Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, engages in discussion with farmers in Van Hoa Commune, Bac Ninh Province, on the sidelines of the Bac Ninh Provincial Farmers’ Union Congress for the 2025–2030 term. Photo: Ngoc Hai.

When leadership resonates with farmers

It is often said that to understand farmers, one must touch the soil; to understand agriculture, one must step into the mud. For Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, each field visit is not merely an administrative duty but a journey of genuine empathy.

Recalling the honor of welcoming the Chairman to his high-tech shrimp farming model, Mr. Dang Van Bay of Thanh Phong Commune, Thanh Phu District (now part of Vinh Long Province), shared his memorable experience with pride.

With a deep passion for shrimp farming in coastal saline areas, Mr. Bay has continuously innovated and boldly applied scientific and technological advancements to production.

Reflecting on past challenges, he shared: “In the past, my family relied mainly on semi-intensive white-leg shrimp farming in earthen ponds. Later, we shifted to lined ponds and intensive (industrial) farming. However, market fluctuations and disease outbreaks led to repeated losses and unstable livelihoods.”

Realizing that traditional approaches were no longer suitable, he proactively learned from advanced models across different localities and gradually adopted high-tech, multi-stage shrimp farming techniques.

Today, his transformation has yielded remarkable results. By applying a closed-loop production process—with strict control over seed selection, water quality, and disease management—he has significantly improved both productivity and product quality. Profits from high-tech shrimp farming are now five to six times higher than traditional methods.

However, the journey has not been without challenges.
“The biggest barrier is the high level of investment and the need for large-scale production areas. Every stage must strictly follow technical standards. The old way of simply pumping water into ponds and raising shrimp is no longer viable,” he noted.

Encouraged by Chairman Luong Quoc Doan, Mr. Bay boldly shifted his mindset from “adapting to nature” to “mastering technology.” He now operates six modern shrimp farms covering over 40 hectares, meeting international standards such as ASC and BAP for export markets.

His success has elevated him from an individual farmer to a key member of the “Billionaire Farmers Club” of Vinh Long Province—demonstrating the effectiveness of collective economic models promoted by the Farmers’ Union.

Igniting Aspiration and Creating a “Passport” for Agricultural Products

In Lạng Sơn, Ms. Vuong Thi Thuong—an ethnic Nung woman, Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer 2025, and Director of Toan Thuong Agricultural Cooperative—found answers to long-standing challenges after attending the 2025 forum titled “Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union and the Minister of Industry and Trade Listen to Farmers.”

She was particularly impressed by the Chairman’s approachable and engaging style, which encouraged farmers to speak openly.

She shared: “To export through official channels, farmers must not only focus on production but also ensure product quality meets international standards and complete all required documentation—the ‘passport’ for agricultural products.”

The forum helped her cooperative clearly identify gaps, particularly in documentation and export procedures.

Building on this guidance, her cooperative is now shifting toward organic-standard persimmon production to enhance value. In the long term, it aims to expand production and develop a farmstay tourism model, allowing visitors to experience orchard activities and the process of making wind-dried persimmons—thereby creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

Strengthening linkages among farmers

In Hanoi, farmers such as Mr. Phung Huy Hoi—Head of the Professional Farmers’ Sub-Union for ornamental plants in Tran Phu Commune—have recognized the importance of organizational linkages through the Chairman’s guidance.

Since its establishment, the sub-union has helped its 10 members achieve stable incomes ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of VND annually through shared expertise in shaping ornamental trees.

His product, the “upright ancient-style sanh tree,” has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product—symbolizing both personal achievement and the cultural identity of Hanoi’s farmers.

Digital transformation: a key pillar in the new era

Beyond field visits, the Chairman consistently places himself in farmers’ positions to understand their challenges—ranging from unstable market access and fragmented production to lagging technological adoption.

At a working session with the Farmers’ Union of Tran Phu Commune in July 2025, he highlighted a critical issue: while most farmers own smartphones, they primarily use them for communication and entertainment.

He emphasized: “Farmers must be guided to utilize digital tools for public services, production management, and especially for promoting and selling products on e-commerce platforms.”

He further stressed that in a digitalized government environment, farmers who fail to adopt technology risk missing valuable opportunities.

Digital transformation, in his view, must begin with small, practical changes—from learning how to take product photos and livestream to showcasing products to a global audience.

Following these orientations, Farmers’ Unions at all levels have actively innovated their approaches by establishing 3,645 professional farmers’ sub-unions, 36,363 professional farmers’ groups and various farmer clubs (production, legal awareness, environmental protection).

At the same time, Farmers’ Unions have proactively renewed and improved quality of farmer movements nationwide, focused on the two core movements of Union: movement “Farmers emulate good production and business, unite to get rich and reduce poverty sustainably,” and movement “Officials, members, and farmers actively participate in developing collective economy in agriculture. There were over 3.6 million outstanding farming households. Number of high-income farming households has been steadily increasing, with those earning over VND 500 million per year tripling, and those earning over VND 1 billion per year doubling compared to previous five-year period.

At all levels, Farmers’ Union which has established 679 new cooperatives and 3,772 cooperative groups in agriculture, attracted over 745,000 member households to participate. These results exceeded annual targets which were assigned by Prime Minister under Decision No. 182/QĐ-TTg dated February 20th, 2024 by three to five times.

Additionally, Farmers’ Unions at all levels have intensified advisory, service, and support activities to help farmers develop production and business effectively. Over 20,000 high-tech agricultural models have been implemented. More than 7,000 agricultural brands and 8,000 OCOP products (3 stars or higher) have been developed. Over 78,000 products are now available on e-commerce platforms such as Postmart.vn.

Farmers’ Unions have also coordinated with enterprises to supply agricultural inputs through interest-free deferred payment schemes, improving farmers’ access to production resources.

According to Chairman Luong Quoc Doan, 2026 is a pivotal year, marked by major national events, including the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party, elections for the National Assembly and People’s Councils, the launch of the 2026–2030 Socio-Economic Development Plan.

For the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, it also marks the 9th National Congress (2026–2031) and the first year of implementing new resolutions following organizational restructuring.

In this context, Farmers’ Unions at all levels must demonstrate proactiveness, creativity, and responsibility to meet the demands of a new development phase.

The journeys of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union’s leadership will continue—ensuring that every farmer’s voice is heard and every aspiration for prosperity is supported. With this foundation, Vietnamese farmers are confidently stepping into a new era of national development.