Economics graduate passionate about raising guinea pigs.

After graduating from Da Nang University of Economics , Nguyen Thi Phuong returned to her hometown in Quang Nam to open a farm raising bamboo rats, but her parents scolded her, saying, "Paying for her education is like burning money."

On the morning of the last day of June, 36-year-old Phuong woke up early and went to the sugarcane field near her house to cut a large bundle to bring back to the farm. She then chopped each sugarcane stalk, over 1.5 meters long, into smaller pieces and put them in the cage for the guinea pigs to eat.

The farm is divided into two separate areas. One area behind the house, covering over 100 square meters, houses nearly 200 animals, from young to adult guinea pigs, for display and demonstration to visitors who come to learn about the model. Another area, over 200 square meters, located about 300 meters from the house, houses more than 200 breeding guinea pigs.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong is passionate about raising guinea pigs, despite her parents' initial objections. Photo: Dac Thanh

Born into a farming family with three children, in 2007 Phuong passed the entrance exam for the Development Economics major at the University of Economics Da Nang . Passionate about animals, she frequently researched and befriended many animal breeders. One person lent Phuong a plot of land to experiment with raising bamboo rats.

As rodents, adult bamboo rats weigh between 0.7 and 2 kg, and their meat is delicious. Due to their nocturnal and daytime habits, bamboo rats don't require much care, and their diet consists of plant stems and various tubers. However, to raise bamboo rats, people need to obtain permission from the forest rangers and present documents proving the legal origin of the animals.

In 2008, Phuong used 15 million VND given to her by her parents to buy a computer and then went to Thai Nguyen to buy 10 pairs of bamboo rats. For a student, that was a considerable amount of money. Due to transportation by bus, 9 pairs of bamboo rats died upon arrival, leaving only one pair. Undeterred, Phuong spent her days studying in class and her nights researching online, buying more breeding stock, and dreaming of opening her own farm.

In 2011, Phuong graduated from university but instead of following her friends' path of finding work in the city, she returned to her hometown, rented land, and opened a farm to raise bamboo rats. Tam Lanh is a mountainous commune with abundant and easily grown food sources for bamboo rats.

When Phượng's parents heard her idea, they objected. Her father said that they had sent her to school so she could get a comfortable job, escape farming, and support her two younger siblings' education, but instead, she was returning to the countryside to raise guinea pigs, which was nothing short of "wasting" their money.

Ms. Phuong brought sugarcane back to her farm to feed the bamboo rats. Photo: Dac Thanh

Phượng explained that raising bamboo rats is easy and their food is readily available, so she decided to give it a try. She set up a small farm, borrowed a gold bar from relatives, sold it, and bought 35 breeding animals. Initially, the bamboo rats died sporadically, resulting in losses of tens of millions of dong. She learned as she went along, gradually gaining experience in designing cages that were warm in the cold season and cool in the hot season to prevent the animals from getting sick.

Each year, a female bamboo rat gives birth to 3 litters, producing 6-7 offspring. After three years, Ms. Phuong owned a bamboo rat farm with 100 breeding animals, selling thousands of bamboo rats (both breeding stock and meat) to the market annually. She collaborated with many other farmers to expand the model, providing breeding stock and ensuring the purchase of marketable products from breeders.

"During the first three years of experimenting with breeding and raising them, I went through countless anxious moments because the guinea pigs died for unknown reasons, and at times I thought I would have to give up," she recounted.

Currently, Ms. Phuong mainly raises breeding bamboo rats, while the commercial bamboo rats are purchased from a supply chain of nearly 50 households for distribution. She uses entirely natural food sources such as bamboo, sugarcane, elephant grass, sweet potatoes, and cassava plants. "This method of raising them is time-consuming, but the meat quality is better than industrially produced feed. I feel confident about the quality of the products I produce and sell, and they are popular in many places," she said.

On average, Ms. Phuong sells 500-700 commercial bamboo rats per month, mainly to the southern provinces, at prices ranging from 550,000 to 650,000 VND/kg. She also sells breeding stock of about 300 animals, priced at 0.8-3 million VND per pair. Customers who buy breeding stock receive a 10-day warranty; if any problems arise, she will provide support.

Two adult bamboo rats. Photo: Dac Thanh

Currently, Ms. Phuong earns nearly one billion VND annually from breeding and selling bamboo rats, with a profit of over 300 million VND after deducting expenses. She has built a separate area to showcase and guide customers on how to build cages and raise bamboo rats naturally. "With customers, I don't hesitate to tell them about my failures, always advising them to be aware of these challenges and dare to overcome them," Ms. Phuong recounted.

Looking back on her journey of over 10 years, with 4-5 near-failures, she says she has no regrets. Starting a business is busy, with worrying about inputs and outputs, ensuring product quality, and spending all day with the guinea pigs, but she finds joy in being her own boss in her hometown and fulfilling her passion for farming.

Ms. Phuong is now married and has three children. "I plan to expand the supply chain and business of selling clean, commercially raised bamboo rats. Bamboo rat meat will be sold in stores and supermarkets," she shared.

According to Trinh Ngoc An, Head of the Agriculture and Development Department of Phu Ninh District, Ms. Phuong is very determined to start a business raising bamboo rats. This model brings high economic efficiency and is suitable for the locality. The department has worked with Ms. Phuong to build a supply chain with local people and develop the bamboo rat farming model.

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