(HBO) – We paid a visit to an integrated farm of Bui Van Tam in Khoang hamlet (Son Thuy commune, Kim Boi district), a role model of successful young farmers in the commune.

Talking about the first days of his business, Tam said: "I noticed that although my family owns a lot of land, we have yet to use it efficiently. After graduating from high school, I thought deeply about how to earn money from every piece of land and how young people like me can prosper in our own homeland”.

At the age of 35, he is now the owner of a farm covering more than 2.5ha, earning nearly 400 million VND (17,596 USD) a year.


From the initial 250 longan trees, Bui Van Tam, residing in Son Thuy commune (Kim Boi district) has become the owner of an integrated farm with average income of 400 million VND (17,596 USD) a year.

Tam recalled: "In 1999, I came to Hung Yen to choose a suitable variety of longan and started my farm by growing 250 trees in an area of 2.5ha owned by my family. The result was unexpectedly good. The first longan harvest earned me 30 million VND, then it increased to 150 million, 300 million and 600 million VND in the following years”. However, he was not content with what he had gained. He learned more about cultivation technique, applying science and technology in growing longan trees and shifting to high-quality longan varieties.

Traders have highly valued the longan grown by Bui Van Tam and placed their orders early. "This year, there is a bumper crop of longan so its price is lower than that of previous years. My family outcome from selling longan may drop. However, high productivity of longan over the past years shows that the climate and soil of Son Thuy commune are suitable to grow the fruit. Growing logan could be a way to help local farmers escape poverty”, Tam said.

Along with investment in longan growing and through studying market demand, in 2006, Bui Van Tam extended the scale of his farm, building a pigsty to raise a local pig breed which is cross-bred with wild boar. From the four pairs at the start, he now sells two batches, with 20-30 pigs each, each year. With locally-available feed like grinded bran and banana trunks, in only six months, each pig weighs about 14-15kg and is suitable for selling. Currently, apart from selling pork, he also raises and sells piglets at the price of 300,000-400,000 VND per kg.

In 2010, Bui Van Tam decided to raise viverrine with young animals bought from the Cuc Phuong national park, in order to diversify his farm and take advantage of local natural food source like grass, maize and soy beans. After one year, he had 23 pairs of vierrine. He currently raises the animals to sell their young at the price of 1.5-2 million VND per pair.

Tam has become a role model for having ambitious goal in business, being creative and daring. He is not afraid of hardships and is also enthusiastic to share his experiences with others. "He is really commendable!”, said Bui Van Thang, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Kim Boi district. 

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