The story of a man who went from nothing to a 'millionaire farmer'

TPO - On the rocky hilly land in Hy Cuong commune (Phu Tho province), few people thought that this place would become the foundation for a high-tech livestock model, bringing in tens of billions of VND in revenue each year. The person who made it happen is Mr. Nguyen Van Toan (61 years old), a typical farmer nationwide, who has just been honored with the title "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2025".

Mr. Nguyen Van Toan was honored with the title "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer 2025".

The journey of starting a business from a rocky hill

More than 40 years ago, with the money he had saved and borrowed from his brothers, Mr. Toan bought a hill of more than 1 hectare for 22,000 VND to develop agricultural production. “That amount of money was very large at that time, but I accepted “going all in or all out” to have land for production, to develop the economy , so that my family would not have to live in poverty,” Mr. Toan shared.

For a whole year, he cut down trees on the hill and sold them to pay off the debt for buying land. After that, he started to improve the land, grow crops and raise small-scale livestock and poultry, both to make a living and to nurture the dream of escaping poverty.

The first years were extremely difficult. But with perseverance and a desire for change, Mr. Toan gradually accumulated experience and boldly borrowed capital to expand the scale. In 2006, Toan Thu Livestock Farm was officially established, marking a turning point from small-scale farming to commodity production associated with the application of science and technology.

Mr. Toan said that his farm has a total investment of more than 17 billion VND, specializing in breeding breeding sows, commercial pigs and veterinary services. The herd regularly maintains about 250 breeding sows, 12 boars, and sells 300-320 tons of commercial pigs each year, providing 2,500-2,800 breeding pigs to the market.

Mr. Toan applies biosafety farming processes, modern barns, ensures environmental protection, and controls diseases.

In 2024, the farm's revenue will reach over 23 billion VND, with a profit after deducting expenses of about 6 billion VND, creating stable jobs for 20-25 local workers with an income of 8-10 million VND/person/month. Notably, Mr. Toan's model applies biosafety farming processes, modern barns, guaranteed environmental sanitation, and controlled epidemics. This is also a factor that helps the farm's products always have a place in the market.

Community Linkage – Creating Sustainable Values

Not only enriching his family, Mr. Toan also focuses on connecting and linking production with farmers in the region. His farm has built a closed production chain: providing breeds, veterinary medicine, technical advice, and product consumption. Thanks to that, people can rest assured in raising livestock, have stable output, and the farm also ensures a source of quality raw materials.

Every year, he organizes technical training and shares experiences in the safe use of veterinary drugs with farmer members. He also actively participates in teaching and imparting knowledge inside and outside the locality, helping people to convert from small-scale production to commodity models, improving economic efficiency. With Mr. Toan's support, many people have successfully developed pig farming models to escape poverty.

In parallel with economic development, Mr. Toan also undertakes many important social responsibilities. He is currently a member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Phu Tho province for the 2024-2029 term, a member of the Executive Committee of the Farmers' Association of Viet Tri City, and concurrently the Chairman of the Millionaire Farmers' Club of the city.

His family has been awarded the title of “Excellent Farmer and Businessman at all levels” for many years. He also actively encouraged members to implement the policies of the Party and the State, contributing to the construction of a model new rural area in the locality.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, Vice Chairman of Hy Cuong Commune People's Committee, Phu Tho Province, affirmed that Mr. Nguyen Van Toan's biosafety farming model is typical of the dynamism and daring of farmers in the renovation period. That success comes from diligence, learning spirit and perseverance in innovating production methods.

Pigs are numbered on their ears to monitor their health and disease.

"From a small-scale pig farm, Mr. Toan has built a high-tech farm with thousands of pigs, bringing high economic efficiency and creating jobs for many people. His way of doing things not only helps his family have a good life, but also motivates and helps many farming households to boldly change their thinking, apply science and technology to livestock farming, and become rich," said Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy.

With his persistent contributions, Mr. Nguyen Van Toan has received many certificates of merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union, the People's Committee of Phu Tho province and other organizations. Notably, in 2025, he was one of 34 outstanding farmers nationwide honored at the 6th Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Vietnam Farmers' Union.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/chuyen-ve-nguoi-dan-ong-tu-hai-ban-tay-trang-den-nong-dan-trieu-phu-post1779991.tpo