The young man spreads "mother's cuisine" to the world, voted by Forbes as "30 Under 30 Asia"

Forbes magazine has announced the list of "30 Under 30 Asia", in which Dong Van Hung is honored to be one of 4 representatives from Vietnam, and is also the only person to appear in the category of Communications, Marketing and Advertising . How do you feel when you hear this information ?

- I was so surprised. I woke up in the morning and checked again and again to see if the news was true. After a while of checking, I realized: Oh, it's official news, and the joy just exploded. I felt extremely grateful and happy.

I didn't think that my videos about my mother and I's daily life would inspire so many people. Being voted in Forbes magazine is a recognition of our constant efforts.

Owning a YouTube channel with more than 1 million followers and being honored in Forbes magazine 's "30 Under 30 Asia" list makes you more and more known . Does that fame have much influence on the lives of mother and daughter?

- My mother and I are still simple villagers, loved and shared by our neighbors. Life has of course changed a bit when we are recognized and greeted everywhere we go. The support and love from the community has brought us great joy and motivation.

Making videos with my mother makes our lives happier. Instead of my mother working alone before, now I film and chat with her. People commenting and praising me makes me feel very touched and grateful. I often share those feelings with my mother.

What did you do before this job and how does it help you now ?

- My childhood was spent in the countryside, living with my mother and grandmother. After graduating from grade 12 in 2014, I worked as a factory worker in Bac Ninh. Since my school days, I have had a passion for photography. Because of that, I used the money I earned to study photography and worked in Hanoi for about 3 years.

Having worked in Hanoi for a while, I feel that life and work here are quite stressful. There are days when I go to work from 5am to prepare and take photos for customers until I come home exhausted in the evening, then sit at the camera to filter and edit photos until 2-3am before I can rest. There are times when the time for work continues like that for many days.

Working far away from home, I felt very homesick, missing the meals my mother cooked. I returned to my hometown to visit my family and realized that I really missed my mother's meals. At that time, my mother was cooking and gardening outside, I brought my camera to record the images of my mother doing. When I turned back the images, I saw my childhood rushing back with crab catching, fishing, my mother's daily work... Those moments were truly precious and full of emotion. That was also the idea I had to make videos on my channel.

Photography skills have greatly supported the development of the channel, gradually helping me create beautiful angles and clearer compositions, making the content realistic and sharp. My previous experiences and jobs have helped me a lot in developing the channel today.

I see that you are quite quiet and a bit shy while this job is usually for talkative people. So did you encounter any difficulties at first ?

- My mother and I had a very difficult life. Before, I was not as confident as I am now. Since I went out into society to work and earn money, I was forced to change and speak more. Especially after I started working as a photographer, my job required more customer care and communication with customers. After that, I felt I spoke better.

When I first started vlogging, I had a hard time because I wasn’t used to filming and editing videos. Then I learned more skills from friends and online, and gradually got used to the job. My mother also worked more naturally in front of the camera.

In addition, we also have difficulties with the weather, when it is hot or rainy, we cannot film. But overcoming all those difficulties, we always try to bring the most authentic and meaningful videos to viewers.

The content and setting of the video are mainly daily life in the hometown, in the garden and in the mother's fields. The video idea is very natural, what is happening every day, without any preparation, creating authenticity. Those simple and rustic moments contain a lot of emotions, connecting mother and child and precious memories.

After finishing the photography, I started building the channel. After 5 years, the channel has reached 1,000,000 followers on YouTube, nearly 1,000,000 followers on other platforms.

Why did you choose the channel "Mother's Cuisine" instead of another name ?

What thoughts and feelings do you want to convey in it ?

- At first, I randomly chose the channel name. I filmed a scene of my mother cooking and immediately thought of the word "cuisine". Then I thought of another word for everyone. When my mother was working, I named it "mother makes". That's how the channel "Culinary Mother Makes" came about.

Starting from the daily rustic dishes my mother cooked, those dishes are associated with my childhood in the countryside such as: stir-fried crab with betel leaves, crab soup with sweet potato leaves, squash, stir-fried water spinach, stir-fried field shrimp... I film whatever is available, that's where the channel name comes from.

What milestone did you decide to "leave the city and return to the countryside "?

