On an early morning in December, in a large garden in An Thanh Thuy commune, Dong Thap province, Huynh Van Hieu, 31, was busy checking the bamboo rat farm and H’Mong chicken flock (also called black Mong chicken), a startup that brings a profit of more than 200 million dong per year.

Hieu is the youngest son in a farming family with two children. After graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from HCMC University of Technology and Education, he stayed on as a teaching assistant for four years, then worked for Japanese and Austrian companies with an income of more than 30 million dong per month.

Passionate about agriculture and livestock, Hieu connected with many farm owners. The young man nurtured the dream of becoming wealthy and being his own boss on his hometown land.

After working for foreign companies for some time, he made an unexpected turn, leaving his stable job to return home and start an agricultural business.

Hieu said his decision came from two reasons: “First, I like to be independent and do not fit well in restrictive environments. Second, my family already has cultivation land, and it would be a waste not to use it.”

At that time, his family was worried because Hieu “quit his city job without knowing what the future would be,” but after listening to his reasoning, they eventually supported him.

When he first approached agriculture, especially with two “unusual” animals, bamboo rats and black Mong chickens, Hieu had almost no experience.

In 2022, he bought 20 bamboo rats to try raising them. “At first I was very eager. Within a week they all died, and I lost more than 20 million dong,” he recalled.

After the shock, Hieu slowed down, traveling around bamboo rat farms across the Mekong Delta to learn from experience, find quality breeders, and develop farming procedures. Once he gained enough knowledge, he bought 25 couples of bamboo rats to raise again. The model gradually developed.

He now has two bamboo rat farms with a total of about 300 breeding animals. Commercial bamboo rats are sold at VND750,000 per kilogram, while breeders cost VND1.8–2.8 million dong per couple. 

Hieu said bamboo rats are easy to raise, rarely get sick, and eat cheap, readily available food such as bamboo, sugarcane, and corn. Bamboo rats give birth 3-4 times a year, with 1-4 offspring per litter.

“Bamboo rats have strong resistance and almost no medicine costs. They only need a cool, clean cage,” he said.

His company guarantees consumption for more than 30 farming households in the province. Output is stable thanks to a customer network of farms and specialty restaurants.

Hieu’s bamboo rat model has been listed by the Dong Thap provincial People’s Committee as one of 20 pilot businesses for traceability and national barcode registration; the paperwork is being completed.

Recognizing that the cultivation area was still large, Hieu continued to develop his flock of black Mong chickens. To obtain standard breeding stock, he traveled all the way to villages in the Northwest region to purchase them. 

Initially, breeding was difficult because the chickens were not accustomed to the climate, but after two months, the flock stabilized and reproduced well. He currently maintains about 300 laying hens, selling thousands of chicks and commercial chickens monthly.

Commercial chickens are sold for VND150,000 to VND180,000/kg; chicks (30 days old) are sold for VND50,000/each.

According to Hieu, linking up with farmers is the key to development: "Working alone means a small scale, but linking up helps ensure a proactive source of breeding stock and secures procurement for the farmers."

In the near future, he aims to increase the total breeding bamboo rat herd to 500 animals, while replicating the chicken model for local youth and farmers.

He believes that both animals are suitable for the natural conditions of the Mekong Delta and have development potential if organized methodically.

In addition to running his business, Hieu is also a Member of the Vietnam Youth Federation Committee of Dong Thap province, regularly participating in social welfare activities. He and other philanthropists have built eight charitable houses, costing VND40 million to VND70 million/house; provided scholarships for poor students; and donated blood 32 times.

Ha Nguyen