Raising deer for velvet antlers - The journey of overcoming the ups and downs of 'Kien the construction worker'

More than 10 years later, I met him again, the former “construction worker Kien” had become the owner of a deer farm of more than 2 hectares. He not only “raised” his family from difficulties but also created regular jobs for 3-5 workers, with a stable income of 6-8 million VND/person/month. The story of getting rich of Mr. Pham Van Kien (in Doc Co hamlet, Co Lung commune, Phu Luong) is proof of the successful “uphill” journey of a man who turned failures into motivation to rise up.

Báo Thái Nguyên•12/05/2025

More than 10 years later, I accidentally met him again - the young man back then with nothing, sometimes having to work as a construction worker... just to earn a few hundred thousand dong. Now, he has become the owner of a deer farm for velvet in Phu Luong district with a total capital of billions of dong, which really surprised and admired me.

The reason I say he “overcame the slope” is because Mr. Kien’s path to rise from difficulties has never been smooth. Since he left the path of working for “other people” to walk on the path of his own independence, he has continuously had “stumbles” and painful “falls” due to failure.

Taking us on a tour of the large, green farm with many types of plants such as lychee, longan, jackfruit, banana and especially rows of núc nác trees, he said: All of these plants are food sources for deer. I say no to all types of growth-enhancing pellets and antler growth stimulants. The deer in my cage only eat grass and leaves, including núc nác leaves, which help ensure the quality of antlers meets health-enhancing standards.

I spread my hands and counted the times I failed to make fun of the homeowner. Mr. Kien smiled gently: Every failure gives me a valuable lesson. The important thing is that I have never been discouraged. As for my hands and mind, I always believe that I will succeed.

I looked around at a large space, planned quite scientifically with concrete paths, ensuring that small trucks could enter and exit. In this corner, in that corner, workers were diligently doing their work.

The man standing next to me - who used to earn his living as a construction worker, truck assistant, tractor driver, dump truck driver, truck driver, excavator driver... but now has become the owner of a large deer farm, bringing in hundreds of millions of dong in income each year. "Boss Kien" - the title has changed, that is the "sweet fruit" of optimism, perseverance and refusal to give in to difficulties and failures of "Kien the construction worker".

I understand, that is the result of countless sleepless nights, thinking about what to raise to escape poverty, to rise up and become rich legitimately with his own hands and brain. I remember the first day of starting a business, with no capital, he had to borrow from brothers and friends to invest in raising wild boars, porcupines, weasels and then plowing...

Mr. Pham Van Kien's hobby is raising "specialty animals". But these animals do not bring high economic efficiency for many reasons such as saturated consumption market, unstable prices, diseases...

More than 10 years since the day he started to nurture the will to get rich, he has sweated a lot, his hands have become calloused, and sometimes he has fallen into a deadlock due to a wrong calculation, but it is those failures that have given him valuable lessons in business. And raising sika deer for velvet antlers and selling the breed has opened up for him the opportunity to become rich sustainably.

Raising deer for velvet antlers - The journey of overcoming the ups and downs of

According to Mr. Kien, if you raise 20 deer, you only need to spend 2 hours a day collecting grass and leaves to feed the deer. Each deer eats 3-4kg of grass and leaves per day. When the deer grow new antlers, they need more special care, such as feeding them bananas, corn, carrots, núc nác leaves, etc. to help the antlers reach higher weight and quality. Raising deer for antlers is not too complicated, just make sure the barn is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The main food for deer is elephant grass and leaves, which are easy to find and inexpensive.

Female deer start reproducing at 2 years old, once a year. Male deer also start producing antlers at 2 years old (once a year). Antlers grow in the spring, and are cut after about 45 days. Deer can produce antlers for 15 - 25 years; the price of 1kg of antlers is from 20-25 million VND.

After nearly 10 years of raising deer, Mr. Kien's family has had enough to eat and at the same time accumulated a lot of experience raising this wild animal. From only a few dozen deer, the herd has now grown to nearly a hundred deer. Many customers order antlers, but Mr. Kien does not have enough to sell. Raising deer to sell antlers, Mr. Kien's family earns from 500 - 600 million VND/year. In the near future, he plans to expand the scale to about 200 deer.

Deer are shy animals, when humans approach, they easily panic, run away, and can slip and fall, which is bad for their health. Therefore, Mr. Kien used B40 iron mesh to fence around a nearly 1 hectare area of land to create a natural breeding area.

On the remaining 1 hectare, Mr. Kien built a scientific, airy barn, planted more elephant grass, cassava, mahogany, jackfruit, etc. to create a regular, on-site food source for the deer herd. In addition to his existing knowledge, Mr. Kien always actively learns through books, newspapers, how to care for and prevent diseases, so his family's deer herd is always healthy and grows well.

Deer farming is suitable for families with few workers because it does not require much labor, and the food source is easy to find, so it does not require much investment capital. Mr. Kien is always willing to share his experience with those who want to learn how to raise deer for velvet (phone number 0912.602.577).

For beginners, he recommends raising a few to gain experience, then expanding the scale. He is willing to share his knowledge and experience with those who share the same passion and want to develop this model.

The journey from a common laborer to the owner of a successful deer farm is a testament to the perseverance and constant efforts of Mr. Pham Van Kien. His story is not only a source of inspiration for other farmers but also contributes to promoting local economic development. He deserves to be a shining example in the rural economic development movement of Thai Nguyen province.

Leaving the deer farm, we brought with us the joy and excitement of the energetic owner and the image of a herd of deer leisurely grazing in the afternoon sun, creating a sense of peace. With the will and determination to escape poverty, Mr. Kien did not falter in the face of any difficulties, challenges, or failures to rise up and become rich legitimately, not only bringing in an increasing income for his family but also creating stable jobs for a number of local workers.