Bringing agarwood to the forefront with just a touch of the screen.

(Baohatinh.vn) - Amidst the lush green agarwood hills of Phuc Trach (Ha Tinh), "fragrant gold" is no longer just a memory of the old craft village. Young people are rewriting that story through mobile phones, short videos, and the aspiration to get rich. From a peaceful countryside, agarwood is entering the digital world, blending traditional elements with the rhythm of modern life.

Báo Hà Tĩnh•11/04/2026

Agarwood trees have long been closely intertwined with the lives of the people of Phuc Trach commune. Not only is it a valuable raw material, but agarwood also preserves memories and traditional crafts passed down through generations. However, in the flow of the modern market, the value of this "fragrant gold" was once limited, mainly confined to extraction and sale in its raw form, dependent on market demand.

People in Phuc Trach commune harvest agarwood.

Against this backdrop, a generation of young people is quietly creating a transformation. They are not only inheriting traditional crafts, but also bringing with them new mindsets, new technologies, and the aspiration to bring their hometown's products to a wider market.

With just a few dozen seconds of video on TikTok, the "Becoming a Daughter-in-Law in the Land of Agarwood" channel unexpectedly attracted tens of thousands of views. Without elaborate effects or complicated scripts, the simple footage of life in the craft village touched viewers' emotions in a very natural way.

The TikTok page "Becoming a Daughter-in-Law in the Land of Agarwood" by Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung (from Hamlet 8, Phuc Trach Commune) is attracting attention because of its relatable and engaging content.

Few people know that behind this story lies the arduous entrepreneurial journey of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung (Hamlet 8, Phuc Trach Commune). In 2024, she left Hanoi , returned to her hometown, and started almost from scratch. In the early days, the work remained familiar: tending agarwood trees, carving agarwood, and staying connected to the traditional craft village. But it was during those days that the question of the true value of agarwood gradually began to emerge.

While there were plenty of raw materials, people mainly sold them in their raw form, resulting in low value. This realization led to a change in early 2025, when she boldly invested over 150 million VND to learn techniques, purchase machinery, and shift to deep processing of products such as incense sticks and incense cones. The Tam Thanh Phuc Agarwood brand was born from that.

The incense sticks and cones produced by Tam Thanh Phuc establishment, founded by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung (early 2025), have been redesigned with improved packaging, giving them a more modern appearance.

But production is only half the story. The bigger challenge lies in the market. And she chose social media to find outlets for her products. The TikTok channel "Becoming a Daughter-in-Law in the Land of Agarwood" was born, starting with very ordinary videos: the journey of leaving the city for the countryside, the processes of making agarwood, and the simple moments of the craft village.

The process of creating the simple yet engaging videos on the TikTok page "Becoming a Daughter-in-Law in the Land of Agarwood".

Ms. Dung said: “ Initially, I only filmed things that were closest to my life, such as my journey from the city back to my hometown, the process of making agarwood… Just with a phone, and my husband was the one filming. Unexpectedly, those scenes received so much attention. When customers believe in the true story, they will also believe in the products I make. Sharing about the craft village doesn't diminish traditional values, but helps spread those values to more people.”

Ms. Dung chose social media to find a market for her products.

Ms. Dung checks and packages orders for delivery to customers.

“After adding our shopping cart to TikTok, we receive orders every day. On average, we get 500-600 orders per month, generating over 100 million VND in revenue, an increase of over 80% compared to traditional business. Especially during the recent Tet holiday, orders surged, and we could barely keep up with production; all the products in the factory were sold out. With increased production, our facility provides regular employment for 6 local workers,” Ms. Dung further shared.

Orders from provinces and cities are regularly handed over to the shipping company every day.

With over 2,200 followers and videos updated daily, Ms. Dung's TikTok channel "Becoming a Daughter-in-Law in the Land of Agarwood" is gradually spreading the story of the traditional craft village, thereby expanding opportunities to bring agarwood from Phuc Trach commune to a wider market.

While Ms. Dung's story is a journey of "telling the story" to bring agarwood to market, Mr. Tran Van Ha Trung (Hamlet 4, Phuc Trach Commune) chose a different path: exploring the depth of the product.

After working in the South, he returned to his hometown with a nagging question: "Why is a resource-rich region like Phuc Trach only focused on selling raw materials?" The answer came when he began researching agarwood essential oil.

Mr. Tran Van Ha Trung (village 4, Phuc Trach commune - wearing a blue shirt) is carrying out the procedures to produce agarwood essential oil in his hometown.

