Ms. Le Ngoc Hien said that in 2019, she started to renovate her family's land of more than 1,000 square meters, using more than 500 million VND saved to build a greenhouse to grow high-tech melons. At this time, she was still working at the Industrial Park Management Board of Vinh Long province.
"When I decided to start a business, my family did not support me. My parents were afraid that I would fail. The working conditions were harsh. Working in a greenhouse environment is very hot. At first, after coming home from work at noon, I would run out to the garden to work. Those who are not used to the greenhouse environment can easily suffocate, but once I decided to do it, I dared to face the difficulties," Hien shared.
Sharing the reason for deciding to start a business, Ms. Hien said that it was the desire to step out of her "comfort zone" and do what she likes.
In the early days of starting her business, Ms. Hien encountered countless difficulties. There was a season when out of 2,500 melon trees planted in the garden, 500 did not bear fruit, and there was a season when the fruit was small due to the change to a new variety... Because her initial agricultural knowledge was zero, she had to learn continuously and in many different ways, through books and experienced colleagues in the profession.
In 2020, Ms. Hien officially quit her job at a state agency after 13 years of working there to focus on starting a business. At this time, when preparing for the melon harvest season, the Covid-19 pandemic also broke out, requiring social distancing.
Ms. Le Ngoc Hien started a business with high-tech melon growing.
This made her feel like she was "sitting on fire", not knowing how the consumption would be. Fortunately, when there were less than 15 days left until harvest, social distancing ended. However, at this time, she had to face another difficulty: the 5 tons of harvested melons were being forced down in price by traders with all kinds of reasons. Not accepting this, she decided to sell all the melons in the garden herself.
"I sold 5 tons of melons in just 6 days by taking advantage of my social relationships, sharing information on social networks, many people knew and bought. Besides, when the social distancing is over, people also want to go out after being stuck at home, to go to the melon garden to experience", this woman from Vinh Long shared.
From that reality, Ms. Hien determined her direction: Not only growing melons for sale but also combining tourism andeducation , spreading to the community. Besides melons, she also grows cucumbers, watermelons, tomatoes, eggplants... to diversify agricultural products on the farm.
Many schools have connected to bring students to Peace Farm for sightseeing and experience. Here, children can visit and experience, learn about agricultural cultivation and be inspired to start a business.
Knowledgeable, knowledgeable and willing to learn
In 2024, the project "Developing a sustainable urban agricultural model associated with tourism and experiential education - Peace Farm production and business household business" by Ms. Le Ngoc Hien entered the regional final round - Southern region of the "Women's creative start-up and green transformation" contest organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union and won the consolation prize.
Ms. Le Ngoc Hien combines farming with tourism - experiential education
According to Ms. Hien, when participating in the contest, she understood more about the startup movement among members, women, and new innovations and technologies in startups, especially agricultural startups.
"At the competition, I received advice from experts that I need to calculate investment costs more specifically so that profits are clear, as well as optimize profits. I have accepted and implemented those valuable suggestions," Ms. Hien shared.
Besides, throughout her entrepreneurial journey, Ms. Hien always received support from agencies, organizations, including the Women's Union at all levels.
According to Ms. Le Ngoc Hien, to start a successful agricultural business, passion is not enough, but knowledge and understanding are also required. Besides passion, there must be an educational foundation to know the path you are taking and what you need to do.
"If you want to start a business, you have to know how to read documents to deeply understand the related field. To survive, entrepreneurs must understand how the market operates, what segment their products will be in, and who their target audience is," said Ms. Hien.
Another important thing when starting a business is to effectively manage all stages throughout the production and operation process.
Ms. Le Ngoc Hien's melon products are chosen by many consumers.
Peace Farm owner believes that ensuring product quality is important but not the only factor that determines consumers' choices. "Why do consumers choose to buy Peace Farm melons? Because they believe in the brand and understand the farm's story," Ms. Hien shared.
To increase the competitiveness of the product, the manufacturer must always keep its "trust" and have a good after-sales service. In addition, to evaluate the success or failure of an investment or start-up depends on each person's frame of reference.
Because besides economic value, there are entrepreneurs who evaluate success in other values, such as social responsibility and contribution to the community.
Revealing her plans for the near future, Ms. Le Ngoc Hien said she will aim to do clean agriculture associated with health care.
"Many people and women today are stressed because of work and life pressures. I want to bring people closer to nature, change unhealthy habits, and spend time gardening as a therapy for the spirit. In my past entrepreneurial journey, I am happy to bring certain values to the community and society," Ms. Le Ngoc Hien shared.
SOME STARTUP EXPERIENCES OF MS. LE NGOC HIEN
- When deciding to start a business in the agricultural sector, you must understand the relevant policies and laws. How will the products be distributed and targeted? If you don't sell raw materials, can you process them into other products? You need to be proactive and set your own "problems".
- To start a business, you need passion, knowledge, determination, willingness to learn and dare to face failure.
- Starting a business in the agricultural sector is not only about profit but also about business ethics.
- When starting a business, in addition to creating economic and income, it must bring other values to the community. If this can be done, the startup process will be more sustainable and meaningful.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/muon-khoi-nghiep-thanh-cong-phai-dam-duong-dau-voi-that-bai-20250702133208639.htm
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