Farmer and his wife

Portraits of the farmer By Duong Van Ni The portrait of the Vietnamese farmer should be repainted and farmers should do it themselves - PHOTO: LE HOANG VU Let farmers themselves paint their own portraits. What they desperately need is that one should fulfill the social role assigned to them. It’s nonsense if the farmer’s portrait is a beautiful one, but their income remains the lowest in the social hierarchy. During the last century, when the war in Vietnam was still raging on fiercely, farmers in many parts of the Mekong Delta could do their work on the field only at night because it was too dangerous to do so during daytime. They then felt lucky if their harvest was enough to feed their families. The war finally came to an end and farmers were free to cultivate on their fields no longer fearful of merciless bullets, bombs and shells. However, then was also an experimental time when the “production team model” was introduced, which put farmers regionwide into … [Read more...] about Portraits of the farmer

Hữu stands in his acacia garden in the central province of Quảng Trị. — Photo nongnghiep.vn Viet Nam News QUẢNG TRỊ — Đặng Quang Hữu, 44, of Đakrông District in the central province of Quảng Trị, is known as a bank owner who has risen from owning nothing to offering loans to 600 poor local households. Unlike other financiers, he requires no interest payments, supporting them as they grow forests to escape from poverty. Hữu was born in Gia Đằng Village – a poor village near the sea in Triệu Phong District. He left his hometown in 2003 to work in Hướng Hóa Forestry Enterprise in Đakrông District in the hope of escaping poverty. No longer after, he met and married his wife, a Vân Kiều ethnic minority woman named Hồ Thị Hương. They married without money, but with love and ideas to build a prosperous life together. At first, the couple decided to grow forest under the encouraging policies from the Government at that time, the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported. “I … [Read more...] about Quảng Trị’s barefoot “bank owner” helps farmers escape poverty

A solar pesticide spraying machine produced by Trần Trung Hiếu is widely used by farmers in the region. - Photo tienphong.vn Viet Nam News CẦN THƠ – Trần Trung Hiếu, a farmer from An Giang Province’s Châu Thành District, not only cares for his orange garden, but does so using an invention he designed and built on his own. He is among the farmers in Cửu Long ( Mekong ) Delta provinces receiving award in the Mekong Delta Startup Contest 2017, jointly held by the Cần Thơ branch of the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( VCCI Cần Thơ) and the Cần Thơ City recently. Hiếu was awarded the second prize for producing a machine that uses solar energy to spray pesticides. He told Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that his creative idea arose from the hard working of caring for his orange garden, especially the use of a heavy and noisy pesticide spraying machine carried on his back. He has successfully created a solar-powered pesticide spraying machine. “The … [Read more...] about Outstanding farmers launch agri startups

Nhẫn and his wife at their house in Hà Nam Province. — Photo danviet.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NAM — Phạm Văn Nhẫn, 52, a farmer living in the northern province of Hà Nam’s Tri Ngôn Village, has spent 34 years helping dozens of people with mental illness. Nhẫn and his wife are now taking care of a-50-year-old man who suffers from a psychiatric disorder. The man has lived with Nhẫn’s family for four years. “He came to our house at midnight four years ago,” Nhẫn said. While Nhẫn and his wife were sleeping, they were awoken by someone crying outside of the house. Nhẫn investigated the noise and brought the man inside, Dân Việt (Vietnamese People) online newspaper reported. Nhẫn informed authorised agencies in an attempt to find the man’s relatives but was unsuccessful in tracking anyone down. He decided to look after the man himself. “The man sometimes cried, sometimes smiled. He is 50 years old but acts like a child,” Nhẫn said. Nhẫn said his work with mentally ill people … [Read more...] about Poor man does his best to help the mentally ill

Đinh Văn Vật visits his rice field. — Photo baogiaothong.vn Viet Nam News QUẢNG NGÃI — With a pick on his shoulder, Đinh Văn Vật, 71, strolled towards the Bua River to visit his family’s rice field. Although he’s blind, Vật is still well-informed on every aspect of his life in his hometown of Mang He Village, Sơn Bua Commune, Sơn Tây District in the central province of Quảng Ngãi . If they aren’t told before, no one can realise that he’s visually impaired. With 44 years living in dark, Vật’s senses have become strong enough to perceive everything and assist him in all the work he needs to do in his daily life. When Vật was 20 years old, his eyes were bright, so he volunteered to join the resistance war, like other men belonging to the Ca Dong ethnic group. He prevailed in many violent struggles. In 1973, when he was marching, he was hit by poisonous chemical substances and tear gas and his eyes gradually drew dimmer until he was totally blind. … [Read more...] about Man overcomes blindness to assist community

