With a strong desire to stay connected to his homeland, Ha Van Sang (born in 1996 in Nguon Village, Muong Lang Commune, Phu Yen District, Son La Province) embarked on his entrepreneurial journey by building a breathtakingly beautiful farm. At the same time, Sang produces videos showcasing rural life, farming activities, and the agricultural production process, which he shares on social media to promote his products nationwide, generating significant income for his family.
Guests are immediately captivated by the stunning landscape at Ha Van Sang's one-hectare farm.
While tending to the lush vegetable garden with his wife, Sang shares his story. In 2014, after graduating from high school, he joined the military. Upon completing his service, he worked in a factory in Hung Yen Province, earning VND 7-8 million a month.
"I had long nurtured the dream of doing this to improve my family's life while staying rooted in my hometown. While working in Hung Yen, I spent my free time visiting safe vegetable and livestock farms to learn their methods. After thorough research, I realised that digital transformation combined with agricultural development could be successfully implemented in my local area," Sang shared.
In 2022, Sang and his wife left the bustling industrial zone to return home and start a business with clean agricultural products from their homeland. Immediately upon returning, the couple began reclaiming their family's one-hectare hilly land, investing in livestock facilities, digging ponds for fish farming, and planting fruit trees.
"I started with minimal capital. We worked tirelessly to renovate the land and build animal pens. Initially, our livestock suffered from diseases due to a lack of experience and knowledge, leading to losses. However, determined to succeed, I kept learning new techniques online and adapted our farming practices to suit the local climate and soil conditions."
Sang's farm follows a diversified garden-pond-livestock model, with over 700 chickens and ducks, 20 goats, a 1,000-square-metre fish pond, hundreds of sweet orange trees, and nearly 3,000 square metres of seasonal vegetable and fruit crops.
Additionally, he built a 60-square-metre stilt house, three food service huts, and six water wheels along Nguon Stream to create picturesque visitor check-in spots. He also expanded vegetable and fruit plantations and prepared facilities to welcome tourist groups for hands-on farming experiences.
"I aim to develop a tourism-integrated agricultural model where visitors can experience the life of a farmer, planting and harvesting crops, fishing for leisure," Sang said.
Sang learned to create content to promote his products and built two YouTube channels, amassing over 100,000 subscribers. Recognising the demand for immersive rural experiences and the appeal of peaceful countryside scenery and simple local lifestyles, he began producing videos capturing daily activities such as foraging for bamboo shoots, fishing in mountain streams, collecting freshwater snails, and working in the fields.
His videos include English subtitles to attract international viewers. His productions gradually gained traction by crafting engaging content, with each video garnering between 4,000 to 5,000 views and some reaching as high as 30,000 views.
To maintain his channel's growth, Sang constantly innovates, experimenting with different ideas, settings, and props while handling filming and editing himself. He commits to uploading at least one video every three days to keep his audience engaged.
His videos maintain a raw and rustic style, enhancing their authenticity. Additionally, monetising his YouTube content provides him with an extra source of income.
"My YouTube earnings alone bring in around VND 20 million per month. Moreover, I use these platforms to market and sell my agricultural products. Thanks to digital transformation and online sales through e-commerce platforms, my family's annual revenue has reached approximately VND 1 billion," Sang shared.
Cam Ngoc Thu Phuong, Deputy Secretary of Phu Yen District's Youth Union, highlighted that Ha Van Sang's startup model has inspired many young people with entrepreneurial ambitions, particularly in agriculture. His farm has become a learning destination for local and regional youth. His project was also selected to represent Phu Yen District in the 2024 Rural Youth Startup Competition, where it won first prize.
