A 60-year-old man "lives with crickets," earning 15 million VND per month.

Having discovered crickets quite by chance, Mr. Pham Ngoc Bich, over 60 years old, residing in Hamlet 8A, Thanh Mai Commune (Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province), has dedicated considerable time and effort to this insect.

Being an avid reader of newspapers and someone who enjoys learning about successful agricultural models, he was intrigued in early 2016 when he saw a cricket farming model on television that required little investment but yielded high profits. Recognizing this as an attractive model suitable for his family's budget, he began researching cricket farming on social media to learn the techniques.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Bich moved in to live with the crickets so he could take better care of them. Photo: Diep Phuong

He traveled all the way to Hanoi by bus to find the "sources" for cricket farming. Initially, Mr. Bich bought two trays of eggs for 300,000 VND to experiment with. "Back then, because I was unfamiliar with and didn't understand the characteristics of crickets, the proper cages, and the breeding techniques, especially the hatching and reproduction process, I built cages that didn't meet the requirements, making it very difficult to raise the tiny newly hatched crickets," Mr. Bich recalled.

At that time, two trays of cricket eggs brought back for experimental incubation were completely lost. Undeterred, Mr. Bich continued to buy three more trays to hatch. This time, he knew how to make cricket cages using styrofoam boxes, which were both suitable as nests and airtight to prevent the newly hatched crickets from escaping.

Trays of cricket eggs are in the process of hatching. Photo: Diep Phuong

His joy was multiplied when he saw that the crickets weren't dying off and were starting to grow. He began ordering more styrofoam boxes and bringing in more cricket eggs to incubate. During this time, wanting to better understand and care for the cricket colony to ensure its optimal growth, Mr. Bich decided to move in and live with them.

After more than three months of painstaking research, his cricket farm has started generating income. Sharing his experience in raising crickets, Mr. Bich said: “A batch of crickets usually has a 45-day breeding cycle. First, the cricket egg trays are incubated in styrofoam containers, making sure to maintain the temperature above 30 degrees Celsius. In summer, it takes about 7 days, and in winter, about 12 days for all the eggs to hatch. Then, the egg trays are removed, and straw is added to the styrofoam container to provide shelter for the newly hatched crickets. When the crickets are about 15 days old, they are transferred to cardboard or wooden containers until they are ready for sale.”

There are many types of crickets, but he chose to raise field crickets because they are easy to raise, rarely get sick, and grow well. As crickets mature, they need more food; their cages must be cleaned at least once a week.

Currently, he sells an average of 5kg of cricket meat per day at a price of 200,000 VND/kg, supplying restaurants and pubs in the area. The crickets are also packed and shipped to major cities such as Vinh, Hanoi, and Saigon, bringing his family an average monthly income of 15 million VND.

The crickets' main food source is grass, vegetables, leaves, and fruits from the home garden. Depending on their age, the amount of food provided at the bottom of the breeding container varies, and water is sprayed daily around the sides of the container for the crickets to drink. Photo: Diep Phuong

“Crickets are also a lucrative food source for chameleons, so I plan to raise more chameleons in the near future. This will allow me to fully exploit the benefits of crickets while also earning additional income from selling chameleons to traders at a high price, ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 VND per chameleon,” Mr. Bich shared about his business plan.