Collective economy creates opportunities for women in Lam Dong
The collective economy is creating new opportunities for women in Lam Dong through entrepreneurship, job creation and higher incomes. Women-led cooperatives are generating local employment while supporting the province's socio-economic development.
A cooperative opens new opportunities for women
Luong Thi Yen Van once struggled with the familiar problem of bumper harvests followed by falling prices. Whenever traders drove prices down, farmers saw little return for their hard work.
Determined to change the situation, she began buying local produce, promoting it on social media and gradually expanding its market.
"At first, I simply wanted to help my family sell vegetables. Then more farmers asked me to sell their produce, so I decided to establish a cooperative to create a long-term production and marketing network," Van said.
She founded the Vuon Nha Da Lat General Agricultural Cooperative with seven members, using startup loans to launch the business. When sales were slow in the early days, the cooperative invested in drying equipment and developed value-added products to extend shelf life and increase product value.
From selling only a few types of fresh vegetables and fruit, the cooperative now offers more than 150 fresh agricultural products and 35 processed items, including freeze-dried vegetables, vegetable powders, dandelion tea, dried yogurt, dried durian and freeze-dried chili. Twelve of its products have earned 3-star OCOP certification.
Alongside investing in processing facilities, the cooperative has developed more than one hectare of organic farming and partnered with 225 households to cultivate nearly 30 hectares under VietGAP standards.
The cooperative markets around three tonnes of fresh produce each day and processes 100 - 200 kilograms of dried products, generating annual revenue of about VND18 billion. It provides stable employment for around 40 workers, with monthly incomes ranging from VND8 million to VND12 million.
Van said the cooperative's greatest achievement is giving farmers a stable market and helping increase the value of their produce. She plans to expand processed products and develop agricultural tourism so visitors can better appreciate Da Lat's farm products.
Supporting women through the collective economy
Under Project 01 on supporting women-managed cooperatives and creating jobs for women through 2030, the Lam Dong Women's Union has implemented a range of initiatives between 2023 and 2026 to strengthen management capacity, expand market access, and encourage more women to participate in the collective economy.
Collective economic models have created jobs for more than 2,500 women, surpassing the project's target. Workers earn an average monthly income of VND 3 million to VND 8 million, helping improve women's livelihoods, create local employment and support rural development.
Lam Dong held 548 training sessions on the collective economy and the 2023 Law on Cooperatives, reaching more than 48,380 women members. Over 250 female cooperative managers also received training in governance, digital transformation and e-commerce.
The Women's Union has also supported cooperatives in branding, trade promotion, product traceability, OCOP development and market connections, while organizing networking forums linking cooperatives with businesses.
As a result, from 2023 to 2026, 16 new cooperatives and 26 cooperative groups led by women were established during the period. Lam Dong now has 60 cooperatives and 111 cooperative groups managed by women, with 338 female members.
The Women's Union has also launched a women-led value chain project for vegetable, fruit and root crop production and marketing, supported by more than VND 1.1 billion. The project aims to strengthen the competitiveness of local cooperatives.
According to H'Vi Eban, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Lam Dong Province and Chairwoman of the provincial Women's Union, the collective economy not only helps women increase their incomes but also enables them to strengthen their management skills, adopt science and technology, and play a greater role in local economic development.
The Lam Dong Women's Union will continue implementing Project 01 by supporting the establishment of women-managed cooperatives while strengthening governance, digital transformation, branding and market access.
H'Vi Eban - Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Lam Dong Province
In addition, the collective economy not only increases women's incomes but also empowers them to strengthen their management skills, adopt science and technology, and play a greater role in local economic development.