Realizing that the value lies not only in its shape but also in its essence, he went to Khanh Hoa province – the "capital" of agarwood – to learn the trade. Returning home, he invested over 300 million VND to build a workshop, pursuing the field of essential oil distillation, a job requiring high technical skills and patience. The first batches were not perfect, sometimes even failures. But he didn't give up.

Modern equipment and machinery are used to produce agarwood essential oil.

“Currently, each furnace processes about 50 kg of raw materials, yielding over 30 ml of essential oil. Including costs, the production cost is about 300,000 VND/ml, while the market price ranges from 400,000 to 550,000 VND/ml. With two furnaces operating continuously, I consume over 500 kg of raw agarwood materials each month. Currently, I am purchasing raw materials from local people, helping them confidently expand their production scale. More importantly, the by-products after essential oil extraction can still be used to make incense sticks and agarwood cones, maximizing the use of raw materials and increasing the value of agarwood by 3-4 times compared to selling it raw,” Mr. Trung shared.

Each trial and each small adjustment helped to perfect the process. And now, every drop of essential oil is not just a product, but the culmination of time and perseverance.

The essential oil products, produced using modern machinery by Mr. Tran Van Ha Trung (Hamlet 4, Phuc Trach Commune), have been sold to both domestic and international markets.

“Currently, my products are being sold in provinces and cities such as Khanh Hoa, Hanoi, and even in foreign markets. In the future, I will continue to expand production, create more jobs for local workers, and at the same time look for ways to boost exports to international markets,” Mr. Trung added.

After observing positive initial results, Mr. Trung is now focusing on perfecting the product's identity and branding system in a more systematic way. Simultaneously, he is accelerating process standardization, improving packaging and labeling quality to bring the product to digital platforms, expand distribution channels, and reach customers professionally. In the near future, he plans to expand production to six essential oil distillation furnaces to meet the growing market demand, enhance supply capacity, and gradually establish the product's position in both domestic and international markets.

What makes Phuc Trach special today is not the work of a few individuals, but the emergence of an entire generation. The entire commune currently has about 15 economic models run by young people, encompassing a wide range of products from incense, agarwood handicrafts, essential oils to nurseries...

The agarwood tree nursery model of Mr. Nguyen Song Hao - Secretary of the Youth Union of Hamlet 2, Phuc Trach Commune - generates revenue of over 300 million VND per year.

No longer operating on a small scale, these "business owners" have invested in modern machinery, boosted brand building, and learned how to sell on digital platforms. More importantly, no one is "going it alone." Those who came before are willing to share their experience, provide technical support, and establish production linkages for those who come after. A community-based network for developing these crafts is gradually forming.

In recent years, Nguyen Chi Thanh's Dinh Gia agarwood production facility (Hamlet 4, Phuc Trach Commune) has shifted to promoting and selling its products on Facebook and Shopee platforms.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Thanh, owner of the Dinh Gia agarwood production facility (Hamlet 4, Phuc Trach Commune), shared: “We not only want to preserve the craft, but also want to get rich from it. Once we have a stable direction, we are ready to share our experience and support those who also want to change and collaborate in production. Currently, I am also supplying raw materials to Mr. Ha Trung's facility to make agarwood essential oil.”

Many establishments achieve annual revenues of hundreds of millions of VND, contributing to the total revenue from agarwood in Phuc Trach commune reaching hundreds of billions of VND. These models not only create economic value but also retain young workers, providing stable employment for local people.

The Youth Union of Phuc Trach commune regularly organizes training sessions and shares experiences to support young people in developing traditional crafts.

Tran Song Hao, Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee and Secretary of the Youth Union of Phuc Trach commune, shared: "To support young people in developing traditional crafts, the commune's Youth Union has focused on creating conditions for accessing capital, coordinating training activities, transferring scientific and technical knowledge, and supporting product promotion. Through this, we encourage young people to boldly start businesses, stay committed to, and develop traditional crafts in the locality.”

Young people in Phuc Trach commune are continuing to boldly invest and expand the scale of production of products made from agarwood.

Behind this transformation is the support of youth organizations, with activities such as providing capital, technical training, and product promotion. But the core element remains the people. These are young people who dare to return, dare to try, dare to fail, and have the resilience to overcome challenges.

From the lush green agarwood hills to the products appearing on the market, the story of Phuc Trach today is not just about preserving the craft. It's a journey to redefine the value of the craft. Where tradition is not replaced, but elevated. Where technology does not diminish identity, but helps spread it. And there, young people are the bridge.

The aspirations of young people in Phuc Trach commune to preserve the craft and become wealthy are opening up new avenues for agarwood cultivation. (Photo: Manh Hai)

They are gradually taking the "fragrant gold" of their homeland further and more sustainably, not only in the market, but also in shaping the perception of a traditional craft village in the modern era.