Lao Cai province currently has over 200 cooperatives, 262 cooperative groups, and 19 production and business linkage groups managed by women. These cooperatives operate in diverse fields: agriculture, trade and services, industry, etc.

Not only in more developed areas, women are also the creative force, leading and guiding cooperatives in mountainous regions to exploit and develop local strengths, contributing to the economic and social development of the province.

 The Duong Phuc Agricultural and Forestry Products Cooperative (Lam Thuong) collaborates with nearly 200 households to purchase bamboo shoots in the area.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dim (Kheo Leng village, Lam Thuong commune) is a prime example of a creative rural woman in developing the collective economy. Based on the reality of previous years when bamboo shoots in the area were difficult to sell and had low value, she proactively purchased, processed, and dried them to increase the product's value.

In 2025, Ms. Dim established the Duong Phuc Agricultural and Forestry Products Cooperative with 9 members, linking with nearly 200 households to purchase bamboo shoots from a 100-hectare raw material area.

Ms. Dim shared: "I realize that the cooperative model, based on the linkage of members, is the most important thing for developing agricultural products in my hometown. From bamboo shoot growers to buyers, everyone participates, thereby increasing production and improving the quality of bamboo shoots."

Initially, the cooperative only processed bamboo shoots, selling them for 80,000 - 110,000 VND/kg. Later, Ms. Dim expanded the market to provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Tho, and Bac Ninh, and innovated drying technology using clean heat ovens, thereby diversifying the product range. The value of bamboo shoot products (tube bamboo, root bamboo, and shoot bamboo) increased to 150,000 - 190,000 VND/kg.

In 2025, the cooperative strongly introduced its products to online sales channels and e-commerce platforms, achieving sales of 10 tons of dried bamboo shoots, 100 tons of bamboo tips, and 50 tons of bamboo tubers, while also creating jobs for 20 seasonal workers, mainly ethnic minority women.

Ms. Hoang Thi Canh from Be Choi village shared: "My job at the cooperative is to select beautiful, young bamboo shoots and trim off the fibrous, old parts. This work provides a stable income for my family."

In 2025, Hao Anh Agricultural Cooperative will purchase more than 500 tons of Seng Cu rice in Ban Xeo.

Also a typical woman developing the collective economic model, the poignant story of the rice fields in her hometown of Muong Vi (Ban Xeo commune) motivated Ms. Pham Thi Hao to successfully build the Seng Cu Muong Vi rice brand.

Ms. Hao shared: "The Muong Vi area is blessed with a climate, temperature, and soil suitable for growing Seng Cu rice. Seeing that there was no demand for the rice and that people were selling it at low prices, I decided to build a brand for Seng Cu Muong Vi rice."

In 2019, Ms. Hao established the Hao Anh Agricultural Cooperative, with 7 members, linking with over 80 local households to produce high-quality commercial rice. While maintaining traditional rice planting methods, the cooperative innovates in cultivation techniques, rejects burning rice straw, and utilizes it as animal feed, aiming for safe agriculture. By 2025, the cooperative plans to purchase over 500 tons of rice, which will be processed, dried, milled, and packaged at two facilities.

Seng Cu Muong Vi rice has taken on a completely new look: a natural ivory white color, free from bleaching agents, uniformly plump, carefully packaged, labeled with traceability tags, thus establishing its brand in the market.

Mr. Lang A Tam from Ban Xeo commune shared: "My family cultivates rice twice a year, yielding about 5 tons per crop. Before, we could only sell it for 9-10 thousand dong per kilogram. Now, thanks to Ms. Hao's cooperative buying our rice directly from the fields at a higher price, my family and many other households have a better income, allowing us to buy vehicles, build houses, and enjoy a more prosperous life."

The pristine white Seng Cu Muong Vi rice grains are a testament to the dedication of the female director of the Hao Anh Agricultural Cooperative.

The journey of bringing Seng Cu Muong Vi rice to market is not only the entrepreneurial story of Ms. Pham Thi Hao, the director of the cooperative, but also the aspiration to awaken a sustainable future in this very land. These efforts have been recognized with a 4-star OCOP certification – a significant milestone affirming the value and potential of Seng Cu Muong Vi rice in the market.

The effectiveness of cooperatives managed and operated by women has contributed to exploiting the strengths of localities and changing the economic development methods of its members. Many units not only simply cooperate for development but also invest in machinery, technology, and production lines to create deeply processed products, achieving OCOP 3-star certification or higher.

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, stated: "Women-led cooperatives often prioritize safety, environmental friendliness, and the preservation of local cultural identity, thereby creating positive ripple effects in the community and society. These effective models have inspired and supported many other women to participate in economic development, enhancing their status, voice, and confidence in the community."

Lao Cai province has more than 200 cooperatives, 262 cooperative groups, and 19 production and business linkage groups managed by women.

To support, advise, and guide the development of the collective economy, and to implement the Prime Minister's Decree "Supporting cooperatives managed by women and creating jobs for female workers until 2030" issued on January 3, 2023, Lao Cai province has issued a plan to implement the project in the province. The Provincial Women's Union has developed an implementation plan with several specific objectives for the period 2026-2030, such as:

Strengthening and improving the quality and efficiency of operations for 60 cooperatives and 400 cooperative groups managed and operated by women. Creating stable jobs for 1,200 female members and workers in cooperatives and 2,400 female members and workers in cooperative groups; providing advice and support for the establishment of 14 new cooperatives and 160 cooperative groups managed and operated by women, linked to the production of key local products and OCOP products.

At the same time, key solutions were proposed: raising awareness among women about supporting the development of the collective economy; consolidating and improving the quality of operations of cooperatives managed and operated by women; and supporting the improvement of human resource quality in cooperatives... This is the foundation for promoting the role of women in the development of the collective economy, transforming small-scale cooperative models into sustainable production and business organizations capable of competitiveness and integration.

Bold thinking, decisive action, resourcefulness, and market acumen are the qualities that enable women to successfully lead and manage cooperatives in the province, contributing to production and business success. This, in turn, helps create jobs, increase income for workers, especially in rural areas, and significantly contributes to the restructuring of the local economy, promoting the sustainable development of the collective economy.

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