Hieu - Doan - Hoan specialty orange garden in Yen Thanh rice homeland

UNEXPECTED MEETING

One beautiful sunny winter morning, standing looking towards Xanh Gam, I suddenly remembered an old saying about Yen Thanh district: “In front of the granary, behind the money chest”. For more than ten years working in my home district, many district leaders have mentioned that saying over and over again.
However, the granary in front is clear, it is the fields that produce three rice crops a year. Thanks to that, Yen Thanh was the main food supplier for the province at one time, the food source serving the resistance wars of the nation from ancient times to the two wars against French colonialism and American imperialism later. As for the “Money chest”, it is indeed still locked.
Thinking so, I headed back in that direction. Only about 4 kilometers from home, the car was on the road winding around the green forest garden in Xuan Thanh commune, suddenly a strange scene appeared right next to the road. It was a forest covered with white "tulle curtain". I stopped the car, walked alone into the garden with the gate wide open. After calling for a long time, a young man in his thirties, slim figure and bright smile came out to greet me. It turned out that he was Nguyen Canh Doan, one of the three brothers of Nguyen Canh family and one of the three owners of Hieu - Doan - Hoan orange farm.

Orange garden is covered with UV net.

Seeing me carrying a bag on my shoulder and a camera in my hand, Doan asked: - Are you a journalist? - Oh no, I'm retired and living nearby. - Oh, I know you're Mr. Canh's father-in-law, Mr. Hieu... The conversation was more natural and lively...

HOLD HANDS TO WORK

Nguyen Canh Hieu, Nguyen Canh Doan and Nguyen Canh Hoan are three brothers born to Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Canh Lieu and Thai Thi Dao in Bui Son hamlet, Xuan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province. The family is poor and has many children, one girl and three boys. Mr. and Mrs. Lieu always try their best to feed and educate their children. Thanks to that, all of their children graduated from high school.
Growing up, the grandparents' children all found their own jobs, diligently following their parents' example. From farming, learning to drive, driving excavators. Then all three brothers drove cars, drove excavators for hire to make a living. Doan graduated from Vinh Technical Pedagogical College (now a university) with a major in Laboratory Equipment. Having knowledge of IT, but unable to get into the office for many reasons, Doan opened a business and repaired phones; and also dreamed of becoming a singer... But poverty persisted. A piece of land leased by the government for 50 years, several brothers joined forces to dig and plant more than ten hectares of acacia and cajuput trees in the hope of changing their lives. But, during the drought, the plants burned like firewood, during the continuous rain and storms, the trees broke and were sold as firewood, not enough capital to buy seeds and fertilizers.

Two brothers Hieu (standing) and Doan are owners of a famous specialty orange garden in Yen Thanh district.

With such difficulties, Hieu asked his parents and discussed with his siblings: The youngest uncle should try to go abroad, the siblings will pool money for him to go. Try to create capital to open a new business. The first step of success was that the youngest brother Nguyen Canh Hoan went to Korea to work, sending money back every year for the two brothers to build a business. With money, Hieu and Doan decided to buy 3 more hectares of hilly land, increasing the total area of ​​hilly garden land to 15 hectares in 3 areas and decided to set aside a plot of land for growing fruit trees. The problem was what to grow?

People who love their hometown, the land supports their footsteps

Hieu confided: My parents have no money, no property, but their hard-working life of raising their children and educating them has left my sisters a way of life where "rich or poor depends on the hands and the will". They have worked hard, tried their best and been creative in every job to get better and faster results. Fortunately, the two children are hard-working, not playing around or competing like some other young people.
Then Hieu continued: After 4 years of starting the orange growing business, in 2019, the first crop had fruit, I was very happy. Right from the first crop, called the orange fortune crop, it brought the family over 700 million VND. After the investment, there was still a little profit. In 2020, the brothers were more determined. However, after a year of fruiting, the whole garden had reduced fruit. On top of that, the weather was too harsh, the electricity for watering was expensive, and when there were fruits, all kinds of insects attacked, because the garden of the 3 brothers was isolated, so moths at night and fruit flies during the day caused terrible damage.
Doan said: One morning, the two brothers went to visit the garden and saw oranges falling like someone had picked them and piled them up under each orange tree. Both brothers burst into tears! Immediately after that, they went home and searched the internet to find a way to prevent insects. The first time, the two brothers hung lights around the garden to attract butterflies, but fruit flies still raged because they feed during the day. They continued searching. Like finding gold, Doan discovered the UV insect-proof net of Loi Dan Company in Ho Chi Minh City. Hieu and Doan contacted to order. Only 10 days later, the goods arrived in the garden. A new difficulty appeared. According to the instructions of the production facility, people were required to stretch a 20 x 20 (m) wide net and then gradually sew it together by hand. The first day only covered 60 m². If we did it that way, it would take a whole month to cover 2 hectares. They gathered to discuss again!

This orange crop, Hieu - Doan - Hoan orange garden is expected to earn about 550 - 600 million VND.

And the idea came. Hieu discussed buying a packaging sewing machine, only 2 people to stretch, one person to sew, it would be neat and fast. Do it now! So after only 1 week, the UV net covered 2 hectares of oranges. This method was called the best and most effective initiative from the workers by expert Nguyen Van Thai of Loi Dan Company.