Looking at her youthful face, small figure, and a bit shy, few people expected Thao Nhu to boldly invest in starting a clean agricultural business with the model of "growing organic black termite mushrooms using IoT technology".
This project has just won second prize at the 2025 Creative Startup Idea Presentation Contest organized by the Binh Duong Provincial Women's Union (now the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Union).
Always cherish the dream of clean agriculture
Thao Nhu said she chose the organic mushroom model because she saw that the trend of clean agriculture is growing stronger and stronger. Organic agricultural production not only brings safe food to consumers but also protects the environment, preserves land, water and ecosystem resources.
Black termite mushroom is a nutritious food, low in calories, rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, especially suitable for vegetarians, dieters or those pursuing a healthy lifestyle in line with the favorite trend of a segment of young people, including her.
In addition, Nhu also sees the advantage of taking advantage of local resources to start a business: Binh Duong is an area that grows a lot of rubber. When the rubber trees are fully exploited, the rubber wood will be used to make sawdust to make mushroom spawn. After harvesting, the mushroom spawn will be composted to make fertilizer for other crops.
"My family mainly does farming and raises pigs, so I have a passion for farming. I have always cherished the dream of doing clean agriculture. I want to take advantage of the raw materials of my hometown to create a startup model that is both effective and sustainable.
This is also a way for me to be with my parents, work in my hometown, and contribute my small part to building and developing my hometown," Thao Nhu shared.
Although they knew that their daughter working in the agricultural sector would have to work hard and endure the sun and rain, her parents still agreed and fully supported her.
"Before starting work, I spent many months traveling with my father to farms in the province and neighboring provinces to learn, ask for information and gain experience. Because I was young and shy in communication, I often did not know how to start a conversation, so I asked my father to go with me.
Thao Nhu is harvesting mushrooms
My father not only took me to study but also helped build the camp and provide facilities. I learned and took care of the technical aspects myself," Nhu recalls.
Applying high technology for development
Thao Nhu officially started her business with the model of "organic black termite mushroom cultivation applying IoT technology" from June 2025. The project is in the early stages of starting up with an initial investment capital of nearly 200 million VND, a mushroom growing area of 100m2 divided into 2 mushroom farms, of which 5,000 mushroom spawns have been harvested and investment is being made to grow 5,000 new spawns.
On average, she harvests 15-20kg of mushrooms per day. Currently, Thao Nhu is the one directly responsible for the entire process from growing mushrooms, caring for them, harvesting them, to distributing the products. When the mushroom season is in full swing, she hires additional workers to help with the processing.
Although growing on a small scale, Thao Nhu has boldly applied IoT technology in mushroom cultivation. The mushroom farm is grown in a closed environment, with good air and humidity regulation, so there is no need to worry much about the weather.
She analyzed: IoT technology helps improve productivity, reduce pathogens and reduce costs. Through sensors of the IoT system, users can remotely manage via smartphone, computer, collect and analyze parameters such as light, humidity, temperature, CO2/O2 concentration,... and be warned when there are abnormal parameters.
Black termite mushroom products
The system is integrated with automatic control technology to help regulate the environment inside the mushroom farm. In addition, the model is grown in a prefabricated house with a 50m2 panel area for 5,000 embryos, helping to save land resources and not be affected by climate change.
"Currently, my mushroom farm is importing mushroom spawn for planting, and I don't have much experience, so it's difficult to deal with disease problems. To overcome these shortcomings, I registered for a short-term course at the University of Agriculture and Forestry to gain knowledge.
I aim to create my own blanks to reduce production costs and proactively source better quality blanks," Nhu expressed.
More mature after the startup competition
The journey of starting a business has never been easy. Thao Nhu is no exception. In the early days of growing black termite mushrooms, she could not avoid confusion and failure. "The first batch of mushroom spawn had green mold, was damaged, and did not produce mushrooms, which made me very confused. Luckily, the spawn supplier promptly instructed me on how to handle it," Nhu recalled.
Despite her efforts, she still lost about 500-600 embryos, which is a huge loss for a new entrepreneur.
Black termite mushroom embryo
It was those failures that were the "material" for Thao Nhu to become more mature. She did not hesitate to learn, acquire knowledge and put her project to the test. When she learned about the Provincial Women's Entrepreneurship Competition, she decided to register to participate with the mindset of learning first.
"I see the competition as an opportunity to train myself, gain practical experience, learn how to introduce products and find customers. More surprisingly, my project was highly appreciated by the judges," Thao Nhu emotionally shared.
Thao Nhu’s startup project has received active support from the local Women’s Union. She was supported in completing her application, participating in intensive training courses on packaging design, branding and updating market trends. This has helped Thao Nhu’s model gradually become more professional.
"From a shy person, I have become more confident in communication, know how to present ideas, and build product stories. Through intensive training sessions from the competition, I also began to learn how to analyze the market, identify customer files, and orient my own brand development," she said.
Customers who want to buy black termite mushroom products can contact Thao Nhu via phone number: 0967.501478.
Address: No. 271, Long Binh Hamlet, Long Nguyen Commune, Bau Bang District, Binh Duong Province - now Long Nguyen Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
After the startup competition, Thao Nhu learned many valuable experiences to build long-term goals. In the near future, she will register for trademark protection and build a prestigious product image to create a competitive advantage.
She will promote retail channels on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, TikTok Shop, combining fanpages and websites to reach young customers. One of Thao Nhu's big plans is to register for VietGAP certification within the next 7 months and aim for GlobalGAP/Organic standards within 2 years.
This will be an important step for her products to be qualified to conquer demanding markets such as supermarkets and high-end restaurants.
"I hope my small project will inspire young women to dare to think and dare to do. If they have passion and will, anyone can start even from very small things. I believe that youth is only truly meaningful when we dare to live and dare to challenge ourselves," Thao Nhu expressed.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/co-gai-gen-z-hoc-cach-trong-nam-moi-den-de-khoi-nghiep-20250716124809448.htm
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