I have a stable income and I don’t have to travel far from home, which means I have more time to care for my family,” said Cooperative member Ly Thi Chanh.
Thien An Cooperative has received OCOP certification for nine of its products.
In 2023, Quyen won first prize in the “Vietnamese Women Confident in Business” program organized by the Vietnam Women's Union. She is currently planning to expand the co-op’s sales to international markets.