Writing indigenous stories using a digital mindset.

Spring of the Year of the Horse - With a digital mindset and a desire to elevate local agricultural products, young entrepreneurs in Quang Nam province are transforming their homeland's resources into thriving brands through innovation and self-renewal every day.

Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien (in blue shirts) with young people carrying out startup projects in their hometown. Photo: TAM DAN

Expectations from "Online Farm"

Over five years ago, Nguyen Thi Hien, a marketing professional, and Ho Ngoc Hiep, an agricultural engineer, both peers from Que Minh (now Que Son commune), found common ground in their aspirations to start a business in their hometown.

With their "brainchildren" being the Lac Son Agricultural Cooperative and Lac Son Food Joint Stock Company, this group of like-minded young people has dedicated their hearts and souls to the mission of "bringing clean products from the farm directly to the consumer."

From a small chicken farm, Lac Son has now become a shining example of collective economic development in the locality. Beyond simply supplying clean food, the cooperative has successfully built a closed-loop supply chain, providing breeding stock and guaranteeing the purchase of produce from farmers. The cooperative's growth is further evidenced by its practical projects, processing for other organizations, and especially its Lac Son fermented pork sausage product line, which has achieved OCOP 3-star certification, solidifying its reputation in the market.

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Innovation doesn't necessarily mean creating something completely new. We build upon existing values ​​and improve them to best suit market changes. That's how businesses achieve sustainable growth.

CEO of Lac Son, Nguyen Thi Hien

Ms. Hien and her colleagues view the recent achievements as a foundation for the long journey ahead, because for them, stopping means falling behind. With a strong spirit of innovation, Lac Son has been realizing many major goals, most notably the strategic partnership with the technology startup RiseGate to create the highly anticipated project: "Lac Son Online Farm".

Lac Son Farm welcomes visitors as part of a tour and experiential program at the cooperative. Photo: TAM DAN

The project made a strong impression at the regular September 2025 startup community meeting chaired by city leaders. Starting with a line of indigenous black pigs on a digital platform, this "farming and cultivation" model allows users to experience real farming: from remotely "adopting" pigs and monitoring the care process via camera to receiving clean produce delivered to their homes. Through the application, buying, selling, or gifting agricultural products becomes more transparent and convenient than ever before.

Ms. Hien believes that, when digitized, all local resources can be transformed into exciting agricultural products. Notably, this model goes beyond simply selling products and aims to create a connection between agriculture and tourism . “We aim to partner with farming households. Customers participating in the project not only receive products but also have the opportunity to take trips to learn about the cultural values ​​and soul of the locality. The combination of experience and consumption is the unique feature that helps the project develop sustainably,” shared the CEO of Lac Son.

According to Ms. Hien, choosing the "Online Farm" model wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of a persistent journey of innovation over the past five years. The advantage of young people who previously worked in dynamic urban fields when returning to agriculture is their keen thinking. They know how to leverage local cultural stories and build them in a more refined way. Lac Son's innovative spirit is clearly demonstrated through the development of a diverse e-commerce ecosystem. This is one of the pioneering cooperatives that masters digital platforms from websites and TikTok to Facebook pages, and is also ready to collaborate with technology partners to experiment with new models.

Building a brand through perseverance.

Also hailing from the passionate youth of Que Son, Duong Ngoc Anh and his partner have poured their hearts into reviving the traditional cassava noodle product under the brand "Caromi". Having made their mark at the SURF Pitching Competition 2018 and receiving support from the Da Nang Business Incubator (DNES), Caromi has embarked on a tireless journey of innovation.

Ms. Le Thi Kim Anh poses with her company's flagship product at the Pho Day 2025 festival in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: TAM DAN

Ms. Le Thi Kim Anh, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Caromi Joint Stock Company, shared that the journey can be summed up in three words: "trial - error - correction." From the manual processing and packaging process to the current automated production system, it's a long story of technological improvement. "Our innovative element lies in optimizing production technology. No readily available machine is perfect; we must constantly improve to reduce labor, increase productivity, while still preserving the value and depth of a local product," Ms. Anh confided.

That perseverance has helped Caromi stand firm while many other agricultural projects have given up halfway. Today, the Caromi brand is not only available in organic food stores and large supermarkets, but has also become a trusted partner of international-class hotels and resorts and is exported to many countries.

With limited funds for marketing, Ms. Anh chose a "door-to-door" strategy, persistently participating in trade promotion events and directly approaching supermarkets and large resorts. The journey of bringing Caromi cassava noodles to the Sheraton Grand Da Nang – a world-class 5-star resort – is a prime example of the proactive spirit of an entrepreneur. To convince discerning culinary experts, she not only introduced a dish but also shared her entrepreneurial journey intertwined with the preservation of local culture.

The uniqueness of cassava noodles, a traditional ingredient of the Que Son region, combined with the dedication of its makers, completely convinced the partners. They saw in Caromi not simply a commercial product, but a captivating "local story" to introduce to international tourists. This shared vision led Caromi to become a strategic partner, maintaining a long-term relationship with the resort from 2021 to the present.

Not content with its current successes, Caromi always focuses on innovation and diversification of its product portfolio. Having faced difficulties in developing a unique seasoning packet for cassava noodles, that failure did not discourage those involved. On the contrary, it remains a passionate goal that Caromi is striving to achieve on its journey ahead…

Innovation is not something far-fetched; it's the journey of renewing old values ​​with new thinking. For Lac Son and Caromi, the aspiration to bring local agricultural products to a wider market is becoming a reality every day through perseverance and the application of appropriate technology.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/viet-cau-chuyen-ban-dia-bang-tu-duy-so-3324409.html