The breakthrough journey of the young couple

During peak times, Dao Van Ha's family production facility sells approximately 2,000 trays of snail patties per day to the market.

Born in 1991, Dao Van Ha already has a property that many people dream of. His spacious garden is planted with various herbs such as lemongrass and chili peppers used as spices in preparing snails. His large, well-maintained house is adjacent to a snail processing workshop equipped with modern machinery, ensuring compliance with food safety and hygiene standards.

Pouring a cup of hot Thai Nguyen tea for his guest, Mr. Dao Van Ha shared: "I graduated from Viet Duc College in 2012, then worked at Samsung Electronics Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Thai Nguyen. Although the job was stable, I still harbored the dream of starting my own business and getting rich."

During his research, Mr. Ha noticed that the culinary market increasingly favored traditional dishes, with stuffed snails being a popular specialty. To prepare for his new venture, he traveled to many places such as Vo Nhai, Dai Tu, and Phu Binh districts (Thai Nguyen province), and even to Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces to learn from experienced chefs.

On each trip, he meticulously documented all the information, from selecting the right breed and care techniques to environmental factors affecting the snails' health, before embarking on his entrepreneurial dream.

With his carefully saved capital, Mr. Ha hired machinery and laborers to dig ponds and rented additional land (nearly 2,000 square meters) to raise over 100,000 snail juveniles. Recounting the hardships of the early days of his business, he shared: "Many nights during heavy rain, I didn't dare sleep for fear the pond banks would break and the snails would escape. During weather changes, I had to be on duty 24/7 to monitor them, fearing they would get sick and die."

Despite being so careful, he still failed a few times. For example, with the third batch of snails (in 2021), during the rainy season, rising floodwaters swept away all the snails in the breeding area. That year, he lost over 100 million VND invested in buying breeding stock. Mr. Ha confided: "There were times when I felt like giving up, but behind me, I always had my hardworking wife encouraging and supporting me."

The determination to restore the snail farming area and purchase new breeding stock helped Mr. Ha's family have successful snail harvests in subsequent seasons. At that time, the price of commercial snails ranged from 80,000 to 90,000 VND/kg. Each farming cycle lasted about 5 months, and after deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of about 200 million VND per year.

Raising snails brings high economic value, but the profits from processing snail dishes are also substantial. In 2023, Mr. Ha decided to switch entirely to snail processing, launching his product, Hai Dang Food's bamboo tube snail patties, onto the market. He invested in building a 60m² workshop and hired 8-10 seasonal workers. He actively promotes his products through social media as they are produced.

With sales going well, he is expanding his workshop to 200m² and hiring around 50 workers to process snails in order to meet customer orders.

Currently, on peak days, Mr. Ha's family production facility sells approximately 2,000 trays of snail patties. Workers are paid around 300,000 VND per day. The facility's annual revenue reaches nearly 2 billion VND.

Mr. Tran Doan Ngoc, Secretary of the Youth Union of Bach Quang Ward, Song Cong City, commented: "Mr. Dao Van Ha is not only a shining example in economic development, enriching himself and creating jobs for many local workers, but also energetic and enthusiastic in his work with the Youth Union."

Speaking about himself, Mr. Dao Van Ha shared: "I don't like living in my comfort zone; I want to constantly push boundaries and challenge my abilities. I believe that when you strive and give your best, success will come."

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