- At first, I just kept filming, but the work still brought in income. Whenever a customer booked a photo shoot, I would ride my motorbike from Thai Nguyen to Hanoi and then back. At first, I didn't have any income from filming, so I had to try hard. It was difficult to travel, so I had to travel a long way to take the photo shoot.

The milestone that decided to move back to my hometown to work with my mother was when I reached 100,000 subscribers (received the silver button in 3 months). At that time, seeing many people commenting on the channel, I realized that this was also my new direction. My mother has spent her whole life taking care of me. My family has two mothers and I working far away, every time I come home in the afternoon, thinking about my mother at home being friends with the chickens, friends with the dog... I can't bear it.

I asked myself: Why don't I try leaving the city to go back to the countryside? It was thanks to that milestone that I experimented with going back to the countryside. I edited and posted those videos on social networks, receiving support from friends and followers. Everyone encouraged me to make more videos. From there, I decided to develop the channel "Mother's Cuisine". Seeing the channel grow day by day, from the first videos to reaching more than 1,000,000 followers, I am really happy and proud of the efforts of mother and daughter.

How has your mother accompanied and inspired you throughout your life journey ?

- At first, I filmed my mother as a souvenir. After receiving support from everyone, my mother was also happy and encouraged each other to try harder. I saw that my mother worked very naturally, and when I received many comments from viewers remembering their mothers, I decided to film more meaningful content about my mother, to represent other farmer mothers. The compliments and support from the community are a great motivation for both mother and daughter to continue trying.

My mother is the main inspiration for me to create these videos. Before, she worked alone, now that I film with her, she is happier and more loved. Every moment with my mother is the motivation for me to try to make better, more authentic videos, to preserve family memories and affection.

My mother was the one who worked hard to raise me from a young age. My mother worked in the fields all year round. Before, she raised pigs, cows, and worked on a whole acre of rice fields by herself. Her thin shoulders were burdened with the hardship of worrying about me. My mother constantly tried to stay up late and wake up early to save on hiring people to do everything herself, from planting, plowing, and harvesting rice...

Usually, people who create YouTube channels often aim for sensational stories, to attract views... why did you choose the culinary field associated with the countryside , homeland, and simple dishes ?

- When I returned to my hometown and made random clips, everyone loved these simple, genuine footages. My mother and I always want to create clean, meaningful, and humane content for everyone.

My mother and I do not create bad, toxic content, or attract people by any means. We want people to know us for our simplicity, honesty, and the dishes of rural Vietnamese life.

How to be creative and attract many viewers when the content revolves around simple life in the countryside ?

- I always try to innovate and be creative in my daily work to avoid repetition. For example, the day before, I filmed a scene of my mother picking peanuts, the next day I would invite my neighbors to join and tell the story in a different way to make the video more vivid. Creativity lies not only in the content but also in the way it is presented, how to make each video bring a new and interesting feeling to the viewer. There are videos of my mother and I that take half a year to complete.

From the rustic Vietnamese dishes your mother cooked , what do you want to spread ?

- Since I have received so much support from everyone, I also think that these simple things also contribute to conveying local culture, the culture of my homeland to everyone in the country, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners to see and remember their childhood. That is also the beauty of my homeland that I want to convey to everyone in and outside the country.

How did the first clips get engagement ? Were there any memorable stories that left a lasting impression ?

- The first dish I filmed online was crab soup, showing my mother catching crabs, then she came home to pound them, process them, and pick vegetables from the garden to cook. Maybe because I ate them since I was little, I found that my mother's crab soup was seasoned just right. I remember the meals with my mother and grandmother, the three of us gathered together, picking vegetables and fish for each other. When my grandmother passed away, there were only two mothers and children left. The meal was simple but warm. My mother gave me all the delicious dishes. That is the dish I remember the most and it was also my first video. The channel that everyone supports a lot also originated from that crab soup. The dish is simple but has the mother's love in it.

There is a video of a mother and daughter wrapping banh chung, which is imbued with Vietnamese tradition, that has been shared by a YouTube Fanpage with nearly 100 million followers to the whole world. It is a heartfelt video of the mother and daughter. I want to convey the beauty of banh chung wrapping culture and Vietnamese customs to everyone who watches. The channel has 20-30% foreigners, I also want to spread the message abroad. Luckily, YouTube has shared it with the whole world. There are foreigners who love the channel and come to the place. They want to experience the simple life in rural Vietnam.

