Renting land and growing gardens becomes a 'money-making' lifestyle for urban residents

Thuê đất, trồng vườn trở thành Lifestyle ‘hái ra tiền’ đối với cư dân đô thị - Ảnh 1.

The PwC report "Voice of the Consumer 2025" indicates that 74% of Vietnamese people are "very concerned" about ultra-processed foods and pesticide residues, higher than the Asia- Pacific average (68%).

In fact, 69% of consumers said they were willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products, while 54% preferred pesticide-free foods and 41% were willing to pay more for locally produced foods.

This shows that the need to find safe, verified food sources is one of the top priorities. These are all core criteria of clean agricultural products with traceable origins - the right "taste" that clean vegetable models are currently pursuing.

Renting land, planting for others and "small gardens" in the heart of the city

On social media platforms, there are more and more advertisements for monthly vegetable garden rental services, where consumers own a "10m² garden" right in the suburbs for only about 160,000 VND. In addition to the land rental fee, customers pay extra for care labor (about 400,000 VND/10m²), seeds (from 20,000 VND/type), fertilizers and packaging and transportation costs.

With this area, customers can plant 5-7 types of plants according to their preferences. When it comes to harvest, vegetables are sorted, packaged and sent weekly. In total, with 210,000 VND/5m² for care and 100,000 - 150,000 VND for seeds, customers almost own a "personal clean vegetable ecosystem".

The "vegetable combos" offered are also quite clear: bok choy, cabbage, asparagus, coriander, kohlrabi, cucumber, green onion... Each type has a note of sowing and harvesting time, number of pickings, and expected yield. For many young people, this model is not just about buying vegetables, but also creating a feeling of owning a green space - even if it is only through the phone screen.

In the wake of COVID-19, the trend toward healthier consumption has become increasingly evident. Shoppers are not only looking for convenience, but also expect more in terms of quality, transparency, and environmental responsibility.

Ms. NLH (28 years old) - a customer of the land rental and remote vegetable growing model - shared that she pursues a green, clean lifestyle and follows a macrobiotic diet. Therefore, input quality is also the biggest concern every day.

"One of the factors that builds my trust is transparency. This service allows me to directly monitor the farm's activities through cameras placed in the garden, understand the farming process and harvesting methods," she said.

According to Ms. H., the feeling of being able to "see" the origin of food before it reaches the dining table makes this model a form of experiential service, not simply buying and selling vegetables.

Customers spend a lot of money on clean vegetable services

Along with the land rental model, many consumers choose the "clean vegetable box" service - where vegetables are grown in Da Lat and shipped directly to Ho Chi Minh City in weekly packages and are registered periodically.

Accordingly, each household usually registers for a "vegetable box" for 1 month at an average price of 1 million VND/box/week. This portion of vegetables will usually meet the vegetable needs of a family of 4-5 people for 1 week.

In reality, not all consumers are willing to pay 2-3 times more for a "vegetable box" than usual. In addition to the price barrier, the model has not solved the problem of product diversity - an important factor in daily cooking habits.

For Ms. Le Thi Sang, 31 years old, ordering a "clean vegetable box" every week is like a stable solution, the need for which is greater because of having a small child and the family's daily cooking needs. "I buy it because of trust, more than because it's cheap. Of course the price is higher, but in return I don't have to worry about chemicals or vegetables sprayed with pesticides," Ms. Sang said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Luong Thi Dao (30 years old) also said that she often chooses these products for her family, but the limitation is that there are not many choices. "The products depend on the season and each harvest, so there are months when I eat those 5 types of vegetables over and over again. Even though I'm a bit "bored", I still pursue them because they are clean vegetables," she said.

Mr. Dang Xuan Canh, founder of Lado Farm - a clean vegetable growing model, delivered weekly, said that on average, each type of vegetable or root usually takes several months of R&D for a variety grown using traditional methods.

"Growing without pesticides is difficult. But growing without pesticides, transporting nearly 300km and still keeping customers coming back the next week is even more difficult. If you make just one wrong step, customers will lose trust immediately," he said.

Mr. Canh also shared that the hardest thing is not growing clean vegetables, but convincing buyers to come back the following week. His Lado farm currently has a scale of 1.7 hectares of land with 2,500 greenhouses, with a total investment of about 2 billion VND. All vegetables are grown using traditional methods, without using pesticides and harvested the same day.

"Not to mention, natural disasters, pests or weather changes can wipe out an entire crop. Therefore, the vegetable selection is not as diverse as in supermarkets. Customers who accept it will stay with us for a long time and that is also the way urban consumers express their lifestyle," Mr. Canh added.

Lifestyle Economy - New growth driver of Ho Chi Minh City

In order to realize the goal of building Ho Chi Minh City into a creative city, one of the top 100 livable cities in the world by 2030, Tuoi Tre newspaper in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City organized the forum "Lifestyle Economy - New growth driver of Ho Chi Minh City". Tuoi Tre newspaper hopes to receive comments and suggestions from readers, experts, businesses... domestically and internationally.

All articles participating in the forum, readers please send to email address: bandoc@tuoitre.com.vn

Submission deadline: From now until the end of December 2025.

Good articles and unique perspectives will be edited, selected, published and paid royalties by Tuoi Tre newspaper.