'Ca men' project won first prize in the 2025 Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Competition

Photo caption — Comrade Nguyen Tuong Lam, Secretary of the Central Youth Union, President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, speaks. Photo: Minh Duc/VNA

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary of the Central Youth Union, President of the Central Vietnam Youth Union Nguyen Tuong Lam said that implementing Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW of the Politburo on developing the private economy into an important driving force of the socialist-oriented market economy, the Central Youth Union has concretized it through many programs and activities to accompany young entrepreneurs, focusing on promoting the initiative and creativity of young people in socio-economic development, building a force of young people doing business with responsibility to the community.

In the context of the country promoting the transformation of the growth model towards green and sustainable development, rural youth are clearly demonstrating their pioneering role in innovation and application of science and technology in production. “We can proudly affirm that today's rural youth are not only workers, but also creators and builders of the future. They are contributing to the formation of a generation of young entrepreneurs in rural areas, a generation that knows how to apply technology, manage effectively, create jobs for the community, and spread the spirit of innovation to all rural areas,” the Secretary of the Central Youth Union emphasized.

According to the Organizing Committee, this year's Rural Youth Startup Project Competition is an event that marks the journey of efforts, creativity and aspirations of Vietnamese youth in the development of new rural areas, green agriculture and digital economy . The competition is not only a playground for competing ideas, but also a space for connection and learning, where young people can meet experts, businesses, and investment funds to gain more knowledge about management, finance, communication and digital transformation.

Born and raised in Lam Dong, where farmers diligently harvest each turmeric root but rarely think of turning them into valuable products, Le Thi Cam Thuong - owner of the project to produce and process products from turmeric medicinal essence has cherished the desire to do something different. Cam Thuong has started researching and developing products that not only contribute to creating livelihoods for local people but also aim to improve community health.

Sharing when participating in the contest, Cam Thuong said that starting a rural business for Thuong was not a reluctant choice, but a conscious decision, a belief that Vietnamese agricultural products can completely bring new value if invested creatively and sustainably. As long as you have enough ability, perseverance and passion, no matter how small your dream is, it can become a reality.

Nguyen Thi Hang of the Herbal Pesticide Project in Muong Ang (Dien Bien) sent a message to women who are starting a business: “Everyone always has the opportunity to start and shine. Starting a business is no longer a story of profit or investment capital, it is a journey of faith, determination and the desire to contribute to the community. There will be times of failure, but if we persevere, we will reap sweet rewards.”

After more than 3 months of launching, the contest has attracted hundreds of projects from young people from all over the country, focusing on the fields of agriculture, digital economy, experiential tourism, agricultural processing and cultural preservation. From there, 30 most outstanding projects were selected for the final round, demonstrating the intelligence, bravery and legitimate desire to get rich of Vietnamese rural youth.

Surpassing hundreds of projects at the 2025 Rural Youth Startup Project Competition, the project "Cà men" by Nguyen Duc Nhat Thuan (Ho Chi Minh City) won first prize. Inspired by the rustic ca men associated with hometown meals, Thuan started a business with a rustic restaurant and then switched to packaging his hometown's specialties in frozen form during the pandemic. From there, dishes such as snakehead fish porridge, crab noodle soup, turmeric-stirred eel vermicelli, Phuong Lang wet rice paper... were born, only needing 3-5 minutes of boiling to have a meal with the standard Quang Tri flavor.

In addition, the jury also awarded two second prizes to the projects "Application of biotechnology and automation in the production of organic Cordyceps mushrooms" by Tran Tai (Ho Chi Minh City) and "Experiential agricultural tourism" by Nguyen Huu Nhon (Lam Dong).

Three third prizes were awarded to the projects: “Set - La Chuc dipping sauce” (An Giang), “Canh Hac Bach Van tea - Ecological tea associated with experiential tourism” (Thai Nguyen), “Traditional production of cotton mattresses” (Son La).

In addition, consolation prizes were awarded to the projects: "Green agricultural production from lotus combined with eco-tourism" (Gia Lai), "Application of IoT technology in growing heat-resistant strawberries" (Can Tho), "Dinotech" (Ho Chi Minh City).

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/du-an-ca-mengianh-giai-nhat-cuoc-thi-khoi-nghiep-thanh-nien-nong-thon-2025-20251019183316856.htm