The Green Road

In a small office nestled next to the Spirulina algae farming system in the sea of ​​Quynh Anh commune (Nghe An province), Mr. Nguyen Van Hung diligently studies stacks of files and papers, next to jars of blue products. It is that blue that has turned his life onto a new path. He confided that his whole life has been attached to the color blue. From the blue of the soldier's uniform of the years of steadfast study, training and building, to the blue of spirulina - the color of life, of faith in science and the aspiration for sustainable development.

More than half a century ago, the outstanding young man Nguyen Van Hung left his coastal hometown of Quynh Di commune, Quynh Luu district (now Tan Mai ward), Nghe An province to go to the Soviet Union to study on a State scholarship. At that time, the country was still facing many difficulties, but the generation of young people who left at that time all had the dream and ideal of studying to return to serve the country.

The land of the White Birch was covered with white snow, the cold seeped into every breath, but it could not cool down his will to study. At the prestigious Moscow Mining University, Nguyen Van Hung diligently researched the field of underground construction and mining, a field of study that at that time Vietnam was extremely lacking in high-quality human resources. After 7 years of training abroad (1969-1976), he graduated with honors and returned home, wearing a military uniform, serving in the Engineering Corps, Vietnam People's Army.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (standing in the middle) introduces VASTCOM products.

For nearly two decades as an engineer, Mr. Hung and his teammates worked hard on construction sites inside mountains, along the coast, and on the dangerous Truong Son roads. With his efforts, dedication and talent, in 2004, he was appointed Director of Lung Lo Construction Company (now Lung Lo Construction Corporation) - the main unit in the construction of underground works, hydroelectric power plants, seaports and breakwaters nationwide.

Having fulfilled his responsibilities as an engineer, Colonel Nguyen Van Hung retired and returned to his hometown of Quynh Di, but his will to create and his passion for work remained the same as the first day he joined the army. He did not choose a leisurely life, but continued to devote himself with the desire to contribute. He invested in building a 130-hectare farm in Quynh Thang commune, developing a model of growing medicinal plants, fruit trees and integrated livestock. This farm is the strategic, sustainable source of raw materials for VASTCOM's products in the future.

Life sometimes challenges people at seemingly peaceful times. Mr. Hung said that after years of dedication to the training ground and construction site, when he thought he could be at peace with his family and his hometown, he suddenly faced a health crisis with a stroke. His health deteriorated rapidly, and each passing day was a battle for his life. In that seemingly desperate moment, a friend came to visit and advised him to use Spirulina, a microalgae product known as the "golden food of the 21st century". Mr. Hung said that after using Spirulina for a while, his health improved significantly. Since then, Spirulina has not only been a method to revive the body but also opened up a new horizon for him, a passion for research, learning and the desire to master Spirulina technology in Vietnam.

During his research, Mr. Hung learned about a small-scale Spirulina farming facility in his hometown. Despite its potential, due to lack of capital and technology, the unit was at risk of stopping production. Believing in the value of this nutritious algae and seeing the future of the biotechnology industry, in 2016, he boldly accepted the transfer and started rebuilding from the initial foundation.

During that time, he also applied to participate in the Project “Promoting Innovation through Scientific Research and Technology” (FIRST) and received 15 billion VND in investment capital from the World Bank. This is a project to support innovation in the fields of information technology, biotechnology, high-tech agriculture , new materials, mechanics-automation and public services. The project targets Vietnamese enterprises to develop products based on science and technology. This investment has become an important foundation for VASTCOM to be born and gradually affirm its position in the market.

