I first met Nguyen Phi Truong at the 2023 Rural Youth Startup Project Competition organized by the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Union (now the Hue City Youth Union). At that time, the young man, born in 1994, won first prize with his "Yellow Apricot Blossom Cultivation" model - a feasible and highly effective startup idea. In 2025, he continued to win first prize at the Startup Idea Search Competition for Youth Union members and young people, organized by the Standing Committee of the former Quang Dien District Youth Union.

Mr. Nguyen Phi Truong and his passion for yellow apricot blossoms.

Inheriting the passion

“Just go to Tan Xuan Lai village, Quang Dien commune and ask the locals for directions to Phi Ne's garden,” Nguyen Phi Truong instructed when I wanted to find my way to his thousands-square-meter apricot blossom garden. Explaining the name “Phi Ne,” Truong said it’s a combination of his and his father’s names, a testament to the family’s inherited passion. For decades, his father had been fascinated by yellow apricot blossoms and had taught himself to grow and care for them in their garden. From a young age, he was accustomed to helping his father care for the apricot blossoms, a source of joy for the whole family.

“Back in high school, I apprenticed myself to a gardener at his house, learning how to care for apricot blossom trees. At the time, I learned simply out of interest, without thinking too much about it. In 2015, after graduating from Hue College of Education, I joined an event organizing company with a very good income, but I still felt conflicted because I wasn't living my passion,” Truong shared.

In 2018, Mr. Truong began his entrepreneurial journey with yellow apricot blossom trees, determined to get rich on his homeland. Quang Dien is where the Bo River flows through, and each year the alluvial deposits enrich the soil with nutrients, creating ideal conditions for the growth of yellow apricot blossom trees.

According to Mr. Nguyen Phi Truong, starting a business with yellow apricot blossom trees always presents a challenge because this type of tree requires a long time for care and cultivation before it can yield high economic value.

Following the principle of "short-term gains to support long-term growth," he chose to cultivate apricot blossom seedlings in the early days of his business, as they require less care and are easy to sell in large quantities to generate funds for reinvestment. Once he had some capital, he expanded to include other varieties such as bonsai apricot blossoms and apricot blossoms for landscaping projects. Particularly with bonsai apricot blossoms, he focused on caring for and shaping them into various styles and sizes, gradually gaining recognition in the apricot blossom community.

"On average, I sell 8,000 to 12,000 young apricot blossom trees each year to recoup my capital. Apricot blossom trees for landscaping and bonsai are only in high demand at the end of the year, with sales reaching nearly 150 trees per year and prices ranging from a few million to tens of millions of dong per tree," Mr. Truong shared.

Not only concerned with quantity, Mr. Truong also pays special attention to the quality of each tree with the motto "genuine products create genuine value." Besides learning from experienced growers, he also participates in the Hue Yellow Apricot Blossom Association as a Standing Committee member to share his experience with others who share the same passion. In addition, Mr. Truong dedicates a lot of time to learning more about soil preparation and fertilization from skilled artisans.

Carefully tending to each branch of the apricot blossom tree.

New thinking in the digital age

While giving me a tour of his family's apricot blossom garden, Mr. Truong meticulously explained each type of apricot blossom to me. Through his stories, I understood that in recent years, this profession is no longer as "hot" as it once was, due to the large number of growers. Faced with market competition, Mr. Truong chose bonsai apricot blossoms as his main crop because of customer preference and high economic efficiency. This type of tree also requires a lot of time and technical care.

"Although the market for yellow apricot blossoms is showing signs of slowing down, I believe I can stick with this profession thanks to my passion and serious, dedicated work ethic. There was a time when starting a business was more difficult than this, but my family and I overcame it," Mr. Truong shared.

Recalling the historic floods of 2020, his apricot blossom nursery was severely flooded, resulting in losses of over 200 million VND. But he didn't give up. In 2023, after securing a stable market for his products, he invested further to expand his nursery from 1,000m2 to 5,000m2. Currently, Mr. Truong's nursery maintains approximately 10,000 apricot blossom seedlings, 1,000 bonsai apricot blossom trees, and about 1,500 apricot blossom trees for landscaping. Along with that, he has invested in a well-designed automatic irrigation system for the greenhouse, a fence system, and security cameras.

Not only does he do business in Hue City, Mr. Truong has also expanded his market to many provinces and cities in Central Vietnam with his "online selling of apricot blossom trees" model. Every day, he records videos and takes photos of beautiful apricot blossom trees to post on Facebook to reach a diverse range of customers.

“To date, 80% of my customers come from provinces from Nghe An southward to Da Nang and Quang Ngai. I plan to continue developing product promotion on the TikTok platform to attract more customers. In this digital age, sellers need to understand the tastes and online shopping habits of customers in order to easily adapt and survive,” said Nguyen Phi Truong.

On average, Nguyen Phi Truong's "Hue Yellow Apricot Blossom" model generates 600 million VND in revenue annually, with a total profit of over 250 million VND. It also provides employment for 6 permanent workers and 8 seasonal workers.

Minh Nguyen

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/khoi-nghiep/khoi-nghiep-voi-hoang-mai-162453.html