Capitalizing on local agricultural advantages, Phan Thị Hạnh Dung, Director of the Điện Biên Agricultural Products Production, Processing, and Trading Cooperative, boldly revamped her mindset, carving out a distinct direction in deep processing to elevate the value of home-grown agricultural goods.

Established in 2022, the cooperative has step by step developed products steeped in the signature flavors of the Northwest, combining traditional values with modern consumer demand. Recognizing that red upland brown rice is nutrient-rich yet less convenient for quick preparation, Dung and her cooperative researched and developed instant brown rice vermicelli (bún gạo lứt) and instant brown rice noodle (phở gạo lứt) products. By applying modern production workflows alongside selecting quality ingredients, the cooperative’s products consistently preserve the distinctive flavor of the rice grain.

Dung shared: “The cooperative consistently places quality, raw material provenance, and signature flavors at the forefront, while emphasizing design and packaging aesthetics to sharpen competitiveness. Products are developed toward convenience, meeting modern consumer demands while safeguarding the identity of Northwestern agricultural produce and seasonings. The cooperative has progressively expanded its distribution network across retail stores, distribution agents, supermarkets, agricultural trading partners, and online sales channels.”

In 2022 and 2023, the cooperative’s instant brown rice vermicelli and instant brown rice noodle products achieved 3-star OCOP certification. Acknowledging these endeavors in developing products, in 2024, Dung and the cooperative were honored with the Mai An Tiêm Award, recognizing reputable, high-quality, competitive goods with expansive consumption markets trusted by consumers, actively contributing to the development of the collective economic sector and cooperatives.

By 2025, the cooperative developed an additional product, Hạnh Dung canna vermicelli (miến dong), which attained 3-star OCOP certification. Through perseverance and creative thinking, Dung has helped bring local farm produce closer to consumers, while projecting the image of a modern woman - dynamic, self-confident, responsible, and driven by an aspiration to contribute to her homeland.

Transitioning from small-scale trade, Trần Thị Hương Quế, Director of Tâm Thiện Cooperative (Thanh An commune), boldly invested in production, processing, and building a Điện Biên rice brand, contributing to enhancing the value of local agricultural goods and expanding consumer markets.

Realizing that Điện Biên rice is delicious, aromatic, and favored by consumers, yet processing and branding remained limited, in 2016, Quế began investing in high-quality rice production, progressively transforming business practices. In early 2020, she and her family established Tâm Thiện Cooperative, organizing paddy procurement, processing, and developing a dedicated proprietary rice brand.

To realize her ambitions, she boldly secured bank loans, combining accumulated capital to invest in modern machinery and complete operational stages from input raw material procurement and milling to packaging and preservation; concurrently prioritizing packaging aesthetics, product transparency, and food safety to steadily build consumer trust.

In 2025, Quế continued investing over VND 15 billion to expand production workshops and install advanced machinery systems, elevating processing capacity. The cooperative develops a diverse portfolio of specialty glutinous rice lines and premium-quality white rice to serve market demands. Thanks to dynamism, resilience, market acumen, and proactive adoption of technical advances, Quế has affirmed the role of women in economic development. In 2026, she was honored as one of 96 “Outstanding Vietnamese Farmers across 40 Years of Đổi Mới (Renovation).”

Currently, the entire province records 434 female directors and heads of enterprises and cooperatives operating in commerce, services, tourism, and cottage handicrafts. To leverage the role of women, the provincial Women’s Union has synchronously deployed multifaceted solutions to support women’s comprehensive development, elevate competencies, and proactively adapt to new imperatives, focusing on communication, vocational training, digital transformation, and information technology applications.

Deploying credit loan support programs, providing production and business guidance, and building livelihood models, cooperative groups, and cooperatives have encouraged women to launch startups, advance household economies, and capitalize on the comparative advantages of farm produce, indigenous culture, and community tourism.

Pờ Diệu Ninh, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairwoman of the provincial Women’s Union, stated: “Carrying out the emulation movement ‘Building Modern Vietnamese Women’ for the 2026-2031 period, the Standing Board of the provincial Women’s Union formulated concrete plans, working toward the model of a woman who possesses ‘knowledge, ethics, health, and responsibility toward herself, her family, society, and the homeland.’ Establishing the model of modern women must be linked with enhancing competencies, igniting self-reliance and self-strengthening, and facilitating conditions for women to bring into play their voice, role, and creative capacity within the family and broader society.”

From female-led economic models to community activities, Điện Biên women are progressively confirming their stature through intellect, responsibility, and an aspiration to rise. Nurturing capacities, creating development opportunities, and maximizing the role of women represent vital contributions to building an essential resource for the sustainable development of the province in the modern era.