Appearing at the National Innovation Day 2025 on October 1, Pham Van Hat, representing grassroots inventors, shared his inspiring journey.

“Innovation doesn’t just stem from advanced laboratories; it can begin with a farmer’s simple desire to make life easier for others,” Pham Van Hat said about his inventive path.

Calling himself “not a scientist, never attended university, or studied basic mechanics,” this Hai Phong farmer has created a collection of over 40 inventions in the past 15 years.

His inventions aim to address the challenge of reducing farmers’ hardships. Notable creations include a seed-planting robot, a pesticide sprayer, a seeding machine, a young corn shucker, and a grain scooper.

Remarkably, in the past two years, Pham Van Hat successfully invented an escape device for high-rise buildings. He revealed that although two countries approached him for technology transfer, he has not agreed.

“I want to prove to the world that this product was invented by Vietnamese people and used by Vietnamese people first,” he said.

His invention journey began when he worked in Israel to pay off debts and gain experience. Manually spreading fertilizer across hundreds of hectares under scorching heat, he invented a fertilizer-spreading machine attached to a plow. His employer patented it, sold it for over VND4 billion, and rewarded him with $10,000 and a doubled salary.

This first success ignited his passion for invention. The man born in 1972 decided to return to Vietnam despite others calling it “foolish.”

He told himself, “Only by being in control and inventing can I truly help my homeland’s farmers.” Within three years, he paid off his debts with his small mechanics workshop.

Among his proudest inventions are a seed-planting robot costing VND35 million, replacing the labor of 40 people which have been exported to 14 countries like the US, Japan, Israel, and South Korea; and a pesticide sprayer, developed over two years, reducing poisoning risks and occupational diseases.

With the motto “Simple - Effective - Affordable - Durable,” his products cost only a third or a tenth of imported ones but are tailored to Vietnam’s fields.

At the event, To Lam emphasized that innovation does not belong solely to the science and technology sectors, but requires the participation of society and the people.

He stated that the root of innovation is “the courage to dream of extraordinary things, tackle the toughest challenges, take responsibility before the people and history, and break through to forge new paths.”

Du Lam