9X Mong guy starts a business from growing safe vegetables

That is Vu A Ly, born in 1993, in Ban Hang Chung, Van Ho commune, Son La province, a difficult highland commune, mainly inhabited by Mong ethnic people.

Mr. Vu A Ly brought bundles of clean vegetables from his own production model to send to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh .

Previously, Ly's family, like many other families in the mountains, was only familiar with slash-and-burn farming, corn, and old-fashioned cultivation, with low yields and unstable incomes. Young people like Ly often struggled to find a way to start a business and move up.

Thanks to the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, Phase I from 2021-2025 (Program 1719), thanks to policies to support start-ups and develop livelihoods for ethnic minority youth within the framework of Project 3 of the program, now, the lives of Mr. Ly and the whole village have really changed.

Mr. Vu A Ly said that in 2021, he was fortunate to attend a training course on entrepreneurship organized by the Ethnic Committee (now the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions) in collaboration with the World Bank. Here, for the first time, Mr. Ly learned about the concept of clean agricultural production, organic agriculture and the demand for clean vegetables in big cities. Mr. Ly was instructed on vegetable cultivation techniques according to VietGAP standards, connected with cooperatives, and supported with preferential loans under Decree 28 of the Government to build houses and drip irrigation systems from the capital of Program 1719.

Starting from scratch, with only about 5,000 m² of hilly land, Mr. Vu A Ly boldly experimented with growing vegetables such as celery, spinach, lettuce, and herbs according to the organic model. At first, although he encountered many difficulties due to lack of experience and unstable output, many crops did not even cover expenses, and some years he lost everything due to natural disasters, storms, floods, hail, etc., with the support of agricultural extension officers, the Commune Farmers' Association, and especially the Center for Supporting Ethnic Minority Youth Entrepreneurship of Tay Bac University and the Ethnic Committee, Mr. Vu A Ly gradually overcame the difficulties.

Mr. Ly has been supported to introduce his products at fairs connecting supply and demand for safe agricultural products in Hanoi. Currently, Mr. Vu A Ly has found stable consumption partners, expanded production to a total of 30 hectares and established the Hang Chung Organic Vegetable Production Cooperative, with the participation of 20 households in Moc Chau, Mai Son and Van Ho, Son La.

Mr. Vu A Ly discussed how to grow clean vegetables on the sidelines of the National Conference summarizing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period and orientation of content for the 2026-2030 period.

Vu A Ly's model has created regular jobs for more than 20 local workers, with an average income of 7-10 million VND/month/person. Ly's family has not only escaped poverty, but also become rich. Every year, his family supplies about 100 tons of organic vegetables to mini supermarkets and clean agricultural products stores in Hanoi, gradually building the "Pat Ly Organics" brand in their homeland.

Looking back on the past, Mr. Vu A Ly is grateful to the Party, the State, especially the 1719 Program for supporting startups to pave the way, inspire and foster the startup dreams of ethnic minority youth. The right and practical policies, from electricity - road - school - station infrastructure, to education support, vocational training, preferential credit, product consumption support... have changed the lives of people in the mountainous areas. Mr. Vu A Ly affirmed: "I and the people of Van Ho highland feel very lucky to have the attention of the Party and State leaders, dedicating a national target program for ethnic minorities, supporting the people of the mountainous areas to overcome difficulties and rise up".

Mr. Vu A Ly said that when talking about starting a business, many people may think that there must be billion-dong projects or million-dollar models. But for ethnic minority youth, just daring to think, daring to do business, creating jobs for themselves and having a sustainable livelihood to take care of their families, relatives, and villages to escape poverty and stabilize their lives is already a success.

From his own practical model, Mr. Vu A Ly also proposed some recommendations, hoping that the Party and State would continue to maintain and expand support models from Program 1719, issue policies to support ethnic minority youth in starting and establishing businesses; have policies to connect and support output for agricultural products in ethnic minority areas and provide additional support for transport infrastructure, cold storage, packaging, transportation, etc. Mr. Vu A Ly believes that if there is such support, people in the highlands will develop good livelihoods from local forests and rice fields.

Mr. Vu A Ly also hopes that the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions will continue to support the ethnic minority youth community to start a business, create a community to share information, exchange and learn from each other, and if there is a separate Startup Fund for ethnic minority youth, young ethnic people will be bold in innovation, dare to think, dare to do.

Vu A Ly feels that he not only represents the Mong ethnic youth in particular, but also represents the dreams of changing the lives of the young generation of ethnic minorities in general. Ly believes that he does not want to be a "beneficiary of the State's policies" forever, but wants to become the main force in economic development, preserving identity and protecting his homeland and the Fatherland.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/nguoi-tot-viec-tot/chang-trai-nguoi-mong-9x-khoi-nghiep-tu-trong-rau-an-toan-20250813185007634.htm