Fifty-four specialty products of Quang Ngai province in central Vietnam went on the shelves of the major supermarket "Co.opmart Quang Ngai" from July 10 to 12, 2026. Led by the province's Department of Agriculture and Environment, the event gathered locally OCOP (One Commune One Product)-certified items, prepared free of charge, into 10 booths and sold them by showing them directly to shoppers. This move of connecting small-scale local producers to the shelves of a nationwide chain means, for Japanese procurement managers searching for Vietnamese dried goods and processed products, that an entry point for assessing a production area's strength by "star count" has spread to the central region as well. The same structure as the yardstick for selecting production areas shown by Ninh Binh province's 60-booth OCOP exhibition had led the way in the north.
The 54 items gathered at the Quang Ngai store, from bird's nest to cordyceps
The venue was the Co.opmart Quang Ngai store (242 Nguyen Nghiem Street, Cam Thanh district). The 54 items on display spanned the food, medicinal-plant, processed-goods and beverage groups, and many received OCOP certification of 3 to 5 stars.
Specific names include Ly Son garlic, which represents the province, as well as bird's nest, mushrooms, honey, sugarcane syrup, turmeric starch, dried banana, herbal tea and cordyceps. Items suited to room-temperature distribution—dried goods, powders, teas and syrups—are central, and the ease of handling when import is assumed lined up as-is.
The 10 booths were prepared at the province's expense. The heavier the shelf fees and exhibition costs, the more small-scale producers cannot stand on a nationwide chain's sales floor without such a free slot. The aim of this event shows in the point that the province took over the judgment of who to put on the shelves in order to lift local production areas.
Why now: it coincided with a major retailer's push into direct local sourcing
Two currents lie behind this. One is the maturing of the OCOP scheme itself. OCOP is a rural economic development policy launched under the direct oversight of the Prime Minister, rating products on a scale from one to five stars. Certified products of three stars and above have accumulated nationwide and have begun to function as a "pass" that opens the door to modern retail networks and exports.
The other is the procurement policy of Saigon Co.op, the operator of Co.opmart. With more than 800 outlets nationwide and over one million shoppers a day, it is one of the country's largest retail alliances, and it has been stepping up direct sourcing of local produce and OCOP goods from farm cooperatives and production areas around the country. The flow of putting products on shelves at regional events, gauging the response, and turning the best sellers into full-adoption negotiations The same move in which Saigon Co.op stepped into direct sourcing across 800 stores nationwide at the Dong Thap Fruit Week sits on the same blueprint. Regional showcases of local produce have begun to be run not as one-off PR but as an entry point to full adoption.
OCOP stars by the numbers: the dividing line of export eligibility
From the Japanese side, the most practical point is that the number of stars serves as a guide to quality and export eligibility. Here are the rating criteria, organized.
| Rating | Score (out of 100) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | 90–100 points | National certification. The top tier that meets export standards |
| Four stars | 70–89 points | Meets quality and marketability; a candidate for promotion to 5 stars |
| 3 stars | 50–69 points | A certified product representative of its region. The entry point to retail networks |
The 54 products this time fall within this 3-to-5-star range. Ly Son garlic, the only 5-star product in the province, is an easy example. Its producer, Phu Sinh, works with about 85 households across 40 ha, of which 32 ha meet VietGAP and 8 ha meet HACCP standards. It handles more than 200 tonnes a year and is negotiating market expansion with partners in Japan and South Korea. The 5-star rating is already being used as material in negotiations, as a level that meets the conditions for exporting to Japan and the EU.
The aims stated by producers and the local government
Lining up what the parties involved said about the event makes it clear that the showcase is a move to open up shelf space.
- Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment — positions it as a strategy to advance "connecting supply and demand, expanding sales channels, and improving competitiveness" through introduction into modern retail chains
- Participating producers — see it as a place to face consumers directly, grasp market needs, and connect that to quality improvement and sustainable production
- The case of Ly Son garlic — calls the 5-star certification a "passport to the world" and has expanded its sales channels in partnership with about 10 processing and distribution firms
Both sellers and growers see the storefront not only as a final point of consumption but as a testing ground for gauging the next deal. Regional fairs are being built into the starting point of the commercial flow.
Three things Japanese procurement staff should read into this
The Quang Ngai case of 54 products may look small, but it carries concrete implications for those sourcing Vietnamese specialties.
First, The number of stars can be used for initial screening The 5-star mark is the state's recognition of being equivalent to export standards, and as with Ly Son garlic, it comes with a track record of VietGAP and HACCP certification. Even at a stage where firsthand information on a production area is thin, the star grade serves as a yardstick for estimating quality and documentation capability. The same thinking is also borne out in the case where two Hai Phong fish sauces turned their top-tier certification into a procurement entry point.
Second, The very fact of making it onto a major retailer's shelves serves as proof of processing, packaging, and lot capability To line up on a chain of 800 stores requires shelf stability at room temperature, uniform labeling, and a steady supply lot. Items such as dried banana, turmeric starch, and herbal tea pair well with imports, and a track record of passing through Co.opmart's shelves reduces the work of verification that the importing side would otherwise have to do from scratch.
Third, Regional events are a place to find, at an early stage, producers that lack export channels The small-scale businesses that turn out at free booths include a layer not yet connected to trading companies or exporters. Making fairs and provincial contact points an early touchpoint lets you speak directly with primary producers before competitors move. You can start simply by checking certified products and producer names on the province's OCOP information site and narrowing candidates by star grade and processing form.
Event basics
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Quang Ngai Province OCOP Product Showcase and Introduction Event |
| Dates | July 10–12, 2026 |
| Venue | Co.opmart Quang Ngai (242 Nguyen Nghiem Street, Cam Thanh ward) |
| Exhibits | 54 OCOP-certified products (3–5 stars) |
| Booths | 10 spaces provided free of charge by the province |
| Main items | Ly Son garlic, bird's nest, mushrooms, honey, sugarcane syrup, turmeric starch, dried banana, herbal tea, cordyceps |
Conclusion: move by reading the stars and the shelves
Quang Ngai Province pushing 54 products onto the shelves of a nationwide chain is a steady step toward connecting regional producers to points of consumption. What matters for Japanese procurement staff is that this move offers two clues at once: the "number of stars" and the "shelf of a major retailer." The stars serve as a guide to quality and export eligibility, and the shelf serves as proof of processing, packaging, and supply. What to check next is how far 5-star Ly Son garlic advances its negotiations with Japan and South Korea, and which of the dried and processed goods lined up at the free booths survive into full adoption by Co.opmart. By tracking the province's OCOP information and retailers' regional events on a regular basis, you can see room to make contact with producers before their export channels are in place.
Sources
- 54 sản phẩm OCOP Quảng Ngãi vào Co.opmart, mở rộng kênh tiêu thụ cho đặc sản địa phương(Báo Văn hóa)
- A "passport": OCOP 5 stars carries Ly Son garlic to the world (Quang Ngai Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)
- Saigon Co.op: a cooperative lifts the value chain for Vietnamese products (Tuoi Tre)
- One Commune One Product in Viet Nam(FAO)
