Having recognised as a collective mark, many of the Da Nang traditional products have “passports” to reach out for further development strides, thus affirming their foothold in the market, and aiming for high growth and sustainable development.

Hoa Nhon mung means sprout is one of the products recognised as a collective brand in early 2022. Here is Ms. Dang Thi Tuoi, one of the participants in making Hoa Nhon mung means sprout in Phu Hoa 2 village, Hoa Nhon Commune, Hoa Vang District). Photo: HOANG LINH

Affirming the value of the product in the market

The village of making mung means sprouts in Phu Hoa 2 village, Hoa Nhon Commune, Hoa Vang District has existed for nearly 20 years. In the past few years, with the support of the local authorities, many households in this time-honoured village are determined to upgrade facilities and build brands, expand consumption markets, find new sources of investment. This a traditional profession that needs to be preserved in order to provide a stable source of income for farmers, hereby contributing to improving their living standards.

Ms. Dang Thi Tuoi, who has been engaged in the making of mung means sprouts for more than 20 years in Phu Hoa 2 village, said that her family currently spends about 50m2 of the campus behind the house to make this type of food with a yield of 100kg/day. Most of the products made by Mrs. Tuoi's family are sold wholesale to markets in Hoa Vang District at a price of VND15,000/kg and the retail price of VND20,000/kg, thereby giving the family a good income.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Binh, the Chairman of Hoa Nhon Commune Farmers' Association, said that there are 8 households in Phu Hoa 2 village that make mung means sprouts. Households making this type of food for sale have received VND20 million each in aid from the local authorities.

In particular, the National Office of Intellectual Property under the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology has recognised the collective trademark for this product in early 2022. Accordingly, the brand of Hoa Nhon mung means sprouts are protected, thereby creating their competitiveness on the market with other priced products and pave the way for them to enter modern sales channels such as supermarkets, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms.

More importantly, once the product has a foothold in the market, it will help farmers gain stable incomes, change their mindsets towards sustainable business models, raise the stature for traditional local products.

Another product also receiving a collective trademark in early 2022 is Hoa Son decorative stone, belonging to Hoa Son split stone craft village in the namesake commune, Hoa Vang District.

The collective trademark certification helps to increase the value of local products, ensure the rights and interests of producers and consumers as well as successfully implement the city's orientation on developing the Hoa Son split stone craft village associated with sustainable development and growth.

Currently, the Hoa Son traditional craft village houses more than 100 processing establishments with a combined total of about 500 employees. The average income of workers at these establishments is from VND 6-8 million /person/month. The Hoa Son decorative stone products are not only present in the domestic market but they are also exported to many countries around the world.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi My Linh, the Director of the Centre for Energy Saving and Technology Transfer Consulting under the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology, since 2021, more than 10 Da Nang products have honoured with collective intellectual property rights, including Nam O traditional fish sauce, Tuy Loan rice paper, Hoa Nhon ‘kieu huong’ (pickled scallion heads), Hoa Ninh pomelo, Quang Chau dried sesame cake, Hoa Son decorative stone, Hoa Nhon mung means sprouts, Hoa Khuong freshwater fish.

Heading towards sustainable development

In order to spur the value of the Hoa Son decorative stone products, as revealed by Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Chairman of the Hoa Son Commune Farmers' Association, in the coming time, the commune will focus on strengthening a system of documents as a basis for collective brand management such as the technical process of developing products bearing collective trademarks, product quality control process and the regulations on the use of stamps, labels and product packaging.

Along with that, heed will be paid to fulfilling the tasks of printing issue stamps and labels used in the process of production and business of products, formulating quality standards for products, carrying out propaganda activities, developing a commercial system in service of product consumption.

In addition, the locality will build a chain linking quarries, production facilities, consumption markets to ensure input and output supplies, carry out recycling, make use of waste stone and stone powder for reuse, manufacture other products, effectively use raw materials, minimise waste to the environment and fully tap collective trademarks.

In order to promote the construction, management and development of intellectual property for local products, over the past time, local authorities have implemented many activities to convey the necessary information to the collectives and individuals eligible to receive collective ownership certificates.

The municipal People’s Council has issued a resolution stipulating the level of support for the registration of intellectual property protection until 2030 for inventions, industrial designs and trademarks, the registration for protection and recognition of new plant varieties under the Intellectual Property Development Programme to 2030 in the city.

For domestic protection registration, the city will give VND30 million/application for patent protection application and registration for the protection and recognition of new plant varieties, and VND15 million/protection title with industrial design and trademark registration applications.

For the registration of protection in foreign countries, VND60 million/application will be given to protection registration applications for inventions, industrial designs and trademarks, the registration for protection and recognition of new plant varieties.

Reporting by HOANG LINH – Translating by A.THU