In the thin mist of early morning in the highlands, on the small road leading to Hoang Van Thu commune (Lang Son province), on both sides of the road, the ripe red riceped roses hanging on the branches, shining under the sweet yellow sunlight of late autumn.
On the slope of Na Mo hill, Ms. Hoang Thi Than - a member of the Cooperative for the Production and Trading of Rings of assorted Rings, who shared with a smile: "My family has more than 600 roses and 200 trees that have borne fruit. This year the price is better, about 16,000 to 20,000 VND/kg. Since joining the cooperative, I no longer worry about output.
Not only growing, Ms. Than and many households in Hoang Van Thu commune also participate in training courses on using digital technology in production, promotion and sales.
"I sell more via Facebook, Zalo, customers in the South and the North order a lot", she said while switching between picking the most beautiful roses to put in the basket.
According to Mr. La Thanh Luan - Vice Chairman of Hoang Van Thu Commune People's Committee, the commune currently has nearly 600 hectares of pink rice fields, of which more than 460 hectares are being harvested, 67 hectares meet VietGAP standards. In 2025, the estimated yield is 6 tons/ha, the total output is more than 2,800 tons, an increase of 10% over the previous year.
"We consider rose trees as a pillar of economic development and building local brands. The goal is to achieve GlobalGAP, expand the market, including exports" - Mr. Luan said.
Not only stopping at traditional production, Lang Son farmers have known how to bring roses to e-commerce platforms. In Na Sam commune, Ms. Vuong Thi Thuong - Director of Toan Thuong Agricultural Cooperative, was a pioneer in that journey.
Since the girl Tay was born in the border area, Thuong was moved when he saw that the roses of his hometown were " delicious but cheap", good for the harvest. In 2021, she decided to invest more than 1 billion VND to build a 1,000 m2 factory, applying Japanese technology to process organic wind hanging roses, the type of roses known as the " precious gem of Lang Son mountains and forests".
"Making roses hanging on the wind is extremely meticulous. The persimmons must be picked and hung, and by the 5th day, each fruit must be massaged to create natural bioavales. Each batch takes 20 days to complete. The result is sticky, fragrant roses, in the honey intestines - priced at 300,000 VND/kg, 20 times more than fresh roses", Ms. Thuong said.
On Shopee and TikTok platforms, the brand "Red Ring of Toan Thuong" has become a highlight of Vietnamese agricultural products. Nearly 60% of the output, equivalent to 6 tons per year, is sold online. "Customers in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City all know about Lang Son roses online," Ms. Thuong shared.
Not stopping there, this woman also put images of 12 historical relics of Lang Son on each pink packaging, both promoting tourism and telling the story of her hometown's culture.
In 2023, Ms. Thuong's project "Developing the value chain of organic wind-rolledanhids to create sustainable livelihoods for women in the border area" won the first prize in the National Women's Startup Contest. This year, she was honored as one of the 95 Outstanding Vietnamese Farmers in 2025.
Currently, the Director of Toan Thuong Agricultural Cooperative has linked 10 households, expanded 20 hectares of organic planting, creating livelihoods for more than 100 workers and 30 ethnic women working directly. The product's origin is traced to each tree, preparing to be exported to China and Thailand.
Among the sunny pink hills, each riceped rose is not only an agricultural product, it is the crystallization of innovation, aspiration and pride in the homeland.
Thanks to the application of technology, farmers in Lang Son are no longer simply "selling faces to land", but have become digital farmers, knowing how to livestream, sell online, build brands and conquer the market.
From a specialty of the highlands, Lang Son pink rice rings are gradually becoming a national brand, carrying the sweetness of heaven and earth, the creative spirit and determination of the people in the border areas - those who are writing a new journey for Vietnamese agricultural products.
