The person who turned the deep forest 'miracle drug' into a 4-star OCOP product

DONG NAI From medicinal plants that were completely exploited, Mr. Nguyen Van Khon has preserved and developed them into a large raw material area, deeply processed them into many 4-star OCOP products.

From the arid hilly land, Mr. Nguyen Van Khon in Hung Thinh commune ( Dong Nai ) - an excellent Vietnamese farmer in 2024, a typical farmer in 2025 has written a proud story of farmers in the new era. He is the one who preserves the rare Xao Tam Phan gene source, developing this medicinal plant into a 4-star OCOP product.

Visitors visit the garden of Xao Tam Phan seedlings of Mr. Nguyen Van Khon in Hung Thinh commune, Dong Nai province. Photo: Hoang Phuc.

The fever of hunting for medicinal herbs and the decision to preserve precious gene sources

In the early 2010s, the plant xao tam phan - a precious medicinal herb distributed mainly in Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan was rumored to be a "miracle drug" supporting the treatment of many serious diseases. Xao tam phan fever spread throughout the countryside, people flocked to the forest to dig up the roots, spontaneous exploitation put this plant species at risk of extinction. Meanwhile, there has not been any model of planting, conservation or quality control implemented systematically.

From the need to find medicine to cure his relatives, Mr. Nguyen Van Khon began his journey to find xao tam phan. Unlike those who only want to "hunt" for precious medicinal plants, he wondered if everyone digs up and destroys them, who will preserve this precious species and if quality is not controlled, will the precious medicinal plant still have value?

In 2012, Mr. Khon decided to give up his stable job as a telecommunications engineer in Ho Chi Minh City and return to his hometown Dong Nai to destroy the pepper and cashew gardens that were yielding harvests to test planting the xao tam phan tree on his family’s arid hillside. “If I succeed, I will preserve the precious genetic source. If I fail, I will have paid off the debt of my choice,” Mr. Khon recounted.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khon has written a proud story of farmers in the new era. Photo: Minh Sang.

He pooled all his capital and traveled to Khanh Hoa to buy 1,400 Xao Tam Phan seedlings to plant. At that time, not many people believed he was doing the right thing, some even strongly opposed. But surprisingly, the first batch of plants took root and grew well, proving that Xao Tam Phan was perfectly adapted to the climate and soil of his hometown, was drought-resistant, had few pests and diseases, and could be cultivated organically, with limited chemicals.

When his faith was just beginning to grow, a major incident occurred. Nearly 10,000 Sansevieria plants in the garden all turned yellow and withered due to poor quality fertilizer, forcing him to uproot them all. With nothing left, debt, and pressure from public opinion, many people advised him to stop, but he did not give up.

He quietly started over, continued to borrow money, rebuilt the garden, and at the same time changed his approach, switched to organic farming, strictly controlled the source of seeds, and gradually perfected the clean, closed growing process. In particular, he switched from sexual propagation by seeds to asexual cuttings, avoiding cross-pollination - a factor that easily changes the medicinal properties. From this foundation, his Xao Tam Phan growing area gradually stabilized, the plants grew healthily, and had high medicinal content.

Up to now, on an area of ​​5.6 hectares, Mr. Khon owns more than 500,000 raw Xao Tam Phan trees, many of which are over 6 years old. The older the tree, the higher its medicinal value. After 3 years of planting, the leaves can be harvested, and from the 6th year onwards, the stem and roots can be exploited, which are the most valuable part.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khon introduces products made from the medicinal plant xao tam phan. Photo: Minh Sang.

According to Mr. Khon, fresh leaves and stems currently cost about 300,000 VND/kg; fresh roots about 1 million VND/kg, selected types can cost up to 5 million VND/kg. The average processing ratio is 3 kg fresh for 1 kg dry. After deducting expenses, his family earns a profit of about 1 billion VND/year.

Linking to build a sustainable medicinal chain

Determining that medicinal herb development is only sustainable when associated with a closed value chain, in 2020, Mr. Khon established Tam Tam An Medicinal Herbs Company Limited, investing in factories and modern equipment, producing according to the standards of the Ministry of Health. From the raw material of Xao Tam Phan, the Company researched and developed 9 product lines such as herbal tea, medicinal wine, health support products in pill form..., of which 4 products meet 4-star OCOP standards. The products not only meet the requirements of safety, quality, and traceability, but also carry the story of gene conservation, organic production, and sharing benefits with growers.

From the foundation of the growing area and processing factory, Mr. Khon continued to share the model with the community, building a chain of links with farmers. In early 2024, with the support of the Dong Nai Farmers' Association, he and other households established the Hung Thinh Commune Association of Professional Farmers growing medicinal plants, including 15 members.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khon is the person who brought the medicinal plant xao tam phan to Dong Nai and developed it into a famous medicinal plant growing area. Photo: Minh Sang.

The model operates on the principle that the enterprise provides standard seeds at preferential prices (about 50,000 VND/tree), supports planting, care, and harvesting techniques according to organic processes, purchases all products, and ensures output at stable prices. According to calculations, after 5 years, each hectare of Xao Tam Phan can bring in a profit of about 300 million VND/year, much higher than many traditional crops on the same arid land conditions.

Mr. Le Huu Thien, Standing Committee of Dong Nai Province Gardening Association, commented: “Mr. Khon’s model of growing and processing Xoa Tam Phan not only brings economic efficiency but also fits the orientation of clean agriculture, green economy, and reduces pressure on exploiting natural medicinal herbs. This is a model that needs to be replicated.”

Currently, the raw material area for xa tam phan has been expanded to nearly 20 hectares in Trang Bom and dozens of hectares in other localities. In addition, a 56-hectare farm is being deployed in Lam Dong. The entire growing area is managed in the direction of clean production, traceability, and linked with processing enterprises.

From the raw material of xao tam phan, Mr. Khon's Tam Tam An Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. has researched and developed 9 product lines, of which 4 products meet 4-star OCOP standards. Photo: Minh Sang.

The story of Mr. Nguyen Van Khon is not only a typical example of getting rich from agriculture but also goes beyond the scope of a household economic model, it is the spirit of daring to enter difficult fields, accepting risks, investing in high value-added products, strict standards, shifting from production thinking to agricultural economic thinking, reorganizing production according to the chain, considering quality, brand, traceability as the foundation...

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/nguoi-dua-than-duoc-rung-sau-thanh-san-pham-ocop-4-sao-d783506.html