Many people think that to have million-view clips, there must be a great team behind you , but in reality, do many people support you in this job ?

- Everyone who watches the channel thinks that there is a team of many people behind the scenes to film and edit clips, but in fact it is not. I do everything by myself. I finish filming, edit, and post on social media. I am the one who manages the channel and responds to comments, no one else. After I got married, my wife joined in to support behind the scenes and help manage the channel.

Creating content requires constant creativity. Sometimes, I have to stay up late many times to get videos out in time for the audience to watch.

So how often do you release videos ?

- At first, I released videos more frequently because my daily life was very diverse. Now, I release videos more slowly to avoid repeating old ideas, always wanting to innovate to keep viewers. I always look for ways to bring new and attractive content, ensuring that each video brings value and inspiration to viewers.

In 2022, thanks to your efforts, will you be able to build a billion-dollar property so that mother and child can have a more comfortable place to live ?

- While building the house, I also did many jobs, from working as a worker to taking photos and then making YouTube. In 2022, I did 3 big things at the same time: Building a house for my mother, marrying a dutiful wife and giving birth to a cute baby boy.

The spacious 4-storey house is a gift that I gave to my hard-working mother after 8 years of saving and working hard at all kinds of jobs, from factory worker, photographer to setting up a YouTube channel. On Tet 2023, my family and I welcomed the new year together with warmth and joy in the new house.

With many channels that have a large following, many brands will place advertisements , but you do not accept advertisements on your channel. Why is that ?

- There are many brands that want to advertise, but I don't feel it's appropriate. I only accept one or two that are suitable and similar to the channel, and I don't accept too many or "exaggerated" advertisements. I want the channel to convey the most simple and genuine things to the audience, without any other tricks.

Many famous YouTube channels have very good income. What about you ?

- The income from the video production channel is not much. Every month, if I try hard, I can produce 3-4 videos, so the income is enough to cover my family's living expenses. I have the advantage of working close to home and working close to my mother. In the countryside, food and vegetables are available, and I rarely have to buy them, so I am satisfied with this income.

How are your family members in real life? Are they like the ones posted online ?

- Everyone on the channel watches videos and pictures, which are my family's daily life. I film everything, not create or draw it to film. In the countryside, if there are vegetables, I plant them, if there are fish, I catch fish. Going to the fields to catch crabs and snails are all things my mother does every day. Besides, my mother is a gentle and honest person, loves her daughter-in-law with all her heart, so life like that is very satisfying for me.

From the success of the channel "Mother's Cuisine", do you plan to develop other channels ?

- Currently, my mother and I are trying to develop the main channel "Mother's Cuisine". Later, if we have more staff, we can invite more people to work together. I hope everyone can do YouTube like my mother and I. Right now, I can only develop one channel, so I'm focusing on the main channel.

In the future, I also want to create more creative content to show the beauty of my homeland to everyone. I want nothing more than to contribute to spreading Vietnamese cuisine and village life to the world. Besides, I also want Vietnamese people to see their childhood in those videos. Everyone knows how beautiful Vietnam is.

Social networks have changed the lives of many farmers like So Y Tiet and Mrs. Tan Vlog. How do you evaluate this issue ?

- From the very ordinary videos, my mother and I became known to many people. There have been many characters who have earned extra income from this job, freely pursued their creative passion, and many characters have inspired others. Like So Y Tiet, who was orphaned since childhood and had to depend on acquaintances. However, his life gradually turned a new page when he took advantage of the appeal of social networks and made money through entertainment platforms. From there, he saved up to buy land, build a house, etc. There are many other characters as well. I think that creating content on social networking platforms is also a profession that attracts many people.

Do you inspire any other farmers in this regard? What do you think farmers should do to attract, break through, and bring their agricultural products to consumers ?

- There are many people calling, texting or meeting me saying that the videos I made inspired them. Among them are many honest farmers. I hope that this job will also create joy, passion and make money for many people from creating content. Many farmers also need more children to support technology to develop better channels.

Many young people are tending to livestream agricultural products to help people on social networks, what do you think about this ?

- I myself have participated in promoting agricultural products to help people on social networks many times. I find this a very meaningful job. Many people with influence on social networks have also been doing this. I hope that agricultural products of farmers across the country will always be supported and accompanied. From there, it will partly reduce the hardships of farmers.

Thanks for sharing!