Hoang Dinh Phuc checking his chilis
Born in 1976 (the Year of the Dragon), Hoang Dinh Phuc has spent his entire life rooted in the fields of the former Nhu Han area (now Nhu Khe Commune). Rising through the ranks from Head of Lien Minh 1 Village in 2017 to steering the merged Lien Minh 2 Village in 2019, he was constantly driven by one ambition: to create an economic breakthrough for 105 local households, breaking them free from the "play-it-safe" mindset that barely put food on the table. For him, agriculture could no longer survive on small-scale subsistence; it demanded the leverage of large-scale commodity production.
The opportunity surfaced in 2022 when the Phuong Dinh Cooperative introduced a chili variety for pilot farming. Sensing the "geographical advantage" of the area’s deep, well-drained topsoil, Phuc and two partners invested 1.2 billion VND (~ $48,000) to overhaul 7 hectares. However, agro-business is never a smooth ride. Despite achieving a record yield of nearly 30 tons per hectare, market fluctuations and the selective buyer base resulted in a heavy loss of nearly 600 million VND (~ $24,000). "At that point, my family's entire net worth was tied up in the bank. We were wiped out, literally," Phuc recalled.
Refusing to capitulate, in 2024, Phuc executed the boldest move of his life: mortgaging all his assets at Agribank to secure a 500 million VND (~ $20,000) loan to reinvest. This time, he didn't gamble on luck but focused on strict input-tech control.
The "bloody lesson" of root rot that nearly cost him everything in late 2024 was solved using Trichoderma bio-fungicides - a timely intervention supported by local agricultural extension officers. With an 800 million VND (~ $32,000) investment across 6 hectares, Phuc reaped 1.4 billion VND (~ $56,000) with highly stable selling prices. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, chili revenues already hit the 500 million VND (~ $20,000) mark. This figure not only paid off his debts but also proved that chili, when tamed by technology and proactive market connections, is a genuine agricultural goldmine.
The economic efficiency of Phuc’s model is now triggering a massive wave of crop restructuring in Lien Minh 2. Most notably, in early 2025, Nguyen Thi Huong transitioned 1,000 square meters of inefficient tea land to chili. The result was a revenue of 60 million VND (~ $2,400) - yielding a profit margin many times higher than traditional tea, allowing her to break even and profit in the very first season.
By 2026, out of the 7 hectares of chili across Nhu Khe Commune, Lien Minh 2 accounted for the absolute majority, led by Phuc and 12 other households. However, the untapped potential remains massive: the village holds 15 hectares of premium soil perfectly suited for chili, yet the actual farmed area remains modest due to the lingering hesitation of local farmers.
To realize the dream of a concentrated specialized hub, Phuc is acting as the "off-take leader," ready to provide technical support and share profits to give farmers the confidence to plant. Do Chi Thanh, Chairman of the Nhu Khe People's Committee, assessed this as a vital premise for the commune to unleash its internal strengths and successfully fulfill its socio-economic targets for 2026. Driven by those who dare to think and dare to act, chili is promising to green the fields and truly revolutionize life in Nhu Khe.
Nguyen Thanh Hieu
Vietnamese source: Tuyen Quang online
