Shift shopping
Currently, OCOP products (One Commune One Product Program) in the Mekong Delta region are gradually dominating the shopping basket of consumers with increased purchasing power. Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Huynh Thi Kieu Tien - Director of Quang Dang Private Enterprise for Production and Trading, representative of OCOP Mekong Delta store in Can Tho City - said that just during the Binh Ngo Lunar New Year 2026, the unit's sales volume increased by nearly 40% compared to normal days. To date, the retail market still maintains a good level compared to the same period last year.
What is worth mentioning is that popular product lines are no longer limited to packaged dried goods, but are also diverse in fresh, pre-processed clean items such as fresh sausage, dried fish,... In the past 2 years, through grasping user psychology, we have noticed a shift and more attention to brands," Ms. Tien shared.
According to a representative of the OCOP Mekong Delta store in Can Tho City, from the actual supply of goods at each stage, it is seen that customers are willing to pay higher for certified products with clear cultural stories and especially environmentally friendly production processes.
Ms. Le Thanh Trang (Ninh Kieu ward, Can Tho city) expressed: "The issue of food hygiene and safety is currently alarming, while buying OCOP products only requires one operation of scanning the code to know who produced the product, which region's raw materials, and the packaging date. This transparency helps us completely eliminate the fear of floating food.
Continue to improve quality, packaging, and labels
According to businesses, establishments, and cooperatives, being certified OCOP helps shorten the distance of trust with customers. When there is OCOP, the unit is also prioritized to connect supply and demand, support bringing goods into supermarket systems, tourist stops and especially e-commerce platforms through local support programs.
To date, Can Tho City has had 895 OCOP products recognized from 3-5 stars (a sharp increase compared to the previous period). In which, the product structure shows systematic investment: 649 products achieved 3 stars, 242 products 4 stars and especially 4 products have reached 5 stars.
In 2026, Can Tho City sets a target to recognize about 30 more OCOP products achieving 3-4 stars; striving to have at least 2 products meeting 5-star OCOP standards to complete dossiers to submit to the Central Government for consideration and recognition.
Most recently, on February 11, the Council for Evaluation and Ranking of OCOP Products of Can Tho City organized a Conference to evaluate and rank OCOP products of Can Tho City in 2026. Mr. Tran Chi Hung, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, Chairman of the OCOP Council of Can Tho City, requested units to continue to promote strengths and proactively create new product lines from locally available raw materials.
According to Mr. Hung, improving quality, packaging, and labels will contribute to enriching the OCOP product portfolio of Can Tho.
The report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment also assessed that the OCOP Program has been actively responded to by localities in the Mekong Delta region and currently the whole region has more than 3,960 OCOP products of more than 2,000 OCOP entities recognized as achieving a rating of 3 stars or higher.
The Mekong Delta region is currently ranked 2nd in the country in terms of the number of OCOP products, led by the Red River Delta region. OCOP has and is becoming an important platform to unlock potential, create jobs and increase income for people.
