Born into a farming family, Pham Ngoc Dung (born 1990), from Ha Huy Tap Ward, Ha Tinh Province, however, spent nearly a decade running businesses selling beer, motorbikes and other goods.

His business activities provided a stable income of more than VND30 million per month. While that level of income is a dream for many young people, his desire to build sustainable economic value from agriculture and create long-term impact pushed him to look for a new path.

In 2019, while his career was going well, he suddenly decided to quit his job to start testing the mud-free eel farming model. To date, Dung has built 3 eel farming areas with a total area of over 5,000 sqm, including 100 composite tanks in Ha Huy Tap Ward and Ha Linh Commune (Ha Tinh Province).

Dung shared that at that time, many people said he was too risky to quit a stable job to raise eels, a species difficult to farm, with few reference models and significant potential risks. 

Since there was no similar model in the province, he went to Southern provinces to learn techniques. Returning to his hometown, he boldly bought 10,000 seed eels and built 5 composite tanks with a total cost of about VND20 million.

The early days of starting the business were not smooth. Due to a lack of experience and an incomplete technical system, the eels frequently suffered from intestinal and respiratory diseases, with a high loss rate. At one point, successive failures made many people doubt the success of the model.

However, Dung persisted. During the farming process, he learned as he worked, continuously adjusting the process, improving the environment, and step-by-step mastering the techniques.

"The loss rate was high, and at times there was almost no profit. However, I changed the farming process, learned how to control water quality, temperature, and disease prevention, gradually perfecting the farming technique," Dung recalled.

According to Dung, difficulties are inevitable when being the first to implement a new model in the locality, but once determined, one must pursue it to the end. The highlight of the model is that eels are raised in composite tanks without mud, replaced by artificial substrates made of nylon strings for shelter. This method allows for high-density farming, easy disease control, and saves space and costs.

Dung installed a synchronized modern water exchange system, which allows to change the water daily after feeding. The feed is mainly industrial pellets combined with earthworms, ground fish, and chicken eggs to supplement nutrition, helping the eels grow healthy and quickly reach commercial weight.

Thanks to the clean environment, fewer diseases, and stable output with prices maintained at around VND100,000/kg, the model quickly showed clear business efficiency.

Once the model began operating stably, Dung continued to expand production. Currently, he owns 3 eel farming areas with a total area of over 5,000sqm, including 100 composite tanks.

Every year, the farm supplies about 60–70 tons of commercial eels to the market, mainly consumed in Ha Tinh and Nghe An. In addition, he provides about 3 million eel fingerlings annually at prices from VND3,000–VND4,000/head, combined with trading feed, transferring techniques, and guaranteeing output for other farmers.

Total revenue from all activities reaches about VND6.6 billion/year, with an estimated profit of nearly 40 percent, making his model the largest organic-oriented eel farming model in Ha Tinh Province today.

Dung’s farms create regular jobs for about 15 local laborers and youth union members, with an income from VND5–VND7 million/month. Notably, he provides seeds, provides technical guidance, and ensures output for more than 50 households in Ha Tinh and Nghe An.

Doan Hong Phong (born in 1986, Son Hong Commune) said that thanks to Dung's dedicated guidance from controlling water temperature to adjusting diets, his family's eel herd has gradually developed stably, helping him feel secure in sticking with this model.

With outstanding contributions in production, business, and transferring scientific and technical progress in agriculture, Pham Ngoc Dung was awarded the 20th Luong Dinh Cua Award in 2025 by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

Thanh Minh