The Different Steps of Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer Tran Xuan Son

Dare to think differently, dare to do differently

In Nghia Hung commune, people are used to growing sugarcane to provide raw materials for the sugar factory, but Mr. Tran Xuan Son's family has little land and does not have the advantage of growing sugarcane. However, instead of accepting a low income, Mr. Son chose a completely different direction: raising egg-laying chickens.

In 2001, with a small capital of 50 million VND borrowed from the bank and relatives, he built a simple 300m² coop to raise 800 chickens. With almost no experience, the epidemic caused the chickens to die gradually, the family suffered losses. There were times when he thought of giving up. Especially, during the bird flu epidemic in 2004, Mr. Son had to take the chickens into the forest to "escape the epidemic". For more than a month, no one bought the eggs and chicken meat, so he had to use the chicken eggs cooked with cassava and corn as food to maintain the flock. But then when the epidemic passed, the price of eggs suddenly skyrocketed, the flock of 800 chickens laid eggs regularly every day, helping him recover his capital and rekindle his desire to get rich.

Instead of being discouraged, Mr. Son was even more determined to learn. He attended the basic veterinary class, the science and technology training courses of the Farmers' Association, learned through books, newspapers, the Internet, and then visited many effective models. After careful observation, he realized that to raise livestock on a large scale, he needed to have a concentrated land fund. So he thought about land consolidation. At that time, this was still a new thing, few people thought about it. He persistently went from house to house, convinced each household, and finally gathered 0.6 hectares of land to build a farm.

“I realized that if I wanted to raise livestock on a large scale, I needed land to build a farm. But my family’s land was scattered in many places. I came up with the idea of ​​consolidating my land. My family had several fields scattered in different fields, and I negotiated with the villagers to exchange them to concentrate them in one place to get land for production. I went from house to house, met each person, and convinced them as much as I could. Everyone understood and agreed to exchange. Finally, my family had 0.6 hectares of land to build a concentrated farm,” Mr. Son shared.

In 2014, while most people in the area were still raising chickens in open coops, Mr. Son "played big" by investing in a 1,000m² cold coop, raising 5,000 egg-laying chickens. That boldness surprised many people, even made them skeptical. But thanks to daring to do things differently, Mr. Son became a pioneer in applying modern technology to raising chickens in Nghia Dan. "Cold coops maintain stable temperature and humidity, helping chickens stay healthy, have fewer diseases, and produce high-quality eggs. Although the initial investment is expensive, the economic efficiency is much better than open coops," Mr. Son shared.

From these different steps, Mr. Son's cold chicken farm model gradually affirmed its value. In 2022, he continued to expand, building another cold barn, increasing the total barn area to 3,000m², raising 23,000 chickens, of which 17,000 are egg-laying hens.

When differentiation becomes effectiveness

Thanks to bold investment, up to now, Luong Son chicken farm produces nearly 3.9 million eggs each year, bringing in revenue of 10 - 11 billion VND, profit after expenses reaching 1.5 - 2.5 billion VND. In addition to eggs, his family also sells about 8,000 chickens/year and 120 tons of decomposed chicken manure to provide for people to fertilize plants. On average, each worker in the family earns 500 million VND/year.

Not only bringing in a large source of income, Mr. Son's products also have a different value. He applies herbal preparations in food, supplements probiotics, ensuring healthy chickens, eggs rich in omega-3, DHA, vitamins A, B1, B12, high protein, reduced cholesterol, no antibiotic residue. Thanks to that, the farm's chicken eggs are certified VietGAP in 2024, recognized as 3-star OCOP products from the end of 2023. Through social networks, fairs, exhibitions, etc., the products quickly affirm their brand and are consumed well both inside and outside the province.

Along with economic activities, Mr. Son always attaches responsibility to the community. Every year, he donates from several tens to hundreds of millions of VND to support the social welfare fund, "Warm Winter", and build new rural areas. The farm creates regular jobs for 7 workers with an income of 5.2 - 5.5 million VND/month, along with 12 - 14 seasonal workers with an income of 3 - 3.5 million VND/month. In particular, he also supports many poor households with seeds, food and techniques to help them escape poverty sustainably.

As Deputy Head of the Farmers' Association, Mr. Son enthusiastically shares his experiences at training courses and seminars. He directly guides people on how to raise laying hens in a biosafety manner, disseminates knowledge about disease prevention, and helps to limit the risk of disease in the area. Many households have succeeded after learning from his model, contributing to the spread of the modern and safe livestock farming movement.

Those tireless efforts have been recognized. From 2020 to present, Mr. Son has continuously achieved the title of "Excellent Farmer and Business Household" at the district and provincial levels; his family has been a "Cultural Family" for many consecutive years; a model of "skillful mass mobilization" at all levels. In 2025, he was honored with the title of "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer", a worthy reward for an old farmer who dares to think, dares to do and knows how to share.