Leaving home to return

After years of working abroad, many young people from the ancestral land have returned to their homeland upon completing their overseas contracts. They bring back not only accumulated capital but also production experience, modern work ethics, and a professional work ethic honed in the international labor environment. Through the new economic models they have initiated, many jobs have been created, contributing to a change in mindset and practices, and opening up a path for sustainable economic development for the local ethnic minority communities.

From "employee" to cooperative owner

Born in 1990 in Tan Lac district, Vu Dang Diep (Tan Phong area, Tan Lac commune) also spent his youth struggling to find a direction for his future. In 2016, recognizing the opportunity to change his life through overseas employment, he decided to go to Japan to work.

Mr. Vu Dang Diep shared his family's model with the Secretary of the Youth Union of Tan Lac commune.

After six years of hard work abroad, in 2021, Mr. Diep returned to his hometown. His baggage included not only the capital he had accumulated after many years of labor, but more importantly, the mindset, discipline, and serious work ethic of the Japanese people.

Mr. Vu Dang Diep shared: "When I first came to Japan, I was overwhelmed by how they managed their work. Everything from cleaning the machinery, organizing the factory to the schedule was precise down to the minute. When I returned to my hometown to start my business, I was determined to bring that work ethic and discipline into my production process." In 2024, the Vu Diep Cooperative was established, specializing in the production of stuffed animals and towels. Notably, Mr. Diep has breathed new life into the traditional brocade fabric of the Muong ethnic group.

The brocade fabric of the Muong ethnic group is transformed by the Vu Diep Cooperative into products for tourists .

Recognizing the demands of the tourism market, Vu Diep Cooperative has incorporated brocade fabric into its handbag products. Many product designs are frequently sold out. The cooperative's goal is to further expand the reach of these brocade products to tourist areas and service providers throughout the province.

To maintain and develop orders, Mr. Diep applied Japanese quality management processes. At the same time, he instilled a professional work ethic and discipline in the cooperative's workforce. Furthermore, the Vu Diep Cooperative received active support from the province's industrial promotion program to invest in modern machinery. As a result, the cooperative consistently has stable orders, high production output, and its workers do not worry about unemployment.

Currently, Vu Diep Cooperative maintains a workshop with 30 direct employees and provides work-from-home employment for approximately 30 other workers. There are even groups of laborers from the Van Son highlands who travel here to receive orders and work during their off-season.

Mr. Vu Dang Diep hopes to expand his production facility to provide stable employment for more young people in his hometown.

Significantly, 98% of the workers at Vu Diep Cooperative are Muong people and other ethnic minorities such as Cao Lan and Thai. The average income of workers ranges from 5-12 million VND/month. Highly skilled workers can earn up to 600,000 VND/day.

Ms. Bui Thi Thuy Dieu (Tan Phong area), a worker who has been with the cooperative for 3 years, emotionally said: "Before, because of the need to earn a living, I had to work far from home, leaving my young children with their grandparents. Since the establishment of the Vu Diep Cooperative, I have been able to work near home, with a stable salary of 8-10 million VND per month. My family's life has improved significantly, and most importantly, I have time to take care of my children and take them to and from school."

Besides focusing on developing his family's economy , Vu Dang Diep also regularly connects with associations and philanthropists to support disadvantaged people in mountainous areas.

Not content with just producing clothing and stuffed toys, Mr. Diep is now exploring and nurturing a project to produce grapefruit essential oil, having found a secure market for it. This promises to create more jobs and enhance the value of local agricultural products.

The young couple brought in foreign capital to build a closed-loop multi-cropping farm.

The entrepreneurial story of Bui Thi Cham and Bui Thanh Luan, a couple from Lau Ray hamlet, Nat Son commune, who started their business after working abroad, is a prime example of the daring and innovative spirit of young people. Ms. Cham worked in South Korea, and Mr. Luan worked in Japan. After accumulating capital and production experience overseas, they returned to their hometown. The couple decided to choose a clean agriculture model to establish their business. They understood that sustainable agriculture requires systematic investment and the application of science and technology to improve productivity and product quality.

Ms. Bui Thi Cham with the results of her hen laying eggs.

The couple focused their investments on developing an integrated production model: brewing rượu (rice wine), raising pigs, chickens, and fish, and growing fruit trees. On their ever-expanding farm, Ms. Châm utilized by-products and readily available raw materials to support her integrated production model, thereby minimizing input costs.

Thanks to the application of clean farming practices and ensuring environmental hygiene, their model quickly yielded positive results. Since 2024, Ms. Cham's family has successfully raised thousands of broiler and laying hens per batch, providing a stable income each year. In addition, their farm consistently maintains a herd of 50 native pigs, which are popular in the market.

To ensure a reliable source of breeding stock and improve production efficiency, the couple decided to invest in a modern egg incubator system to produce and sell high-quality chicks to the market, opening up a new and promising source of income. Waste from the farm is carefully processed to be used as fertilizer for crops, and water from the fish ponds is also effectively recycled for irrigation.

Recognizing the current consumer trend prioritizing convenience and safety, Ms. Cham invested in a product processing system right at her home: Chickens are cleaned, vacuum-sealed, and neatly packaged before being brought to market.

The fish pond provides a steady source of aquatic income while also helping to regulate the ecological environment for the entire farm.

At the same time, they proactively built product promotion channels on social media platforms, attracting a large number of customers both within and outside the province. As a result, the "Châm Luân clean chicken" brand quickly won the trust of consumers.

Speaking about her future plans, Ms. Bui Thi Cham shared: "Learning is never enough. In the future, I hope to continue participating in training courses to improve my technical knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the market in order to expand the scale of my livestock farming. I plan to diversify my products and make salt-cured chicken myself using the clean chicken ingredients readily available from my family to serve the community."

The story of Mr. Vu Dang Diep and the couple Bui Thi Cham and Bui Thanh Luan shows that labor export is not only a path to immediate livelihood but also an opportunity to accumulate capital, knowledge, and experience to return and start a business. From the garment factory and farm built in their hometown, they have not only changed their family's life but also created jobs for many local workers, contributing to spreading the aspiration for legitimate wealth creation among ethnic minority communities.

Hong Duyen

Source: https://baophutho.vn/ly-huong-de-tro-ve-255148.htm