Ly Son garlic’s journey to 5-star OCOP and international markets

Concerned about the problem of good harvests and bad prices

Born and raised on Ly Son Island, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhat (born in 1989) clearly understands the value of garlic, yet has witnessed many instances of this local specialty suffering from the “good harvest, bad price” situation. After leaving his hometown to make a living as an electrician, he returned to start a business, gradually elevating Ly Son garlic to meet national 5-star OCOP standards and paving the way for reaching global markets.

Recounting his story, Mr. Nhat said that after graduating from high school, he moved to Da Nang to work as an electrician. In 2014, he decided to return home to open an electrical shop, take over his family’s garlic and onion trading facility, and pursue a long-term development path.

At the time, as the harvest season approached, the sight of dozens of tons of garlic piling up while prices plummeted left him deeply concerned. “Our hometown’s specialty was lying unsold, while urban consumers were willing to pay high prices for authentic Ly Son garlic. The problem was the lack of brand, quality certification, and distribution channels,” Mr. Nhat recalled.

Driven by that realization, he began to change his approach. Beyond trading, he went directly to the fields at dawn to learn garlic cultivation and care. Every stage, from soil preparation and fertilization to irrigation, was carefully recorded. He traveled across fields in An Vinh and An Hai communes to gain experience and find a more systematic production direction.

In 2019, while still operating as a small household business, he and two other farmer households piloted garlic cultivation on an area of 1,000 m² under VietGAP and HACCP standards. The first crop failed, resulting in losses of over VND 60 million. However, he still continued to complete cultivation processes and strictly control product quality.

Over the following two years, he both studied farming techniques locally and frequently traveled to Ho Chi Minh City to attend training courses on business and brand development. The knowledge he accumulated laid the groundwork for a major transformation.

Conquering 5-star OCOP and reaching international markets

In 2021, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhat established Phu Sinh Trading and Services Co., Ltd. with a charter capital of VND 3 billion, marking the transition from small-scale trading to enterprise development. The company invested in machinery and gradually shifted toward deep processing to enhance product value.

By the end of 2022, with support from specialized agencies, he and his colleagues developed their first 1 hectare of VietGAP garlic. The model’s success paved the way for professional production. By 2023, the company had linked with 85 farmer households, expanding the VietGAP garlic cultivation area to 39 hectares and signing supply contracts with major domestic enterprises, while also embarking on deep processing of Ly Son garlic products.

Starting from a home kitchen, he converted the space into a pilot workshop. Lacking expertise in food technology, he faced repeated failures, with multiple batches of spoiled garlic and rising costs. “There were batches of black garlic that had to be entirely discarded due to incorrect temperatures, and dozens of kilograms of dried garlic burned black. But I believed that without processing, Ly Son garlic would remain a raw product without high value,” Mr. Nhat shared.

After more than 300 trials, he successfully developed eight product lines, such as black garlic, garlic extract, and fermented honey garlic. These products have helped increase value and expand consumption markets. In 2024, Phu Sinh continued investing in organic raw material areas meeting GlobalGAP standards, contributing to improving the quality, reducing production costs, and protecting the environment.

By the end of 2024, he decided to participate in the OCOP program. The process required comprehensive standardization, from facilities, traceability, packaging, and quality testing to completing technical documentation. “Managing everything on my own, there were times I wanted to give up. The costs for documentation and packaging alone exceeded VND 150 million,” Mr. Nhat said.

In early 2025, his product achieved provincial-level 4-star OCOP certification and was nominated for an upgrade. By June 2025, Phu Sinh Ly Son garlic was officially recognized as a national 5-star OCOP product, becoming the first product from the island to attain the program’s highest distinction.

Following this milestone, the company set a target of exports. Its products have been introduced to markets such as Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and the United States. “We have achieved 5-star OCOP certification, so our goal is to move toward exports to further enhance value. However, many markets require large garlic bulbs, while Ly Son garlic is naturally small. We are therefore researching suitable cultivation solutions to meet requirements of international markets,” Mr. Nhat said.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dao, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ly Son Special Zone, the development of 5-star OCOP products must go hand in hand with scaling up production and improving quality. Production scale currently remains small, but the locality will direct the replication of models and enhance value, transforming limited output into larger-scale production, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development.

* $1 = VND 26,360 – Source: Vietcombank.