Born into a big family that followed traditional production practices, Vi Van Bun lived in poverty for years. Determined to escape poverty, Bun attended training courses on husbandry and cultivation and researched an effective economic model for local conditions. Bun tried growing maize, planting an orchard, breeding cattle, and raising fish, but early attempts failed because of epidemics and unstable prices. From books and newspapers, Bun learned how to prevent cattle diseases through vaccination.  

“My family had been very poor until we combined breeding cattle, growing rice and maize, and raising fish. With this model, we accumulated some capital and increased our production,” said Bun.

Now Bun's 1.5 hectares of rice and maize, one hectare of orchard and more than 2,000 square meters of fish ponds, earn him around 11,000 USD per year. He has also invested in farm transportation.

Na Dit village has 170 households of the Sinh Mun ethnic group. Most of them are still poor. As the village head, Bun advises local farmers on crop restructuring and animal husbandry, and gives them loans to boost their production. Vi Van Nan, a local farmer, said: “Vi Van Bun helps local farmers obtain fertilizer and seedlings to expand their cultivation. As the village head, Bun has done a lot to improve the lives of the villagers”.

Bun says choosing the right seedlings and crops for local conditions is most important.

“I will research more economic development models and help local farmers restructure their production so they can escape poverty,” he said of his future plans.