Following your start-up dream

​(CTT-Đong Nai) Miss Ngo Xuan Thuy (a 22-year old Youth Union member in Xuan An commune, Long Khanh city) successfully started up the cantaloupe greenhouse farming combining with on-site tourism business model. The Youth Union planned to have other members learning from this model and improving their families’ income. 

Local Youth Union visiting and learning from Ms. Ngo Xuan Thuy's business model.

​Recently, Ms. Ngo Xuan Thuy was awarded a certificate of merit, and celebrated as an exceptional business youth member by Long Khanh city's Youth Association.

Cantaloupe farming start-up model

When asked why she chose cantaloupe farming, Ms Thuy said that after graduating high school in 2020, she decided to put a stop on her education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, she wanted to consider about her future career path. Because of that, she stopped her study and decided to stay at home and help her parents on their farms.
During this time, a friend of her introduced her the financially profitable cantaloupe greenhouse farming model. That model piqued her curiosity, so she spent time researching it. At that time, the model was still unpopular and new in Long Khanh city, while the demand for the fruit was reasonably stable… That was why she chose to follow this start-up plan.

 Early in 2022, Ms. Thuy officially started her cantaloupe greenhouse farming utilizing high-techs, and had invested 500 million VNĐ to build a 1000 m² of farming area. Simultaneously, she applied for a part-time law degree in Tra Vinh University (in Tra Vinh province) as she wanted to take care of her family gardens.
“My aim was studying while working so I could live independently, and lessen the stress on my family. Moreover, by choosing a law degree, I could widen my knowledge and apply what I have learnt into my business." Ms. Thuy shared.

Even though she had thoroughly prepared everything she needed to know about this model, Ms. Thuy still had problems at the start, such as the final products were not what she wanted. “My first harvest was a 10 million VNĐ loss. However, there was some silver lining, as I could learn a lot from my mistakes and improve my future crops"- she said.
Not accepting defeat, Ms. Thuy continuously pushed on. Due to her family support, and her trust in herself, she finally succeeded. The cantaloupe garden kept growing healthy, and the yield kept on improving (each harvest on average gave about 3 tons of fruits).
“At the moment, a single cantaloupe is sitting at around 22.000 to 25.000VNĐ for a kilogram. In 2022, this model brought in 100 million VNĐ in revenue for me and my family" – Ms.Ngo Xuan Thuy said.
Expand and improve upon
Beside expanding this model, Ms. Thuy also runs promotion campaigns for her fresh cantaloupes by using the official fanpage “Toi yeu Long Khanh", and her personal Facebook and Zalo account. She even holds event where tourists can visit and experience the garden in person.
“I do not charge for each entrance, instead I introduce about how I cultivate the fruits which visitors can harvest by themselves, then buy and bring it back home as souvenir for their relatives at a lower price than on the market. As a result, this model is getting more and more widely known. Today, theses fruits are not only consumed in Bien Hoa city, but also in neighboring regions" – said Ms. Thuy.
The model which Ms. Thuy and her family utilize an automatic irrigation and a power system, lowering workers' costs and making management job a lot easier.  And by planting cantaloupes inside greenhouses, the fruits can growth healthy, and it reduces the chance of catching sickness, so I just need to use nutritional substances to provide additional nutrients. Therefore, the final products are clean and safe to consumed.

According to her, at the moment this model has a lot of potential, and the fruits are always in demand. Her plan for the future includes continuing to expand the farming area to 2 thousand m², as well as finding a way to bring cantaloupes closer to consumers without relying on merchants.
Mr. Vu Thanh Tung, Xuan An commune's Youth Union Secretary, said that the Xuan An commune's Youth Union Standing Committee has always supported and encouraged its members in the area to step up and start a business, understood its members wishes, hardships that their members had gone through. The Committee also offers advises on how to get a source of capital from the Bank for Social Policies at lower interest rate so their members can start a business successfully.
“Ms. Thuy's greenhouse model is still new in Long Khanh city, but it brings in a lot of profit. We want to organize trips to her gardens so our members can learn from her experiences and help expanding this model in the region" – Mr. Vu Thanh Tung said. ​