Starting his business in 2019 with a model of raising 6-toed chickens, Mr. Hieu is one of the few young pioneers preserving the precious chicken breed of his homeland. Having gone through many changes, with determination and timely support from policies, he has been preserving and improving the quality, bringing this specialty product to new markets.
Rekindle the entrepreneurial flame
At first, Mr. Ly Minh Hieu rented land to build a farm in Nhu Khue commune, Loc Binh district (old) and established Thanh Loc Cooperative in 2020. In 2021, the Cooperative achieved the title of Top 10 Golden Brands of Vietnam Agriculture . In addition to providing breeding chickens, Mr. Hieu built his own brand "Mau Son 6-fingered chicken" with packaged, labeled chicken meat products, with QR codes for traceability, recognized as a 3-star OCOP product in April 2022. When the model was effective, the chickens developed well, and the output was stable, an incident occurred. During the stormy season in 2022, a flood devastated his entire business. More than 2,000 reserve chickens (chickens raised and cared for specifically for breeding purposes) were swept away, suffocated, the barn collapsed, and all assets were wiped out.
Mr. Ly Minh Hieu (far right) guides workers in checking the quality of breeding chickens.
Mr. Hieu shared: At that time, I wanted to give up, but thinking about my goal of continuing to improve and expand the market to promote the product, I was determined to start over, I could not let that breed of chicken fade away, I could not let the previous years of effort go down the drain. In 2023, I boldly borrowed capital to rebuild the model.
To save costs, Mr. Hieu decided to move the farm to his family's land in Ban Phai village (former Tu Mich commune), now Mau Son commune - one of the difficult villages bordering the border, more than 10 km from Chi Ma border gate.
Chicken care worker
“Besides the difficulties in transportation and the remote location, running a farm here also has wide, open hills and natural conditions for raising semi-wild chickens. In addition, I can save money to invest in upgrading barns, equipment, and breeding chickens,” said Mr. Hieu.
Starting over, with his existing courage, experience and learning spirit, his farm gradually recovered and became one of the agricultural bright spots of Mau Son commune.
Mau Son 6-toed chicken breed
Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Long Bien District, Hanoi City said: In recent years, I have often used Mau Son 6-fingered chicken of Thanh Loc Cooperative in Mau Son Commune, Lang Son Province as gifts or to entertain distinguished guests. Besides its unique flavor, the most important thing is that the product has a clear origin and a clean farming process, so I feel very secure using it.
Continuously improve and upgrade products
Although he still cherishes the desire to improve the value of his precious products, Mr. Hieu still faces many difficulties in terms of capital. In early 2025, he was further motivated when he had the opportunity to access and receive support from Resolution 08/2019 of the Provincial People's Council. Accordingly, with more than 3 billion VND of capital disbursed in the past time, he expanded his barn, increased the scale of raising chickens from 2,000 to 4,000, and at the same time researched to improve product quality by raising according to the VietGAP process (standards for good agricultural production in Vietnam); invested in equipment and facilities for slaughtering chickens according to food safety and hygiene standards; researched to build collective brands and geographical indications for products.
Up to now, by artificial insemination, over 4,000 pullets have produced 2,500 - 2,700 eggs. All eggs are incubated with a hatching rate of 85 - 90%. On average, each month, about 40,000 breeding chickens are provided by Thanh Loc Cooperative to farmers nationwide through 10 breeding chains in and outside the province according to VietGAP standards. The breeding chickens are transferred by Thanh Loc Cooperative with breeding techniques using the semi-natural grazing method, supporting output consumption... ensuring the correct breeding process for over 5 months, thanks to which, the finished 6-toed chicken products are always guaranteed in quality.
At the same time, the number of broiler chickens supplied to the market by the cooperative is from 3 to 5 tons/month. The total revenue from the production and trading of breeding chickens and broiler chickens of the cooperative is estimated at about 4 billion VND/year.
Mr. Hoang Vinh Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Mau Son Commune, said: In recent times, the capital from Resolution 08 has truly become a fulcrum for Mr. Ly Minh Hieu to improve his products, build a systematic livestock chain and create opportunities for linkage and technology transfer. Before operating the current two-level government, Mr. Hieu's model was considered a typical model of effective use of capital supported by Resolution 08 in the old Loc Binh district. Thereby, it contributed to creating a new look for Mau Son commune's agriculture, in line with the agricultural development orientation in the current period.
Breeding chickens are vaccinated and carefully quality checked.
In addition, Mr. Hieu's farm also creates jobs for 5 to 10 local workers depending on the time, helping them have a stable income and limiting labor migration.
Ms. Ly Thi Hanh, Mau Son commune said: Before, I only worked in the fields all year round, scraping pine resin, with an unstable income. Since Mr. Hieu's chicken farm was established, I can go to the chicken farm every day to work, take care of the house and children, and have a more stable income. I am also happy because I can contribute to preserving the local chicken breed.
Thanks to timely support from the province's policies, Mr. Hieu not only had the opportunity to realize his dream but also protected the value and potential of his homeland, turning the 6-fingered chicken from the Dao people's kitchen (Mau Son commune) into a famous product on the market. In July 2025, through the appraisal steps, the Mau Son 6-fingered chicken product met all standards and is currently in the process of being recognized as meeting 4-star OCOP standards.
In the middle of the mountains and forests of the border, Mr. Hieu's 6-toed chicken farm is quietly growing. It is not only a place to preserve and maintain a precious chicken breed, it is also a place to nurture the dreams of young people who dare to think and dare to do, where the people of the highlands believe in sustainable development right on their homeland.
Source: https://baolangson.vn/tiep-suc-giac-mo-nang-tam-nong-san-dia-phuong-5054643.html
Comment (0)