Women in the Mekong Delta start-up to adapt to climate change

Photo caption — Ms. Truong Thi Bach Thuy (in blue shirt), founder of Thuy Tuyet Rattan and Bamboo Cooperative in Phu Tan Commune (Chau Thanh, Soc Trang ), is a National Artisan in the rattan and bamboo weaving industry. In 2023, Ms. Thuy won the special prize in the Women's Entrepreneurship Ideas Contest to Promote Indigenous Talents organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union. Photo: Trung Hieu/VNA

Get rich from local products

One of the typical examples is Ms. Truong Thi Bach Thuy (Director of Thuy Tuyet Bamboo and Rattan Cooperative, Thuan Hoa Commune, Can Tho City) - a Khmer woman in the South who was determined to start a business from the weaving profession of her own people. With her acumen, Ms. Bach Thuy revived the craft village with a 100-year history and gradually built a brand of OCOP-standard handicraft products.

Being the third generation in a family with a tradition of bamboo and rattan weaving, Ms. Bach Thuy understands that her ethnic culture is closely associated with each product created (baskets, winnowing trays, fish traps, chopstick tubes, etc.). But she does not stop there, instead of waiting for customers to buy available products, Ms. Bach Thuy researches, creates and cooperates with local people and artisans to produce products according to customers' requests. From there, many new products, suitable to tastes, are gradually born such as pencil boxes, decorations, makeup trays, tables and chairs, consumer goods, etc. from bamboo and rattan.

Just like that, the bamboo and rattan products of the 100-year-old craft village gradually "entered" restaurants, hotels and large supply chains. From there, jobs were created for many households, mostly Khmer women. Every month, Thuy Tuyet Bamboo and Rattan Cooperative supplies the market with several thousand products made from bamboo and rattan, with an annual revenue of more than 1 billion VND.

Above all, the success of the Cooperative has inspired many local women to join the traditional bamboo and rattan weaving profession. Up to now, the Cooperative has provided stable jobs for more than 32 members and more than 60 women members in the surrounding areas with an average monthly income of 4 - 5 million VND.

In particular, since winning the Special Prize at the Southern Regional Women's Entrepreneurship Competition and the First Prize at the National Women's Entrepreneurship Ideas Competition organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union, the rattan and bamboo products of Thuy Tuyet Rattan and Bamboo Cooperative have become well-known and many orders have been placed, contributing to the development of the Cooperative and increasing income for members.

The success of the start-up model from rattan and bamboo products not only brings economic benefits but also helps preserve, conserve and promote national cultural identity, promoting women's participation in community development.

In the southernmost region of the country - Ca Mau , a place famous for its rich products from the mangrove forest, among them is the three-striped crab, an endemic aquatic species that has become the inspiration for Ms. Tran Thi Xa (Director of the Dam Doi Three-striped Crab Cooperative) and her husband to start a business and build a famous specialty brand - Dam Doi three-striped crab. From the familiar taste of her hometown, Ms. Xa has created an impressive entrepreneurial journey, which has been well received by the market.

From a small business, with the enthusiasm of a young intellectual couple starting a business in the countryside, Dam Doi Crabs Cooperative has turned Crabs - a rustic specialty of the Mekong Delta into an OCOP-standard product, gaining a stable customer base.

After nearly 7 years of starting up (starting in 2018), Dam Doi Crabs Cooperative, directed by Ms. Tran Thi Xa, now has 10 members participating, invested in modern machinery and production lines but still maintains traditional stages that determine product quality.

After many years of learning and researching the market, Ms. Tran Thi Xa has introduced to the market many diverse products from the three-sided crab and has been well received by consumers such as three-sided crab soup, fresh and frozen three-sided crab, green rice three-sided crab, salted three-sided crab, three-sided crab salted with fish sauce, sweet and sour three-sided crab, sweet and salty three-sided crab. Thanks to that determination, up to now, the Cooperative has 4 products achieving 4-star OCOP and 2 products achieving 3-star.

