The road to the border commune of Chieng On has been paved smooth. The 7-storey slope of the past is no longer an obstacle. For generations, this has been the home of the Mong, Xinh Mun, and Thai people. For many years, they struggled with food and clothing. After nearly 2 decades, we had the opportunity to return to this border area and witnessed many changes. In Din Chi village, we were lucky to meet the first billionaire of the Mong people. That was Mr. Vang A Vang.
Growing plums off-season, becoming a billionaire in the village
Mr. Vang's house is near the main road, not far from the Vietnam - Laos border. The house is majestic and rises up among the clouds and mountains. The day we visited, Mr. Vang was in the garden. It was just getting cold but the plum garden was already blooming with white flowers. The scent of plum blossoms mixed with the faint scent of the forest made the stranger's heart feel lighter.
Mr. Vang's plum garden of 600 trees. Photo: XT
"Mr. Vang is a person who dares to think and dares to do. What is even more gratifying is that his determination is an example for other households to follow. Mr. Vang's success in processing plum trees to produce fruit out of season is very commendable. This will be an effective way of doing business for the Xinh Mun and Mong people to learn."
Ms. Hoang Thi Chuyen - President of Chieng On Commune Farmers' Association
Plum blossoms usually bloom in early spring, but Mr. Vang's plum garden was blooming one after another. On the bare plum branches, clusters of pure white flowers bloomed like a vivid stroke in the desolate picture of the deep mountains and valleys at dusk.
Mr. Vang was short and stocky, his skin tinged with the color of the sun and wind, as he walked down the steep slope. In his work clothes, he walked quickly and nimbly. Still speaking the same broken Mandarin, Mr. Vang enthusiastically welcomed the guest as if he were welcoming a relative who had been away for a long time. He held the stranger's hand with his rough, calloused hands and said: "Today, the journalist has come to visit, you must stay and "hầu ch" (drink wine) with the family."
Mr. Vang's hospitality and warmth made the stranger's fatigue after a long journey suddenly disappear. Mr. Vang's plum hill was precariously located on the side of a mountain. It was steep enough to make the horse's legs wobbly. Each plum tree had lost most of its leaves and stretched out in a long line. Mr. Vang walked under the plum garden with white blossoms and felt happy. As he walked, Mr. Vang said: "This year I am processing off-season plums. They are blooming regularly like this, promising a bumper crop."
Under the plum garden canopy, each plum tree is meticulously cared for by Mr. Vang. The soil is loosened and organic fertilizer has been applied. In particular, each plum tree is equipped with an automatic watering system. Each plum tree, rough and strong, is carefully pruned. On the main branches that have lost their leaves, clusters of buds are sprouting. The plum tree is pruned according to the grower's intention, so the canopy is controlled to be round and even.
"Plum trees are grown a lot in Son La. However, plums are not sold at a good price during the main season. Last year, I took the trouble to find many models of growing off-season plums in the district to learn from their experiences. At first, I was very confused. Now that the plum garden has bloomed as expected, I am very happy," Mr. Vang shared.
Mr. Vang A Vang has successfully treated plum trees to produce fruit out of season. Photo: XT
To date, Mr. Vang has planted nearly 2,000 plum trees, of which 600 have been harvested. According to Mr. Vang, off-season plums sell for 6-7 times higher than in-season plums. In 2024, his family earned more than 130 million from the fruit-bearing plum garden. This year, according to Mr. Vang's estimate, output and income will increase 3 times compared to last year.
Processing plum trees to flower off-season requires a lot of effort and money. According to Mr. Vang, the decisive condition for processing plum trees to flower off-season is having water. He has invested in a modern automatic watering system. His water is pumped half a kilometer away from the plum garden. Each plum tree has an automatic watering nozzle. Thanks to that, the plum trees are watered 3 months earlier than the main-season plums. In early September, growers will spray biological products to supplement nutrients for the trees. In addition, they must prune excess branches, this allows nutrients to accumulate in the young branches. After more than a month of pruning, fertilizing, and watering, the plum trees will bud and flower early. Thanks to this scientific treatment, by early February, the off-season plums are ripe. The selling price is very high at 80,000 VND/kg. "The good thing about off-season plums is that they are very easy to sell. Traders compete to buy them. The yield is only slightly less than the main-season plums," Mr. Vang shared.
Mong billionaire has 3 excavators and 5 cars
Mr. Vang was born in Din Chi village - a place on the Vietnam - Laos border filled with hardships. His family had many siblings. Like many Mong families at that time, his family was poor. Life was hard and gradually passed.
"Back then, the roads to the Mong village were just trails. All trade with the outside world was done by human shoulders or by pack horses. The Mong people only hoped to have three full meals a day, and not fall into famine, which was a blessing," Mr. Vang recalled.
When he was an adult, Mr. Vang had served in the army. During his time in the army, Mr. Vang had practiced discipline and learned many new things in life. After completing his service, he returned to his hometown, got married and continued his father's job of digging the soil and turning the grass. Many difficulties and hardships gradually passed. The Mong boy realized that he could not escape poverty by planting corn and pruning rice in the fields. When the car road reached the commune, Mr. Vang boldly changed his thinking. Instead of harvesting corn in the fields every day, he borrowed money to buy a truck to buy corn from the villagers and transport it to the national highway to unload. According to Mr. Vang, because the villagers did not have means of transport, they often sold corn in the village at a low price. The price of corn in the fields compared to the price of corn in the district town was 4-5 times higher. Since he had a car to transport corn for sale, the Mong people in Din Chi village sold corn at a higher price. The villagers were happy, he had the work to transport. Thanks to that, life gradually changed.
After a decade of selling corn, Mr. Vang gradually accumulated a lot of capital. He bought more cars and hired drivers to transport corn to sell. The two trucks helped him become a rich man in the village. With enough capital, in 2017 he also took a risk and bought an excavator worth nearly a billion VND to open a road into the village and level the ground for the Mong people.
Selling corn and making excavators, Mr. Vang has reaped the rewards. In the following years, Mr. Vang bought two more excavators. The excavator team has "roamed" all over the highlands of the Mong and Xinh Mun people in Chieng On. Over the past few years, these machines have been operating at full capacity. Wherever they go, they bring change. "Every year, I earn half a billion VND from these three excavators. I boldly invested, now I am reaping a large profit for myself" - Mr. Vang shared.
With the capital, his farmer's blood rose again. Being a quick-witted person, he decided to convert all 5 hectares of his family's corn to grow plums. On the steep, dry hills, he diligently dug holes to plant plum trees. After several years of diligence, investment, and care, 600 plum trees have now yielded harvests. And in just 3 more years, the entire plum area on the hill will yield harvests. According to Mr. Vang's rough calculations, then his family will earn billions of dong each year.
Source: https://danviet.vn/ong-vang-a-vang-o-son-la-trong-man-trai-vu-ma-thanh-ty-phu-dau-tien-cua-ban-20241016173931525.htm
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