Vietnamese women revive traditional vocations with modern innovations

Three Vietnamese women have made a mark for themselves and the nation’s agricultural sector by reviving traditional vocations using modern innovations and reaching out to the world with quality products.

Born and raised in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, famous for palms that line rice fields and other areas, Chau Ngoc Dieu witnessed their decline and that of the Khmer tradition of making palm sugar.

Competition with refined sugarcane products saw palm farmers’ incomes plummet and their vocation pushed to the brink.

Sweet success

In 2017, Ngoc Dieu and two friends founded Palmania Company, a business rooted in her hometown’s palm sugar making tradition. They were looking to revive the vocation with modern processing, packaging and distribution.

Though Palmania's factory measures just 60 square meters, it boasts modern machinery and follows a strict production process, from sourcing raw materials to processing, packaging and distribution. The company’s “purely natural palm sugar” hit the market at the height of the “eat healthy, live healthy” movement and found rapid acceptance.

Today, An Giang province-headquartered Palmania distributes its products in 12 provinces and cities through 37 plus sales points which including safe and clean food stores as well as online platforms. The company also exports its products to Japan, South Korea, England and the Netherlands, generating annual revenues of approximately $100,000.

Ordinary plants, extraordinary products

In 2016, inspired by the success of Japanese matcha powder, Quang Ngai native Nguyen Ngoc Huong launched a business making pennywort powder.

Deciding to put her experience in vegetable powder processing to good use, she pooled VND300 million ($11,802) with her associates and founded Thien Nhien Viet Co., Ltd.

A year after establishing a pennywort farm in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City, she had access to high-quality raw material.

Using freeze-drying technology to preserve the nutrients and flavor of the vegetables, she and her team developed an instant pennywort powder that quickly gained market acceptance.

Support from the HCMC Department of Science and Technology’s Speed Up startup program helped the company upscale its operations.

By 2019, Thien Nhien Viet had exported more than 10,000 units of powdered products, including pennywort, perilla, fish mint and moringa, to the Netherlands.

As of early 2024, the company was offering six certified products under the OCOP (One Community One Product) program, including its flagship instant pennywort powder, now available in major supermarket chains like Co.opmart and Co.opXtra.

Another critical factor was ensuring compliance with food safety regulations, maintaining high-quality standards, and using eye-catching, professional packaging. “Quality must always come first,” she emphasized.

Nguyen Ngoc Diep, director of Tien Giang province-headquartered Xuan Ron Cho Gao Cocoa Co., Ltd. and co-founder of the Alluvia Chocolatier brand, has a different story to tell.

She returned to her hometown of Tien Giang in 2013 after spending many years abroad, aiming to develop products from the Mekong Delta province’s cocoa fruit.

Setting out by selling cocoa powder, butter and roasted beans, she began making chocolate and introducing it to local supermarkets by 2016.

Her perseverance through early struggles has paid off.

In late 2017, Alluvia’s unique Vietnamese chocolate made its way to Japan and Taiwan.

“Japanese consumers love the distinct flavor and cultural packaging, while U.S. customers are intrigued by the unusual, attractive taste,” she said.

The Covid-19 pandemic, however, presented fresh challenges. Store closures and halted operations almost wiped out the company.

Undaunted, Alluvia began offering cocoa plantation tours and factory-based chocolate-making experiences. Since 2020, this innovative approach has drawn thousands upon thousands of visitors and helped the business stay afloat.

Local goes global

The three women who set out to revive and sustain traditional vocations have also overcome different challenges to break through into international markets.

Diep faced the perception challenge of chocolate being associated all over the world with Swiss craftsmanship.

But she has carved out a niche in the market by producing handcrafted chocolate using homegrown cocoa and spices.

“Our chocolate, infused with ingredients like coconut, ginger, pepper and cinnamon, aims to elevate the value of Vietnamese agricultural products, especially cocoa beans. It also introduces regional specialties to global consumers,” she said.

By blending cocoa with products like Ben Tre coconut, Phu Quoc pepper, Cao Bang ginger, Northwestern mac khen seeds, and fruits such as mango, pineapple and banana from the Mekong Delta region, Alluvia Chocolatier has created products that stand apart from foreign brands.

Each year, Alluvia requires around 40 tons of cocoa beans. To meet this demand, the company collaborates with households in Tien Giang, cultivating a raw material area spanning 800 hectares along the Tien River.

Alluvia is also expanding its partnerships with cooperatives and farmers in Tra Vinh and Ben Tre provinces, ensuring both quality and quantity of cocoa beans.

This strategy supports domestic consumption while maintaining exports to established markets like Japan, the U.S., and Taiwan. Alluvia has plans to enter new markets, including Dubai, Thailand and Europe, in the near future.

For Huong of Thien Nhien Viet Co., Ltd, breaking into the Dutch market was a pivotal moment. To satisfy strict requirements of this demanding market, her products, including pennywort powder, perilla, fish mint, and moringa had to pass rigorous quality checks.

Passing the tests gave her products a passport to enter new markets in the U.S., Europe, South Korea, and China.

Huong said the key to success was leveraging local specialties to deliver unique flavors that but also reflect Vietnamese agricultural heritage.

Building on its success, Thien Nhien Viet aims to collaborate with other businesses and partners in the value chain to create greater benefits. So far this year, the company has participated in international trade fairs in Japan, Germany and Thailand, connecting with numerous potential buyers.

Meanwhile, Diep with Palmania plans to launch new products like canned palm water and is exploring export opportunities in markets like Australia.