The person who brought An Giang's bird's nests to a wider audience.

From the very first steps of swiftlet farming in An Giang more than two decades ago, Mr. Tran Dong Man, residing in Rach Gia ward, has persistently built the Hong Chau Yen bird's nest brand, becoming one of the pioneers in officially exporting local bird's nest products to foreign markets.

Báo An Giang•04/12/2025

Owning four swiftlet farms with an annual production of approximately 300 kg, Mr. Tran Dong Man, Director of Hong Chau Yen Trading and Service Company Limited, collaborates with many households to proactively secure raw materials. On Ly Nhan Tong Street, Rach Gia Ward, he invested in building a spacious swiftlet nest supermarket, which serves both as a showroom and a place to welcome tourists interested in learning about the swiftlet farming industry.

Hong Chau Yen's bird's nest products are selling well thanks to their guaranteed quality. Photo: AN LAM

In April 2025, Mr. and Mrs. Man's company reached a significant milestone by officially exporting bird's nest drink to Taiwan. Behind this achievement lies a persistent journey of overcoming a series of stringent requirements from the importing market. To obtain an export code, the business had to meet two sets of food safety standards: Vietnam's and Taiwan's strict food quarantine and hygiene regulations. Bird's nest drink samples had to undergo independent testing for microorganisms, heavy metals, and purity, while maintaining transparent traceability from the bird's nest to the finished product.

“The company has processes that have to be redone 7-8 times just because a single microbiological indicator hasn't met the standards,” said Mrs. Chau Thi Nhu Thuy, Mr. Man's wife. From product label design, batch record keeping, and affiliated swiftlet farm documentation to standardizing the canning line to meet HACCP and ISO 22000 standards, every detail is controlled. Many times, the partners requested additional documentation or further improvements to the production process, but Mr. and Mrs. Man didn't give up, because “Every challenge is a step towards the company's growth.” It was this spirit that helped Hong Chau Yen bird's nest drink pass all testing rounds and qualify for official export.

Leveraging their foreign language skills, e-commerce expertise, and proactive approach to integration, Mr. and Mrs. Man also received approval to trade on reputable e-commerce platforms in Taiwan and Japan. “I want to bring bird's nest products to the world , both to enhance their value and to affirm the An Giang bird's nest brand,” Mr. Man shared. Currently, the business sells hundreds of kilograms of various types of bird's nest annually, distributed through supermarkets and convenience stores.

Amidst the volatile global economic and political landscape of 2025, An Giang province remains steadfast in its strategy of developing agriculture along the value chain. The province focuses on building processing industrial clusters and modern preservation systems, aiming to become a central hub for agricultural product processing in the Mekong Delta. The swiftlet farming industry, with pioneering enterprises like Hong Chau Swiftlet, is expected to contribute to this sustainable development direction. Looking to the future, Mr. Man stated that they will continue to expand raw material areas, upgrade processing lines to international standards, and promote their products in potential Asian markets. Simultaneously, the company aims to establish a network linking farming, harvesting, and processing with local households to create a stable and consistent supply of quality products.

Mr. Man's journey, from a swiftlet farmer to a business exporting its products through official channels, demonstrates the resilience of the people of An Giang when they dare to innovate and venture into the international market. This also reflects the hope for the continued sustainable development of An Giang's agricultural products in the coming years.