Strategy and soldier's spirit

When starting his journey with Spirulina algae, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's path was not smooth. Spirulina algae is a very "difficult" microorganism, requiring a completely clean growing environment, a water source that meets microbiological standards, and temperature-light-nutrients that must be precisely controlled down to the smallest parameters. In the early days, he and his colleagues continuously faced failures when the algae tank was infected, the algae strain weakened, and the yield was unstable. Each failure meant hundreds of millions of dong went down the drain. Many people advised him to stop, especially when he was old, investing a large amount of capital in a field that was still new in Vietnam was too risky. However, the former engineer soldier did not give up. For 3 consecutive years, he read hundreds of scientific documents himself, went to research facilities at home and abroad, invited experts and scientists to consult, and transferred technology to improve the farming system according to international standards. There were days when he forgot to eat or sleep with the experts beside the algae ponds, recording every small change in water color and biomass density. It was the soldier’s perseverance, discipline and “if you do something, you have to do it to the end” spirit that helped him gradually overcome the initial obstacles, laying a solid foundation for the development of VASTCOM later.

With the disciplined style of an engineer and the strategic thinking of a manager, Mr. Hung restructured and expanded production, focusing on 4 main product lines: Spirulina, Nattokinase fermented soybeans, Cordyceps and deer antlers. Of which, 3 products achieved 4-star OCOP certification, a step to affirm the quality and practical effectiveness. Not stopping at production, Mr. Hung also expanded the value of spirulina into a unique health tourism model. In 2020, Villa Spirulina was opened on the poetic Quynh beach. Here, visitors not only relax in a relaxing space but also experience the spirulina cultivation process and health care services such as: Algae coffee, algae bread, algae yogurt, algae mask, algae bath... turning Spirulina into a green, healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

By 2024, VASTCOM had cooperated with domestic and international scientists to successfully research and produce two valuable active ingredients on an industrial scale with high biological value from Spirulina algae, namely Phycocyanin - a strong antioxidant and Chlorin e6 - a light-sensitive compound derived from chlorophyll, used in photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment. Immediately after that, VASTCOM received a 17 billion VND project investment from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to complete the technological process and commercialize microalgae essence products.

Currently, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung is coordinating with scientists and state management agencies to conduct research, pre-clinical and clinical trials to develop Phycocyanin and Chlorin e6 essences into cancer treatment drugs, aiming to build national strategic products in the pharmaceutical field. Talking about this aspiration, Mr. Hung said: "In fact, we can completely register intellectual property and export extracted preparations to foreign enterprises. However, what I want is to create a scientific and technological product with a Vietnamese mark, practically serving the health of the domestic community."

After more than 13 years of establishment and development, VASTCOM currently owns a 5-hectare farming area, more than 30 products, a nationwide distribution network and has become one of the leading enterprises in Vietnam in spirulina technology. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung was honored to receive many noble awards: Certificate of Merit for Exemplary Veteran Entrepreneurs in Good Economic Performance in the period 2014-2018; Certificate of Merit from the People's Committee of Nghe An province for achievements in implementing tax policies (2018); First Prize in Nghe An Science and Technology Innovation Award (2020); Title of Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer in 2022; Honorary Doctorate in Biology at the United States International University (2024)... However, what he is most proud of is having created many products that bring health to the community; create jobs for local people and contribute to many social security activities for his hometown.

Looking back over the past, while many businesses were still hesitant about the fields of biotechnology and innovation, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's thinking was many years ahead of the times. That vision became even clearer when in December 2024, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation. The major orientations in the resolution, from knowledge-based economic development, exploiting high-tech potential to building a green and sustainable growth model, were all selected and implemented by Mr. Hung more than a decade ago, right from the early days when VASTCOM was just small algae ponds on the sand of Quynh beach.

When betting on the future of Spirulina microalgae, a field that was still very new in Vietnam at that time, Mr. Hung did not simply develop health products, but proactively built a complete biotechnology ecosystem from cultivating raw materials, researching and extracting active ingredients, applying them to food, to building a health care tourism model. That is the development mindset according to the value chain, taking science and technology as the core foundation in the spirit of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW.

It can be seen that Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's "green" aspiration is not accidental, but a combination of strategic vision, the courage of an engineer soldier who dares to open the way and a firm belief in the power of science. And it is this "one step ahead" approach that has helped VASTCOM stand firm in competition, becoming a model that leaves many suggestions for the development of a green economy, an economy from science and technology in Nghe An and the whole country.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-17/cuu-quan-nhan-voi-khat-vong-xanh-997275