After completing his master's degree at a top university in the US , with a salary of over 5,000 USD/month, Huynh Hanh Phuc decided to give it up and return to his hometown in Dong Nai, starting his "crazy" journey: Bringing "trash" to the dining table!
One afternoon in the blazing heat of summer, Dan Tri reporter had a meeting with Hanh Phuc. At the age of 37, the master admits that he is a proletarian, without a house, a car, or money… but every day he is very happy - just like his name.
For the first time, Phuc opens up about the concept of happiness, an endless asset, and a community project for the future of Vietnam.
Until now, I'm still curious if Huynh Hanh Phuc "had something wrong" when he graduated from a top school in the world, had a salary of thousands of USD, but chose to return to his hometown?
- You want to say I'm "crazy" right? (Laughs!)
Since grade 10, when I picked up scrap metal and brought trash home every day, my friends nicknamed me "Crazy" Phuc.
After graduating from Harvard, I returned to Vietnam and was quickly accepted into a leading technology company in the country with a salary of over 100 million VND/month. Honestly, in 2015, that was a huge amount of money. However, every morning, I woke up with the thought: Am I happy?
When I was a child, my mother always reminded me: "You enter life with the lightest backpack, you will go the farthest!" Her words have followed me throughout my life. It is similar to the Buddhist philosophy of "emptiness", which means that if you do not possess anything, you will receive an infinite number of things.
Six months later, I quit my job. I used all the money I earned to invest in the Teach for Vietnam project - a non-profiteducational organization for children in remote areas of Vietnam - by recruiting young people from different majors, through professional training, to participate in teaching English in the public system.
You know, at that time, in big cities, there was a huge surplus of teachers, while in remote schools, the problem of bookcases, libraries, English, etc. was still not taken seriously, and none of us could solve it.
How to recruit young talents to teach in a public system in remote areas? How to get the government and ministries to recognize them and pay them according to regulations? That is a huge mountain of Vietnamese education.
And how did he get over that mountain?
- The journey "over the mountain" is no longer measured in hours, days, or months, but in 5 years.
In the first 2 years, I persuaded the Ministers of Education of the 10 ASEAN countries to indirectly influence. Immediately after that, the US Consulate also sent a letter to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training about the breakthrough in science and technology in education. They even affirmed that the Teach for All project had developed in 43 countries and was ready to make Vietnam an official partner.
At the same time, I have to convince young people to be willing to go to the countryside, participate in teaching, and school principals to design innovative educational programs in both classroom and extracurricular activities.
In fact, this story is unprecedented. How can I prove who I am so that everyone will listen? How can I ensure success in Vietnam? These are difficult questions that a chairman himself, when meeting me, said directly: "Phuc will definitely fail in Vietnam".
However, history has proven that successful leaders in the world all started their careers with "crazy" ideas, they were loyal to it and thanks to it, they connected their minds together.
In May 2015, I had the opportunity to meet the leader of Tay Ninh province. In the morning, I arrived early, drove a broken-down motorbike and quickly ate a 10,000 VND sandwich from my bag. Unexpectedly, he saw that image and was extremely moved.
"I will give you a car to go to Tay Ninh for convenience", he suggested. The next day, he took me to buy a new car, had a bowl of pho at a very good hotel and the story about the new education system began.
What did the first nod from the local leader at that time mean to Hanh Phuc personally?
- Just think, there is no result to prove that Teach for Vietnam is successful, that means the provincial official is accepting the risk.
My image in the early morning made that official feel sympathetic. And throughout the conversation, my friendly, unpretentious thoughts made him realize the vision of the Vietnamese education system. Finally, he nodded for Tay Ninh to become the first place in the country to implement Teach for Vietnam.
A few months later, I remember clearly, a master's student named Mien who graduated in the UK with a prestigious Chevening government scholarship flew from Hanoi to Tay Ninh. Believe it or not, she gave up a salary of tens of millions to teach children in remote areas with 8 million VND/month. Later, she set up a scholarship fund for children, calling on benefactors to contribute to Tay Ninh's education...
In 2017, Tay Ninh province completed its education system by owning a stem lab (laboratory) and a science and technology vegetable garden to help students apply robots to agriculture. Later, non-educational fields entered the teaching path like that.
In April 2020, Teach for Vietnam continued to be deployed in some districts in Quang Nam province, and then received the approval of the political system and leaders of Dong Thap in 2023. Vietnam also officially became the 44th member of the global education network Teach for All in the world and the 6th in the Asia-Pacific region to join the global network.
In particular, it was these events that laid the first bricks for the change in educational thinking at Harvard University.
What is the change at the world's top school?
- Harvard has always been famous as the top business school in the US. Most graduates want to work in luxury companies with top salaries.
However, when my former professors heard about my story of quitting their jobs to pursue a career in community education, they were surprised. She and her family spent a week in Vietnam, visiting our project in Tay Ninh.
"Your journey is extremely inspiring to students. I hope Harvard students will have a broader vision and be more dedicated like that," said a lecturer.
After that, the professor returned to the US and convinced Harvard University to study and research my community business path. After 2 years, the topic "Phuc Huynh and Teach for Vietnam" was included in the school's courses to change the way and mindset of students: Not teaching about wealth but also about social impact!
