(HBO) – Being keen on gardening, Nguyen Van Thang, born in Hanoi’s outlying Ba Vi district in 1969, has been spending more than 20 years in Thung Rech, a rich soil area in Tu Son commune of Kim Boi district (Hoa Binh province). Between 1992 and 1997, he was known as "King of Sugarcane” in Thung Rech. He was the first to grow sugarcane in the area, leading to a mass cultivation that helped local people alleviate hunger and reduce poverty.
Nguyen Van Thang stands next to a grapefruit nursery.
Thang has changed the mind
of local residents when he first brought red sugarcane to Thung Rech.
At first, he planted
sugarcane on one hectare and then expanded the area to three hectares. Each
hectare brought him an average annual income of 30 million VND. At the time, red
sugarcane growing became a solution to hunger elimination and poverty reduction
in the area and Thang was called "King of Sugarcane”. However, in 1998, all
sugarcane plantation areas were ruined by fires, causing great economic losses.
In 2000, Thang began growing oranges, mainly Xa Doai orange varieties, on a
1.5-ha area. His orange garden could produce 70 tonnes at its peak.
To date, his family’s orchards
have been expanded to nearly five hectares, of which three hectares of oranges,
one hectare of lemons and grapefruits, and one hectare of longans. The orchards
rake in over 1 billion VND in revenue each year, with a disposable profit of
700 million VND.
Thanks to his creative
dynamism and willingness to restructure the crops, Thang has turned himself
into a millionaire in Thung Rech. He has also created stable jobs and incomes for
15 labourers.
Since late 2016 when Thang
joined Muong Dong Agriculture & Trade Cooperative, he has been encouraged
to follow a farming model that is suitable to the locality’s potential and
advantages.
To help the crops develop
well, Thang combined different types of fertilizers for the best results.
Oranges from his garden
are sweet and become a favorite among consumers. Thang revealed that preventing
diseases and using fertilizers are the most important tasks in growing oranges
and mandarins. He frequently examines the garden to prune tree branches and
promptly detect symptoms of diseases. Thang and other members of the Muong Dong
Agriculture & Trade Cooperative are now following a new cultivation method
that promotes the use of organic fertilizers to ensure food safety and protect the
environment.
Thang’s achievements are
admirable, reflecting the aspiration and perseverance of a man who dares to
leave the city to settle in a remote area and always strives to get rid of poverty.
After more than four years of implementing a project launched by the Hoa Binh Party Committee’s Standing Board on developing agriculture and promoting product consumption linked with building new-style rural areas for the 2021-2025 period, the province’s industry and trade sector has made significant strides, greatly contributing to local socio-economic development.
Luong Son district has identified 2025 as the year for the accelerated breakthrough to successfully implement the socio-economic development plan for the 5-year period from 2021 to 2025. The district has been focusing on executing the plans and trying to achieve a GRDP growth rate of approximately 15%.
Since the beginning of this year, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Sub-Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery Product Quality Management has strengthened the integration of the professional activities to promote and guide the organizations and individuals in the production and trading of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to comply with the legal regulations regarding the use of chemicals, pesticides and veterinary medicines in crop cultivation, livestock farming and aquaculture. They also provide guidance to processing and manufacturing establishments on keeping the records to trace the product origins and using food additives from the approved list according to the regulations.
Hoa Binh province saw a significant rise in state budget revenue in the first two months of 2025, heard a meeting chaired by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem.
Ha Thi Ha Chi, a 26-year-old graduate in law, has taken an unconventional path by returning to her hometown in Mai Chau district to establish the Tong Dau Cooperative, creating stable jobs for local women and bringing Thai ethnic brocade weaving to the global market.
As the Lunar New Year 2025 approached, pork prices surged, creating a profitable season for farmers in Tan Vinh commune, Luong Son district. Taking advantage of the rising demand, Can Minh Son, a farmer from Coi hamlet, sold over 30 pigs at 69,000 VND/kg, each weighing more than 100 kg. After deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of over 50 million VND.
