Vietnam: Son La farmer returns from industrial electrician job to build 11 ponds and tanks, first season yields 15 tonnes of sturgeon at VND 170,000/kg

According to Vietnam Fisheries Magazine, Vì Văn Đặm, a farmer in Nong Cụt village, Đoàn Kết commune, Son La province, Vietnam, currently maintains a farming system of 11 ponds and tanks, raising market fish including sturgeon, green carp, grass carp and monosex hybrid tilapia. Products are ordered directly by traders, restaurants and hotels in the Mộc Châu national tourism area as well as in some surrounding areas. Raising multiple species diversifies the farm's supply to meet the consumption needs of different customer groups.

Before reaching the current scale of production, Đặm went through a period of trying a new economic direction. He had previously worked for many years as an industrial electrician in Bắc Ninh province. While working away from home, he noticed strong consumer demand for sturgeon and specialty fish at restaurants and tourism areas, and began learning about cold-water fish farming techniques. When he found that Nong Cụt village had abundant stream water and suitable temperatures, he decided to return home and invest in production.

According to information published in Sơn La Newspaper, in mid-2024 he used his savings, borrowed VND 100 million from the Bank for Social Policies, and mobilized additional resources from relatives and friends, investing more than VND 1 billion to build 3 solid farming tanks on an area of more than 1,200 square metres. The system was equipped with oxygen supply equipment, water filtration devices and intake and drainage pipes, and was stocked with 10,000 sturgeon fingerlings.

The biggest difficulty in the early stage was gaining experience in caring for this species, which has high environmental requirements. He had to study fingerling selection techniques, water quality management, feed adjustment and fish health monitoring. One year later, the survival rate of the first batch exceeded 70%, with the largest individuals weighing up to 4.5 kg. His family harvested more than 15 tonnes of market fish at a selling price of about VND 170,000/kg, generating revenue of more than VND 2 billion.

The initial results gave him the motivation to continue investing and expand the farm. In 2026, in addition to sturgeon, he added other market fish species and increased the number of farming ponds and tanks to 11. This direction not only makes use of the existing water conditions but also gives the farm greater control over its product mix.

Đặm said that farming cold-water fish requires producers to regularly monitor environmental parameters, especially temperature and dissolved oxygen content. Water quality, fingerlings and care regimes all directly affect fish growth rates and survival rates. Therefore, while expanding scale, his family still gives priority to environmental control and fish stock quality management.

Starting from a new investment direction, Đặm's farm is gradually developing into commercial production activities linked to consumption demand from the tourism market. This is also an experience that local farmers with suitable water conditions can draw on when choosing high-value species to farm.