Báo Lạng Sơn•24/06/2026
Our first impression upon visiting Mr. Phung Van Bat's family was the spacious property nestled in the peaceful countryside. The house, turtle pond, and beehive area were arranged scientifically , reflecting the owner's dedication. In recounting his entrepreneurial journey, the man, over 70 years old, couldn't hide his joy when mentioning the achievements he had attained after many years of hard work.
Mr. Bat takes care of the turtles.
Mr. Bat shared: "I was born into a farming family. In 1974, I got married. At that time, the family's economy mainly relied on small-scale agricultural and forestry production, with unstable income. In 2005, realizing that the locality had a large area of lychee and longan trees, and abundant natural flower resources, which were very favorable for developing beekeeping for honey production, I started beekeeping. Initially, I only kept 5 bee colonies. After a period of care, seeing that the bees thrived, the honey production was stable, and the market favored them, I decided to expand the scale of beekeeping."
To improve the effectiveness of the model, Mr. Bat regularly participates in technical training courses organized by the commune, and proactively seeks knowledge through books, newspapers, and learns from the experiences of beekeepers in neighboring communes.
According to Mr. Bat, beekeeping is not too difficult, but it requires beekeepers to constantly monitor the development of the bee colony in order to take timely measures to protect it from adverse weather conditions. In addition, beekeepers need to regularly clean the hives and proactively separate colonies and replace queen bees when necessary to maintain the vitality and reproductive capacity of the bee colony.
Thanks to his application of proper beekeeping techniques, the bee colonies thrived, and honey production steadily increased. From the initial 5 colonies, the family now owns over 150 colonies. The average annual honey production reaches 500-700 liters, selling at 200,000 VND/liter, generating an income of approximately 120 million VND per year. Besides selling honey, the family also divides colonies and sells hives to people in need. On average, they sell 30-40 colonies annually at prices ranging from 600,000 to 800,000 VND per colony, adding another 24 million VND to their income.
Not content with just beekeeping, in 2015, recognizing that spiny softshell turtles were a high-value livestock suitable for his family's existing ponds, Mr. Bat invested in a trial breeding of 50 hatchlings. To acquire the techniques for caring for, managing the water environment, and preventing diseases in the turtles, he proactively researched through books and newspapers and visited and learned from successful turtle farming models in Hai Duong province (now Hai Phong ) to apply to his family's model.
After a period of care, he proactively increased the herd. To date, his family maintains a herd of approximately 200 spiny softshell turtles, of which 70 are in the breeding stage. On average, his family sells about 250 kg of commercial spiny softshell turtles (weighing 3-4 kg/turtle) to the market each year, at a price of 450,000 - 500,000 VND/kg; and sells over 200 hatchlings at a price of 100,000 - 150,000 VND/each. From this turtle farming model, his family earns nearly 140 million VND per year.
Thanks to the effective combination of beekeeping and softshell turtle farming, his family's economy has become increasingly stable. After deducting expenses, the family earns a total income of over 280 million VND per year.
Mr. Le Van Son, Chairman of the Elderly Association of Tan Thanh commune, said: "Mr. Bat is a model elderly member of the commune in economic development. Despite his advanced age, he remains active, diligent in learning, and boldly applies new livestock farming models to increase his income. Not only is he successful in business, but he also actively participates in local movements and readily shares his production experience with other members and residents who need it."
Thanks to his efforts in developing his family's economy, Mr. Bat has been repeatedly commended and rewarded by various levels and sectors. In 2024, he was one of 11 outstanding individuals in the province honored by the Provincial Farmers' Association and awarded the title of "Excellent Farmer". Most recently, in 2025, he received a certificate of commendation from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tan Thanh commune for his outstanding achievements in the economic development movement during the 2020-2025 period.
Source: https://baolangson.vn/ong-bat-lam-giau-tren-manh-dat-que-huong-5096268.html
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