Thanks to raising buffalo, Mr. Lieu's family has a stable source of income.

The smile lightened the farmer couple’s face, which had been tanned by the sun and rain. “The important thing is to have a positive outlook and thinking in all circumstances, and a love for work. If you follow the buffalo barefoot, it will definitely be hard work,” Mr. Lieu confided, while walking briskly across the thorny fields to herd the buffalo back to the barn.

The sun was getting dimmer. On the barren mounds, Mr. Lieu's herd of nearly 20 buffalo were leisurely chewing their cud. "People often joke that I have a few hundred million but I just throw it all away in the fields" - Mr. Lieu could not hide the joy and pride sparkling in his eyes.

Decades ago, Mr. Lieu and his wife came together with nothing but their bare hands. The thatched house was built on a piece of land given to them by their parents. The hard days of the past are still deeply imprinted in their memories. At that time, Mr. Lieu and his wife farmed, made conical hats, worked for hire, but life was still not prosperous. Thinking of a new way of doing business, Mr. Lieu thought of the tradition of raising buffaloes to pull plows from his father's and grandfather's generation.

However, envisioning a sustainable and effective development model, Mr. Lieu decided to “start a business” with a female buffalo, but not to plow but to develop the herd. Every time a buffalo gave birth, Mr. Lieu sold the male; the female was kept for reproduction. Year after year, persistently like that, when the herd was large, Mr. Lieu sold 5-10 buffaloes every year. In years when the price was good, a 1-year-old buffalo could be sold for 13-15 million VND. Currently, Mr. Lieu’s family’s herd has reached 20 buffaloes.

Next to the house is a high haystack. That is the reserve food for the buffalo when the cold winter and floods come. Mr. Lieu shared that he does not spend money on food, but he puts a lot of effort into herding the buffalo and cutting grass to keep the buffalo fat and healthy. In the cold rainy season, in addition to the reserve straw, Mr. Lieu does not mind the cold rain to cut fresh grass.

In addition to taking care of the buffalo herd, Mr. Lieu and his wife also cultivate 5 sao of rice fields and 3 sao of melons and watermelons. Every day of Mr. Lieu and his wife starts from dawn to dusk, without rest, hard work but happiness comes with the seasons of heavy rice grains and sweet melons. Mrs. Phan Thi Hong Van (Mr. Lieu's wife) "boasts" that her family's melons and watermelons are fertilized with composted buffalo manure, so the plants grow well, produce more fruit, and are of safer quality, so retailers love them. Mr. Lieu's melons and watermelons always sell quickly and at a good price.

Leading guests to bags of dry buffalo manure stacked in a corner of the garden, Mr. Lieu and his wife said that this is a source of surplus manure to sell to local farmers, increasing the family's income.

Diligent, hard-working, and with the knowledge accumulated over a long period of raising livestock and growing crops; learning more knowledge from local training courses, Mr. Lieu and his wife's buffalo herd as well as rice and melon fields always ensure quality and stable income. Every year, after deducting expenses and covering living expenses, Mr. Lieu and his wife save about 100 million VND.

Mr. Lieu and his wife saw their guests off to the end of the alley. The image of a farming couple with “muddy hands and feet” is simple, but very precious because of the achievements from their sweat. That is raising children to adulthood; having a decent house and overcoming difficulties, striving to succeed in production and life.

Article and photos: DUY TRI