Rural women are determined to start their own businesses.

DNO - Driven by passion and strong will, many rural women in Da Nang are determined to start their own businesses, venturing into entrepreneurship to develop their family's economy and assert themselves in society.

Ms. Pham Thi Duy My was awarded the Certificate of Outstanding Rural Industrial Product of 2025 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for her product "Brown Rice Bar". Photo: NV

Utilize local agricultural products.

On October 3rd, the "Brown Rice Bar" product of Duy Oanh Green Agriculture Cooperative (Duy Xuyen commune) was awarded the Certificate of Outstanding National Rural Industrial Product by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the sixth time - 2025.

This is an honor not only for Ms. Pham Thi Duy My, Director of the Cooperative, but also a source of pride for the Da Nang startup community, as a local rural product has been recognized at a major national event.

Born and raised in the countryside of Duy Xuyen commune, and frequently witnessing the situation where local agricultural products experience bumper harvests but plummeting prices, Ms. My harbored the intention of doing something to improve this situation.

Her dream came true in 2015 when she gave birth to her first child. Worried about her child's nutrition, Ms. My started making cereal powder from grains such as brown rice, mung beans, black beans, lotus seeds, etc.

Drawing on her pharmaceutical training and a passion for healthy food, Ms. My's cereal powder product was born. Initially used only by her family or given as gifts to friends, the cereal powder gradually gained popularity. From there, she embarked on her entrepreneurial journey.

Based on local ingredients such as brown rice, beans, sesame seeds, and especially Tra Ly lotus seeds, Duy Oanh's products are constantly expanding their market and gaining acceptance from many customers.

To date, many product lines have been launched, such as: nutritional cereal powder, brown rice bars, brown rice tea, dried lotus seeds, lotus heart tea, centella and mung bean powder, etc. Among them, the cooperative's two main products, "Duy Oanh Cereal Powder" and "Brown Rice & Seaweed Bars," have been recognized as 4-star OCOP products.

The products of Duy Oanh Green Agriculture Cooperative have consistently received accolades, including: a commendation from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province (formerly); being among the top 100 outstanding products of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (in 2024); and receiving the Certificate of Outstanding Rural Industrial Product at the Central - Central Highlands region level…

Also from a rural family, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van (Dai Loc commune) had to drop out of school early to help her family. Sharing about her entrepreneurial journey, Ms. Van said that she herself suffered from hair loss and cured it by using grapefruit peel, soapberry, etc.; in 2019, she started the idea of ​​producing shampoo from grapefruit and pomelo peels.

In late 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, recognizing the popular demand for lemons to boost immunity, she decided to shift her focus to processing lemon and kumquat juice.

In mid-2021, Ms. Van established a business producing lemon concentrate under the brand "Hong Van". In 2022, the production facility covered an area of ​​approximately 500m² in Dai Hiep commune (formerly) and signed contracts to purchase raw materials (lemons, kumquats, pomelos) from local people to ensure a stable supply of clean raw materials.

The facility currently offers dozens of quality products such as lemon jam, kumquat jam, pomelo jam, pomelo tea, lemon concentrate, etc.; among them, the "Hong Van Lemon Concentrate" product was awarded a 4-star OCOP certification in 2022. Most products are popular, including exports to Laos.

Overcoming challenges to start a business.

Ms. Pham Thi Duy My and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van are just two of hundreds of women who have successfully started businesses in the city, relying on local agricultural products; contributing to increased income, creating livelihoods for people, and promoting local socio-economic development. However, starting a business has never been easy for women.

Ms. Le Thi Anh, owner of Le Anh Bakery (Dien Ban Dong ward), believes that women entrepreneurs always play two roles: managing production and business while also taking care of their children and family.

Surveys show that, compared to men, rural women entrepreneurs often face more difficulties, not only in terms of capital and markets, but also due to social, family, and cultural barriers. In some cases, women are very reluctant to participate in trade promotion programs if they have to travel far from home without their husbands and children's understanding and agreement.

Ms. Do Thi Vien with products made from noni fruit. Photo: VL

According to Ms. Do Thi Vien (Bestone agent, Ngu Hanh Son ward), women entrepreneurs, regardless of the product or level of success, deserve respect and encouragement. This not only affirms their capabilities and willingness to overcome obstacles and challenges, but also creates a ripple effect, demonstrating their determination to start innovative businesses and build their careers.

Ms. Vien started her business in 2022 with products made from noni fruit, after trying it herself. "I want to share and spread the best aspects of the product to the community because noni fruit is abundant all around us," Ms. Vien said.

To date, Bestone has supplied the market with 6 types of products refined from noni fruit, including: pure noni juice, noni soaked in honey, noni root, noni powder, dried noni, etc.

"Rural women face many difficulties in starting businesses. Besides capital, digital transformation, marketing, and branding, the most important thing is connecting with the market."

"With products made from noni fruit, it's even more difficult because not many people know about its benefits, the taste of noni fruit isn't appealing at first, and it takes a long time to feel the effects (1-2 weeks)... Therefore, I always have to be persistent and make a great effort, overcoming difficulties to convince customers to use it," Ms. Vien said.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phu-nu-nong-thon-quyet-tam-khoi-nghiep-3306821.html