A former city technician and his wife turned a VND500 million investment into a 1,000 sqm mushroom farm that now earns about VND1 billion a year. Their story shows how skill and careful scaling can create a profitable business.

Duc spent nearly ten years at the Center for Mushroom Research and Development, where he gained technical expertise in mushroom cultivation. His background in mechanical engineering and machinery operation also helped him design efficient production processes.

In 2022 the couple began with an initial capital of around VND500 million and a 1,000 sqm plot. They first produced 5,000‑10,000 substrate blocks to learn the process, then expanded to about 50,000 blocks a year, harvesting roughly 100 kg of oyster mushrooms each day and sometimes up to 200 kg, which they sell for about VND30,000 per kilogram.

To keep costs low, they prepare their own substrate from locally sourced sawdust, rice straw, corn bran, rice bran and lime, following the method Duc described. However, the local climate—cold winters and the hot, dry Lao winds in summer—makes mushroom output fall sharply during the hot months.

The farm now produces more than 30 tonnes of mushrooms annually, generating roughly VND1 billion in revenue and an estimated profit of VND300 million after expenses. Their experience illustrates that combining technical knowledge with careful cost control can turn a modest start‑up into a thriving enterprise.