Vuong Van Minh is checking reddish-brown lingzhi before harvest. (Photo: Thien Ly)

59-year-old Vuong Van Minh of Thu Dau Mot city was advised by the Institute to grow reddish-brown lingzhi and straw mushrooms in 2017. Now he has two mushroom farms that produce an annual income of 8,000-12,000 USD, says Minh.  

“When I started my business, the Institute helped me a lot with deciding where to place the embryos and preservation methods to meet the standards. The Institute encouraged me to visit successful farms to learn their methods,” Minh recalled.

Vu Mon Engineering and Technology Company in Binh Duong has been successful with its Vu Mon herbal tea thanks to receiving planting and production technology from the Institute of Application Development.

Vu Mon tea is produced by using lotus seeds and hearts as a substrate to create a favorable environment for plant growth and using cordyceps cultivation extract. The lotus flowers are marinated in the tea and dried before being sold to consumers.

Nguyen Thanh Tin, Director of the Vu Mon Company, said his company has two tea products – Nguyet Lien tea, drunk at night to promote good sleep, and Nhat Lien tea, drunk during the day – which have become popular with customers, especially in the US. The company is planning to introduce the brand in other countries, said Tin.

“It’s our honor to introduce our products to foreign markets,” said Tin, adding, “We have a team to help farmers understand the importance of producing organic products. Once everyone involved in the process agrees, the quality of export products will be guaranteed.”

Established in 2016, the Institute of Application Development has developed many products and transferred them to businesses and farm households.

The cataplasm extracted from cordyceps mushrooms and lingzhi mushrooms, for example, is produced in cooperation with the MHD Inocare Company.

The Institute has coordinated with the Khang Minh Pharmaceutical Company to cultivate both medicinal and edible mushrooms. Recently, the institute has worked with the Bien Ho Tea Company in Gia Lai province to create a new tea processing technology.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Thuong, the Institute’s Director, said that its 60 scientists in food, medicine, biotechnology, and medicinal chemistry are working to create products that will help businesses and farm households improve the profitability of their agricultural products.

“Depending on the needs of each field, we’ll gather the best team of experts in that field and apply the latest technology to produce useful products. Our research results are used by businesses to improve their competitiveness against foreign rivals. Our goal is to expand the export potential of raw agricultural materials and high-tech products,” said Thuong.

Foreign tourists visit the product display area of the Institute of Application Development of Thu Dau Mot University. (Photo: Thien Ly)

The Institute of Application Development of Thu Dau Mot University has two main functions: training as well as research and technology transfer. According to Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Rector of Thu Dau Mot University, the University will encourage the Institute to do more scientific research for farming and production.

He said the University will provide the Institute with funding for profession development and is considering turning the Institute into a business and plan to establish a Center for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer to connect and support procedural issues while the Institute focuses on research.

Binh Duong intends to increase the value of agricultural, forestry and fishery production 2.5-3% a year by 2025, with smart agricultural production contributing 30%. To help farmers shift to high-tech production, Binh Duong has adopted incentives for research and technology transfer.