Typical farmers overcome difficulties to get rich

TPO - When visiting An Nghia commune, Phu Tho province, everyone knows about Mr. Chu Van Sam (77 years old), a typical farmer who overcame difficulties to become rich. He used to be a poor household with not much capital, but with his strong will and extraordinary determination, he rose to become a "milk billionaire", with an annual profit of more than 1.3 billion VND. He has just been honored as "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2025".

Mr. Chu Van Sam

Starting a business at the age of 69

In 2017, at the age of 69, while many people chose a leisurely life with their children and grandchildren, Mr. Chu Van Sam was still struggling to find a way to develop his family's economy . Originally from a poor family, farming all year round but with an unstable income, he always dreamed of changing his life. Realizing that his hometown had a favorable climate and soil for dairy farming and that the domestic milk market was expanding, Mr. Sam boldly borrowed a total of 350 million VND from friends and banks to invest in building a dairy farm on an area of ​​2.5 hectares.

It was a bold decision for a farmer who was nearly 70 years old, had no experience, and was burdened with a large debt. The early days of starting a business were full of hardships: lack of capital, unstable techniques, and unstable markets.

But Mr. Sam was not discouraged. He attended technical training courses organized by the Farmers' Association, learned from effective livestock models in and outside the province, and persistently improved the process of caring for, cleaning, milking, and preventing diseases for cows.

“If you don’t have money, you can borrow. If you don’t have experience, you can learn. As long as you work hard and don’t give up, sooner or later you will succeed,” Mr. Sam shared.

Mr. Chu Van Sam's dairy cows.

Farmers are loyal and devoted to the community.

Thanks to his perseverance and progressive spirit, in just two years 2019 - 2020, Mr. Sam expanded the farm to 4.5 hectares, increasing the total herd of cows to 40, of which 32 are lactating. On average, his herd of cows gives 500 - 560 kg of milk per day, bringing in a revenue of over 7 million VND/day.

From a poor household, Mr. Sam has now become the "milk billionaire" of the region. The total investment value of the farm reached 12 billion VND, the profit grew strongly every year, from 300 million VND in 2020 to 1.2 billion VND in 2024. The average income per capita in the family reached more than 21 million VND/month, a number that he never dared to think of before.

Not only taking care of the family economy, Mr. Sam also creates stable jobs for 12 local workers, with an average income of 5 million VND/person/month. He is willing to share his experience, support 30 million VND in capital and provide technical guidance to 3 households in the village to develop a dairy cow farming model together, contributing to helping many other poor households escape poverty sustainably.

Despite his success, Mr. Chu Van Sam never forgets his fellow countrymen and neighbors. He and his family actively participate in social activities, supporting funds such as "Day for the Poor", "Repaying Gratitude", "Farmers' Shelter", and Education Promotion Fund...

Not only contributing money, he also contributed 1,200 square meters of land to build internal roads, directly participated in dozens of working days to build new rural areas, contributing to changing the face of his hometown.

Mr. Chu Van Sam with his dairy cows.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Van, Chairman of the People's Committee of An Nghia Commune, Phu Tho Province, shared that Mr. Chu Van Sam is a person with the determination to overcome many difficulties to achieve success. He is always at the forefront of emulation movements, sharing production experiences, mobilizing members to apply science and technology in agricultural production; helping disadvantaged households have access to preferential capital sources for economic development.

Mr. Chu Van Sam's story is a clear demonstration of the spirit of Vietnamese farmers in the renovation period, daring to think, daring to do, daring to overcome difficulties to assert themselves. Mr. Chu Van Sam has been recognized for many consecutive years as an excellent production and business household at the district and provincial levels, and was awarded a certificate of merit by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the former Hoa Binh province in 2023. In particular, in 2025, he was awarded a certificate of merit by the Prime Minister; and was honored to be voted as "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2025".

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nong-dan-dien-hinh-vuot-kho-lam-giau-post1787058.tpo