Yen Bai - Ms. Ha Thi Chiem, residing in Khe Lech village, Hung Khanh commune, Tran Yen district, is a native Tay ethnic minority. Since getting married, she and her husband have always worked diligently together to achieve the stable life they have today.
The family owns 3 sao (approximately 3,000 square meters) of rice paddies, where they cultivate two crops per year. The harvested rice contributes to ensuring a secure food supply for the family.
Ms. Chiêm believes that, regardless of whether there is little or much land, rice fields must be maintained because they are farmers. Furthermore, with the increasing development of science and technology, actively applying new advancements to production has made rice cultivation more efficient and productive than in the past. The chickens she raises are mainly for family consumption, and she has several hundred birds each year.
The 60 m² fish pond right next to the house provides a cool, airy space and also raises a couple hundred carp and crucian carp, adding to the food supply for meals. A few plots of land for growing seasonal vegetables, carefully tended by the grandparents, basically ensure a steady supply of fresh produce for meals.
"By doing things this way, my family basically has enough food, groceries, and vegetables for our daily lives," Mrs. Chiêm shared.
Mrs. Chiêm's household is well-known for having two boars specifically for breeding. With these breeding pigs, she not only serves the needs of farmers in Hung Khanh commune but also provides breeding services to households in neighboring communes and even in Van Chan district. At the current price of 300,000 VND per breeding session, her household earns between 50 and 60 million VND annually.
Ms. Chiêm said that caring for the two breeding boars is quite normal and not overly elaborate or complicated. Their regular diet mainly consists of rice bran, along with bananas, cassava, a little commercial feed, and duck eggs.
In particular, besides providing a complete and balanced diet, she always pays attention to disease prevention and control for her two pigs, such as vaccination and disinfection of the pigpens. The meticulous and careful care she has given her breeding boars over the years has helped Mrs. Chiêm's family achieve a stable income.
Following the general trend of development, Ms. Chiêm planted 1 hectare of cinnamon trees, which are now 5-6 years old. She purchased the seedlings for this area right in the commune. She learned about planting, caring for, and protecting cinnamon trees from both agricultural extension officers in the commune and from other villagers and households that had planted them before.
For the past two years, the cinnamon trees have been pruned, bringing in an additional 10 million VND for her. As for the Bat Do bamboo, a key crop in Tran Yen district, her family also has a small plot of land dedicated to it. To date, their 0.5-hectare Bat Do bamboo plantation is in its 3-5 year old stage.
Last year, harvesting her first bamboo shoot crop brought her about 3 million dong. Taking advantage of her free time during the agricultural off-season, she works drying veneer boards for hire near her house, earning 150,000 dong per day, which provides her with extra income while still allowing her to spend time with her children and grandchildren every day.
Thanks to the savings accumulated over the years by the couple, along with contributions from their son and daughter-in-law, in 2018 the family collectively built a spacious and clean stilt house worth 600 million VND, which has become a convenient gathering place for three generations.
Ms. Chiem estimates that the combined annual income of her and her husband is around 100 million VND: "Although it's not a large sum, it's all thanks to our hard work and dedication while we're still healthy, so we can save some for our old age. That money is truly precious! My husband and I always tell each other, as long as we're healthy, we must work hard so that we can have an easier time in our old age."
Nguyen Thom
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