At 70, Pham Minh Chau borrowed VND100 million from his daughter to start raising civets in Can Tho. Just over two years later, his herd has grown to around 200 animals, generating more than VND250 million in revenue from breeding stock sales.
At daybreak, Pham Minh Chau, 72, a resident of Phuoc Thoi Ward in Can Tho City, begins peeling ripe bananas to feed his Asian palm civets.
Although the task appears simple, it requires careful observation of each animal, particularly pregnant females and those nursing their young.
His farm covers approximately 200 square meters and contains nearly 200 neatly arranged cages. The animals range from adults weighing 5-6 kilograms to young civets recently separated from their mothers.
Few would imagine that the elderly farmer, who moves briskly between the cages, only entered the civet farming business in 2024, when he was already 70.
Borrowing his daughter's savings to buy breeding civets
Chau begins his day by peeling bananas, placing them in a basin on a trolley and delivering them to individual civet cages. Each animal receives one banana, while nursing females are given additional food.
Before raising civets, Chau spent more than 20 years working in land levelling, a physically demanding occupation that required frequent travel.
As he grew older, he began looking for a new livelihood that would keep him active while improving his family's finances.
He first became interested in civet farming after watching YouTube videos showing farmers earning substantial incomes from the animals. His curiosity grew when he learned that a nephew in Ca Mau was also raising civets.
Rather than rushing into the business, Chau spent considerable time watching instructional videos and visiting successful farms to learn practical techniques.
Even after completing his farm facilities, he waited another six months to study the business before purchasing his first animals.
In early 2024, he bought five Cambodian-breed civets, four females and one male, from a breeding farm in Vinh Long Province.
Adult civets at Chau's farm weigh approximately 5-6 kilograms.
Each animal cost approximately VND20 million, bringing his initial investment in breeding stock to VND100 million.
The money came from savings originally deposited in a bank to support his daughter's university education.
"At the time, I didn't have enough cash, so I asked my daughter to lend me VND100 million to buy civets," Chau recalled. "I promised to work hard and make sure she could continue her education. She agreed, so I withdrew the savings and bought the five breeding animals."
He also borrowed another VND50 million through a preferential policy lending programme to invest in cages and farm infrastructure.
Chau admitted that he was anxious during the early stages. However, by learning from experienced farmers and carefully following their guidance, he gradually mastered the techniques required to raise the animals.
In September 2024, his first female civets began giving birth.
Each litter typically consisted of three or four offspring, although some females produced five or six.
Seeing the herd develop successfully, Chau retained healthy young females for breeding and gradually expanded his operation.
Raising catfish beneath civet cages to reduce cleaning work
Chau raises catfish beneath the civet cages to reduce cleaning work while making use of an additional food source.
As his farm expanded, Chau realised that cleaning the cages was among the most labour-intensive tasks.
Although civets enjoy fresh food, their living environment must remain clean and dry.
Initially, he raised the animals above concrete flooring, which required daily sweeping and washing.
After considering possible solutions, he devised an unusual approach: raising catfish in ponds directly beneath the civet cages.
Concerned that fish might not survive indoors without sufficient sunlight, he first constructed a small wooden enclosure lined with waterproof sheeting and introduced 10 kilograms of juvenile catfish.
After three months, the fish were growing well.
Encouraged by the results, Chau removed sections of the tiled flooring and excavated permanent sunken ponds measuring 10-12 meters long and two meters wide, with brick-lined walls.
"All the waste and leftover food from the civets above falls into the ponds and becomes food for the catfish below," he explained. "This keeps the cages dry and free of unpleasant odours, reduces disease risks for the civets and saves me considerable cleaning work. I only need to change the pond water every five to seven days."
The catfish have continued to thrive and are also used as a food source for the civets.
Chau retains selected breeding civets to expand his herd and supply other farmers interested in raising the animals.
Each civet cage is made of square-mesh wire with a stainless-steel floor, measuring approximately 60 centimeters wide and 80 centimeters long.
The cages are arranged in rows to make feeding, monitoring and herd management easier.
According to Chau, civet farming is not particularly complicated if farmers pay attention to three essential factors: food, drinking water and cage hygiene.
He follows a feeding routine he describes as "light in the morning, full in the afternoon".
The civets receive ripe bananas in the morning. At around 4 p.m., each animal is fed approximately 150 grams of a mixture containing bananas, minced fish or frogs, and commercial animal feed.
Females nursing their young receive additional food to ensure adequate nutrition.
Under this feeding regime, his Cambodian-breed civets have gained weight rapidly.
Following the first breeding cycles, the herd expanded steadily from the original five animals to approximately 200.
The farm now houses dozens of breeding adults, while the remainder consists of young animals and replacement breeding stock.
Civets can generally begin breeding at around 10 months of age. Gestation lasts approximately 60 days, with females typically producing three to six offspring per litter.
Chau avoids unnecessary interference when females give birth, allowing mothers to care for their young naturally while ensuring sufficient food, water and clean living conditions.
He currently focuses on selling breeding civets rather than animals for meat.
According to Chau, civets sold for meat fetch approximately VND1.2-1.3 million per kilogram, with traders generally preferring animals weighing between 2.8 and four kilograms.
Prices for breeding animals vary depending on their age, weight and reproductive capacity.
A male-female pair of young civets weighing around one kilogram each and capable of feeding independently sells for approximately VND7 million.
Mature breeding pairs ready for mating can fetch VND15-20 million.
Chau said revenue from breeding stock sales has exceeded VND250 million. He plans to retain high-quality breeding animals to expand the herd further.
Beyond generating income, his farm has become a place where other local residents visit to observe the operation and learn civet farming techniques.
Nguyen Thien Nhan, vice chairman of the Phuoc Thoi Ward Farmers' Association, described Chau's civet farming operation as a new production model that has initially demonstrated economic potential and created opportunities for local farmers to learn and develop livestock farming.
The model has received ward-level recognition under the Dan van kheo (effective mass mobilisation) initiative.
Nhan said local authorities were ready to assist Chau in accessing additional financing if he wished to expand production.
Vietnamnet.vn
Podcast
.svg){kind=icon}
