Lao Cai province in northern Vietnam certified 58 products in its first 2026 OCOP evaluation, of which 2 instant bamboo-shoot processed products were upgraded to four stars. It is a case where the shift from exporting raw material to prepared foods finished all the way to seasoning clearly showed in the numbers, and it has points worth noting for thinking about Japanese menma and wild-vegetable procurement. Here we organize it with a focus on the degree of processing and the quality standard (ISO 22000). For the workings of the OCOP system itself, the article on the "One Village One Product" OCOP star rating summarized there.
Of the 58 products, 14 are four-star, and 2 instant bamboo-shoot products joined the top rank
In Lao Cai province's first 2026 round, there were 58 OCOP certifications at three to four stars in total. The breakdown was 14 four-star and 44 three-star. The contents of the 14 four-star products were 2 new evaluations, 11 upgrades from existing three-star, and 1 renewal (re-evaluation). The 44 three-star products consisted of 19 new and 25 renewals. Lifting existing products made up the majority, showing that the movement was centered on "raising by one star" rather than increasing from zero.
What stood out among the upgraded group was 2 bamboo-shoot processed products from Yen Thanh (Cong ty Co phan Yen Thanh). "Mang an lien Yen Thanh (instant menma)," which can be eaten straight out of the pack, and "Mang ot gion Thac Ba (crunchy chili bamboo shoots)," dressed with chili, both rose to four stars. The point that they reached the top rank as seasoned prepared foods, rather than as raw dried bamboo shoots or boiled bamboo shoots, shows that this origin's degree of processing has gone up a notch.
| Item | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Number of OCOP certifications in the first 2026 round | 58 products | 3–4 stars |
| Four stars | 14 products | 2 new, 11 upgrades, 1 renewal |
| 3 stars | 44 products | 19 new, 25 renewals |
| Yen Thanh's four-star | 2 products | Instant menma / chili bamboo shoots |
| Re-evaluation cycle | Every 36 months | Re-examination is needed to maintain the stars |
The four-star wall is ISO 22000; Yen Thanh spent two years putting Japanese-style processing in place
The practical hurdle that divides three stars from four is ISO 22000:2018, the international standard for food-safety management. According to reports, a production facility aiming for four stars is required to meet this standard, with process standardization, traceability and raw-material-sourcing management as prerequisites. In Yen Thanh's case, about three years passed after obtaining three stars, and it spent about two years putting equipment and processes in place toward the four-star application. For processing it adopted Japanese technology, the company's person in charge (Nguyen Duc Dung) explains.
That raising one star takes several years means it is not a decorative certification but that the management system actually has to be rebuilt. From the buyer's side, a four-star is less an "evaluation of taste" than close to a marker that "the process is documented and in a traceable state." As an example of a northern processed product reaching this standard, the case of Hai Phong's fish sauce reaching five stars can also be read in the same flow.
Former Yen Bai's bamboo shoots are shifting from a raw-material origin to a processing origin
The origin name "Thac Ba" of the bamboo-shoot processed products raised to four stars this time is a place name that was originally in neighboring Yen Bai province. In the 2025 administrative reorganization (Resolution 202/2025/QH15), Yen Bai province was merged into Lao Cai province, and the area around Thac Ba Lake also became part of the new Lao Cai province. In other words, this "Lao Cai OCOP" includes processed products from the former Yen Bai side, which is rich in bamboo-grove resources.
This region's bamboo shoots have until now often circulated as raw material for primary processing such as drying or boiling. The fact that a finished product, instant prepared food, was recognized at the top rank there looks like a sign that the origin's standing has begun to move from the stage of putting out raw material cheaply to the stage of finishing it with seasoning in-house and going after value-added.
Japanese menma procurement leans heavily on Chinese origin; ISO 22000 widens the door for Vietnamese origin
This is the point to read from the Japanese side. Much of the menma that circulates domestically relies on imports, and the weight of Chinese origin is said to be high in particular. For ramen shops and food manufacturers, a state where the raw material is skewed to one country carries the risk of price volatility and supply stoppages. There is real benefit in being able to add even one more sourcing option.
Northern Vietnam is an origin for bamboo shoots, starting with sweet bamboo, and until now variation in quality and proof of safety management tended to be the wall for procurement. The emergence of a processing operator that meets ISO 22000, named specifically, means that wall has begun to come down. The main menma sourcing will not switch out right away, but the combination of "four stars + ISO 22000 + Japanese-style processing" can be a decision-making factor when Japanese buyers put out a trial inquiry. Not only bamboo shoots but also boiled and seasoned wild vegetables such as bracken and royal fern - the same yardstick applies.
In origin selection, look at the star count and whether it has withstood the 36-month re-evaluation
If you use it in practice, you want to look not only at the star count but at "when the star was obtained and whether it is being renewed." OCOP requires re-evaluation every 36 months, and some products fail to renew and lose stars. That, this time, 25 of the 44 three-star products are renewals and 11 rose from three stars to four is evidence that this origin can maintain and lift existing products. Conversely, it is safe to regard an origin made up only of new products with no upgrade track record as one whose system has not yet been tested.
How to apply OCOP stars to Japanese origin selection is an article using Ninh Binh province's 60 OCOP products as its subject also touches on it. In bamboo-shoot and wild-vegetable procurement, using the three points - (1) whether it is four stars or above, (2) whether it holds a safety certification such as ISO 22000, and (3) whether it has passed the most recent re-evaluation - as a first sieve lets you narrow down candidates considerably before requesting samples. Lao Cai's Yen Thanh is worth keeping on hand as a concrete example that satisfies all three of these points.