Pollution has caused the deaths of 72,000 fish in the south central coastal province of Phú Yên over the past month.— Photo kinhtenongthon.vn PHÚ YÊN — Pollution has caused the deaths of 72,000 fish in the south central coastal province of Phú Yên over the past month. Fish raised in 800 cages by farmers in An Ninh Đông Commune in Tuy An District have died, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the total fish raised in the commune, causing great losses for their business. Some 72,000 fishes raised by 100 local households have died, with the resulting loss of VNĐ2 billion (US$90,000), according to officials. Nguyễn Sanh, a local farmer, raised 8,000 fish, including red snappers and groupers this year. However, only one-tenth of the fish have survived, he said. Local authorities took samples of the dead fish for testing after the deaths were reported. Test results showed that the fish died of Vibrio bacteria contamination, resulting from water pollution, said Vice Chairman of … [Read more...] about Pollution causes mass fish deaths in Phú Yên

Authorities check up on anchoring of ships in Cửa Việt port of the central province Quảng Trị. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Thuỷ Viet Nam News CENTRAL REGION — Doksuri, considered the most powerful tropical typhoon to hit Việt Nam in a decade, is expected to make landfall in the central provinces later today afternoon. However, the windstorm and downpour heralding its arrival has already caused damages in several areas. By 10am today, 260 houses had their roofs blown off by the strong winds. According to Thừa Thiên–Huế flood prevention agency, province-wide, 583ha of rice have not yet been harvested and are expected to be lost completely following this storm. Meanwhile, 6,400 fish cages, mostly in Phú Lộc District and Phú Vang, are being safeguarded. Nguyễn Văn Cao, chairman of Thừa Thiên–Huế Province People’s Committee, said water levels across reservoirs and hydropower dams in the province are at a safe level and no construction is underway. Cao added that 100 tonnes of … [Read more...] about Doksuri wreaks havoc across central region

Lê Thị Thanh Thủy uses nylon bags to cover the vegetables to prevent insects, instead of using pesticide. — Photo tienphong.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Lê Đình Quả, 37, was born in a farmer family in suburban Hà Nội. His parents are not well-off, but they tried their best to help Quả study in the hope he would have better future than them. Quả graduated from university and enrolled in the Agricultural Science Institute for Coastal South Central Việt Nam. Quả then married Lê Thị Thanh Thủy, from the central province of Quảng Bình, also a worker of the institute. They have a house in Quy Nhơn City, the central province of Bình Định and two children. Quả received a master’s degree in 2015 and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Việt Nam Project agreed to grant him scholarship to study for a PhD degree in Australia. But, in the beginning of 2016, Quả and his wife shockingly decided to sell their house in Quy Nhơn City to come to his wife’s … [Read more...] about Master interested in planting safe vegetables

Farmers in Quy Nhơn City work hard all day in fish steaming workshop. — Photo laodong.vn Viet Nam News BÌNH ĐỊNH — At 1am, when most people are sleeping, a small corner near the Quy Nhơn Seaport in Hải Cảng Ward, Quy Nhơn City in the central province of Bình Định, is bustling. Ships arrive with their holds full of fish and shrimps and a distinct fishy smell. This smell is familiar for people who steam fish. They live with, eat with, sleep with and reek of the fishy smell. Lots of fished is steamed after being caught as a preliminary process before being sold. The fish steaming workshop of Nguyễn Thị Chua, 63, is in a small and long alley. The closer one gets to the workshop, the stronger the fishy smell becomes. The workshop is about 30sq.m and is full with different kinds of fish such as anchovy, scad, tuna and cuttlefish. Huge steaming stoves are placed on high heat cookers. The smell of fish and stove mixing together is a challenge for anyone coming here for the … [Read more...] about Love amongst steaming, stinky fish in Quy Nhơn

Vương Quốc Trường of Quản Bạ District in Hà Giang Province, born with brittle bone disease, managed to start his own rabbit farm. — Photo hagiangtv.vn Viet Nam News Nguyễn Trần Bé HÀ GIANG — A Nùng ethnic man born with brittle bones has defied physical limitations to develop his own business in the northern mountainous province of Hà Giang. Though his own legs no longer work, Vương Quốc Trường, born in 1986, has a passion for nimble-legged rabbits. His work as a ground-breaking rabbit farmer has been paid off; Trường was amongst the five young candidates selected to represent the province at the fifth “Vietnamese youth study and follow Uncle Hồ’s teachings” ceremony held in HCM City earlier this year. Overcoming fate Trường is the youngest child in his family, with four healthy older siblings. The first year in the primary school, he broke both of his legs after a slight fall that wouldn’t result in such dramatic injuries to a normal child, his father, Vàng Vản … [Read more...] about Brittle-boned man reaps success with self-taught rabbit trade