Everything was going well when I heard that Huynh Hanh Phuc suddenly withdrew from Teach for Vietnam. Perhaps the path of community education was not the happiness he desired?
- Although my family has a tradition of teachers, I never thought I would become a teacher. That is the reason I pursued Business Administration.
I do education work for two reasons. The first is to give back to life, the spirit of giving back continues, because the "Business Library" project and some extracurricular activities gave me a scholarship to the University of Missouri.
Second, for me personally, education is the fastest way to change the mindset and vision of the generation. Only basic education can create people with heart, vision, efficiency and transparency.
In every project I undertake, the community always comes first. So when it has grown and developed steadily, it is also the right time for me to create a new light, a new fire. My journey is a journey to create leaders with a spirit of service. Without the next generation, nothing will change in the future.
And the second time starting a business, why did Huynh Hanh Phuc choose trash?
- In Vietnam, there are still many prejudices. Vietnam is ranked 2nd in the Asia Pacific region for food waste.
In the past, to save money, I often collected trash to sell. When I went to university, I still kept that habit, even sending money back to my mother. However, I always received discrimination from those around me.
There is a lot of trash from restaurants, hotels, factories, and leftovers from households, but no one dares to let others use it, or even reuse it. While abroad, this is completely unheard of. When the table next to me didn't finish eating, I spoke up and they were still willing to share.
Therefore, one person's trash is sometimes another person's "gold mine". I have to find a way to inspire this, to move the whole community and let us all know that trash is also a resource with its own value.
I never thought that the trash floating on the shore of my hometown could become a "gold mine"...
- If you change your mindset, you will create opportunities, even create a new life cycle for trash. But then, there is a problem: After collecting trash, how to consume and destroy it?
I started to research a lot of documents. Luckily, some countries have successfully applied the model of using waste to raise larvae and use them as agricultural food. That became an extremely useful solution to help me start the journey of turning waste into happy chickens.
How is that, sir?
- Chickens are the most widely raised animals in the world today. However, most of them are confined, fed, slept and laid eggs in small spaces until they die.
Is that unfortunate? The advancement of agriculture has ultimately wronged all species, using them to serve human needs for happiness when all have equal rights.
I want to raise happy chickens, meaning they will be able to fly, play, dust bathe, perch on perches, lay eggs in nests, and also become a source of waste consumption by directly and indirectly feeding on the protein of black soldier flies that live in the waste.
At that time, every day I had to observe and calculate how much waste a chicken would eat. In addition, collecting waste also helped raise black soldier larvae to produce protein for the chickens. So, how much waste would 5,000 chickens handle, how much would 10,000 chickens do, and if this model were replicated nationwide, what would happen?
This project not only treats waste, but also creates happy chickens, and provides the market with a source of good, clean organic eggs. That is the 1+1=3 problem that I, the chickens, are creating for a mutually beneficial market.
How is the project going so far, sir?
- Our farm is currently raising about 1,700 free-range chickens - meaning they live in a natural mountain forest environment. The remaining 5,000 happy chickens - meaning they are raised in a completely artificial environment with space to fly and play according to international standards of HFAC (Humane Farm Animal Care, Organization for the protection of animal welfare - PV).
The waste will be collected from supermarkets and stores in Ho Chi Minh City. For spoiled and severely damaged foods, we use them to grow black soldier fly larvae. Fresh products that can be reused will be fed directly to chickens. With this process, we are handling at least 2 tons of waste per day. In the near future, with the expansion of scale and the mature chicken flock, the capacity will increase to 4 tons of waste per day (1,440 tons per year in 2023).
Thanks to that, we created 3000-5000 organic chicken eggs that meet the international "happy chicken egg" standards. 90% of these were ordered by a company in Vietnam to produce cakes, the rest were used by restaurants and hotels in big cities.
Going a long way with a bag that he said was "empty", did Huynh Hanh Phuc ever regret it?
- "If I continued on the old path, what would it be like now?", many times that thought comes and goes.
Up to now, I pay myself 14 million VND in salary every month. But there are months when I still have to send back more money to the project. So, if anyone asks me if I have ever been in a situation of financial shortage or deficit? I answer directly yes.
But just change your mindset, you don't need a lot of money but you have health, confidence and happiness... Isn't that an endless asset?
I am the best version of myself. Because intangible assets are everywhere, when I have given and received throughout my life, when countless difficult problems and directions are set but I still overcome them.
And for those who were skeptical, looking back later, they still see themselves as successful and are clear proof of the story of "coming back" and not giving up.
Finally, what hope do you have for your future path of social service?
- The future is a bit far away and life is very unpredictable.
I have a rule that I only dare to hope for about 3 months, because that's what I can see for myself.
During the month, we implemented a waste treatment model in Da Nang to raise pigs. Next, I am looking for partners in Phu Quy and Phu Quoc - our two pearl islands. If successful, not only can I clean up beach waste but also beautify and attract tourists.
Once the project is stable, I will look for a new leader. And who knows, you may meet me again on another social service journey! (Laughs).
Thank you for this interesting conversation!
Dantri.com.vn
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