South Viet Nam has many stories related to sitings of freshwater crocodiles, mostly related to the areas waterways, but one of the favourites is the rags-to-riches tale of crocodile farmer Ho Van Be Hung in Dong Thap Province.

Crocodiles warm up in their pen. Freshwater crocodiles (freshies) are not maneaters. In fact they are known to avoid people in the wild unless confronted, unlike their dangerous relatives, the saltwater crocodiles (salties).

Hung's freshwater crocodile business in Cao Laơnh District welcomes guests as if they are part of the family and, evidence of the "all lived happily ever after" end to a fairy tale. This farm is the hub of a sprawling empire which grows "freshies", as they are known in Australia. Hung has farms and breeding pens spread far and wide, providing income and jobs to hundreds of people

However, "In the beginning", as they say, Hung was the only son in a peasant family of six.

"My older sisters got married soon after I got back from army cadet school so I helped my parents with their gardening and did some retail sales. I fed swine, and domestic fowls. But most of all, it was the freshwater crocodiles that brought me fame and profit," he says.

Hung, 50, has been 15 years in the crocodiles business and has a website casaumyhiep.com.vn.

"For crocodile farming, the set-up costs for cages is high, but the crocs are easy to feed and supervise. They grow very fast, if we take good care of them, and bring in a high profit if you have a stable market."

At the end of 1999, Hung built his first crocodile farm, after selling 5,000sq.m of his land frontage, three houses in Myơ Hiep market, and various things his parents left him. Thanks to his adventurous but cautious nature, success followed.

Recently, he expanded into two more crocodile farms on a total of 21,000sq. m of land in two hamlets of Myơ Hiep Commune. There, thousands of adult and baby crocodiles are being raised for sale as meat and for the value of their skins, which are made into shoes and bags, both inside and outside the country.

"A 30cm long croc can grow to 1m after one year, to be worth about VND1 million (US$48). As for the adults, we sell for VND150,000 ($7.50) per kg," Hung says.

Each year, his farm provides more than 15,000 breeding crocodiles to other households, 20,000 adults to the overseas market and tonnes of skins to Italy, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea. The lucrative trade, Hung proudly says, has earned him billions of dong.

The crocodile cages are built with cement walls surrounded by two barbed-wired fences. They measure from 9,000 to 12,000sq m. There is also a VND350 million ($16,800) waste-water treatment system.

 

Hung's farm attracts many foreign visitors and customers every year.

"I supervise each crocodile's growth and reproduction. If I let these creatures bite each other, it will leave scars on their bodies and I won't be able to sell their skins. For reproductive crocodiles, those who share genes are not allowed to pair up, since the death rate of premature births is high. Each crocodile pair has their own profile on a computer and I also have their tails tagged."

Thus, Hung's crocodiles grow healthy and strong and their skins are favoured by the foreign market. He feeds them with snails, eels, frogs and mice. To prevent their ponds getting contaminated and to keep them disease free, he changes the water twice a week.

Hung's farms are recognised by the World Wildlife Fund as among the best freshwater crocodile farms in Viet Nam. At present, he is cross-breeding a kind of salt-water crocodile to enhance the quality of the whole herd. Hung also has 50 satellite farms which raise breeding stock, providing jobs for local people.

His crocs are also an attraction for wildlife lovers and tourists. He is ready to open a new ecotourism zone in Dong Thap.

Hung is also known for his generosity. Each year, he supports social charity activities. He has built roads and a school and helped poor people.

"It's just a small part I can play. Any citizens would do the same if they were me. I am happy to see everyone happy," Hung says.

VNSS