In the middle of the saltwater area, the Dam Doi crab cooperative was born, operated effectively and continuously developed, a typical example of a successful start-up story of a woman with the determination to exploit local resources and apply science and technology to build a brand. Ms. Tran Thi Xa's model not only increases the value of products but also creates stable jobs for hundreds of workers, bringing high economic value to the community amidst the challenge of climate change that has severely affected the last land of the Fatherland.

Journey "across the ocean" to the open sea

When it comes to women in the Mekong Delta who have successfully started businesses, bringing local resources to the world, we must mention the model of Ms. Thach Thi Chal Thi, Director of Tra Vinh Farm Limited Liability Company (Sokfarm), Vinh Long province. “Sokfarm” - in Khmer means happy agriculture, this is an inclusive business model, initially starting with coconut nectar products, then developing many more products such as coconut flower sugar, soy sauce, coconut flower vinegar... Currently, products under the Sokfarm brand have been exported to demanding markets such as the United States, Europe, Japan...

When the drought and salinity occurred, the coconut trees in Vinh Long were affected in terms of yield and quality (fruits shriveled, young fruits fell off). In that context, Ms. Thach Thi Chal Thi and her husband both left their stable jobs in the big city to return to their hometown to start a business. With a foundation of knowledge about food technology learned and a spirit of learning, listening, and taking advantage of the strengths of policies supported by the State and organizations, Ms. Thach Thi Chal Thi and her husband formed a systematic start-up model, creating a value chain from the famous coconut nectar product called Sokfarm.

The “happy agriculture ” model of Ms. Thach Thi Chal Thi not only “pushes” the coconut production chain (coconut farmers, workers, manufacturers, processors, etc.) forward, but more importantly, helps coconut growers escape the challenge of saltwater intrusion.

Ms. Chal Thi’s climate change adaptation startup model promotes the value of local resources - coconut trees in Vinh Long. The model not only preserves the Khmer tradition of collecting coconut nectar but also creates jobs for local youth, women and farmers.

Mentioning Tri Ton land (An Giang province) is mentioning rows of towering palm trees, growing wild in nature and taking 20 - 25 years to mature and be exploited. With the characteristic of growing without needing soil, good nutrition to develop, palm trees still produce delicious and nutritious honey.

Products made from palmyra palm have appeared and existed for a long time in the market. However, Ms. Chau Ngoc Dieu (General Director of Palmania Joint Stock Company, An Giang province) still chose to start a business from the tree that has been associated with many generations of families with the desire to increase the value of the native tree, increase income for those who are attached to the profession of extracting honey from palmyra palm trees; at the same time, promote the traditional profession and preserve the culture of the Khmer people.

Giving up a job in a big city with a stable income to return to her hometown to start a business from local agricultural products requires many challenging processes, difficulties, technology, knowledge and capital. From the initial orientation and goal of following the trend of community health and preserving the traditional profession of the Khmer people, Ms. Chau Ngoc Dieu chose her own path and her "brainchild" Palmania Joint Stock Company was also born with a standardized production method, ensuring the health safety of consumers.

Palmania brand palm sugar is the first palm sugar product of Vietnam to be certified organic according to European, American and Canadian standards. Ms. Chau Ngoc Dieu is the first person to bring palm sugar from An Giang "across the ocean" to international markets.

The models that Ms. Truong Thi Bach Thuy, Ms. Tran Thi Xa, Ms. Chau Ngoc Dieu or Ms. Thach Thi Chal Thi are implementing are not only a breath of fresh air in the local startup community, but above all, they have created new values and new motivation to promote the startup movement of generations of women in the Mekong Delta.

In the process of entering a new era with the whole country, start-up models initiated by women not only play an important role in the country's socio-economic development goals but also affirm the role and mettle of Vietnamese women in the new era.

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Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/phu-nu-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-khoi-nghiep-thich-ung-bien-doi-khi-hau-bai-3-nhung-dau-an-rieng-20251008084854312.htm