Lifestyle

Digital Platforms Enable Hanoi Suburban Farmers to Increase Profits

Hanoi's farmers have embraced the era of Industry 4.0 by utilizing social networks to market and promote their agricultural produce.

Administrator

22 August, 2023

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After fifteen years since its incorporation into Hanoi, the rural area of Me Linh District has experienced significant transformations in its economy, advancements in science and technology, and enhancements in social life.

In order to optimize sales, local farmers are embracing cutting-edge technologies to enhance crop quality and output, as well as to market their produce on digital platforms.

Promotes household farm produce

Hanoi farmer, Le Van Ca, has taken it upon himself to master the art of video shooting and editing in order to promote roses in Me Linh District. This passionate farmer is determined to showcase the beauty of roses and raise awareness about their cultivation. In a stunning photograph captured by Hoa Hong Me Linh, we see Le Van Ca in action, fully dedicated to his mission.

Only a select few shoppers in Hanoi are aware that the captivating and exotic roses sold at Tay Tuu Flower Village and Quang Ba Flower Market actually originate from the picturesque Me Linh Flower Village.

Le Van Ca, a young farmer from Me Linh District, has chosen to pursue a prosperous career on his family’s farm, despite his background in information technology. His passion for promoting local rose farming and educating others about basic rose care techniques led him and a group of friends to establish the Hoa Hong Me Linh Facebook fan page. Through this platform, they aim to share their personal photos and videos, making valuable resources accessible to enthusiasts.

The video production team is comprised of two members who utilize a basic camera. However, their promotional videos advocating for local rose cultivation have gained immense popularity, accumulating millions of views on various social media platforms.

Le Van Ca has become a recognized figure in the local community of rose enthusiasts, thanks to his active presence on social networking platforms. Through these channels, he not only showcases and sells a wide range of rose varieties, but also imparts valuable knowledge on cultivation and maintenance practices to fellow enthusiasts.

“I have been avidly following the informative video clips and posts shared by Le Van Ca’s expert team for the past two years to enhance my knowledge and understanding of the intricate art of rose care and gardening,” expressed Thu Huong, residing in Ba Dinh District. “Consistently captivating and immensely helpful, his videos have proven to be an invaluable resource for budding rose enthusiasts such as myself.”

Creating Engaging and Attention-Grabbing Content

A beautiful rose bonsai planted by Hanoi’s farmer Le Van Ca. Photo: Hoa Hong Me Linh

Launched amidst the Covid-19 pandemic roughly three years ago, their channel has amassed an impressive following of over 246,000 subscribers, with more than two million likes and millions of views. The audience greatly appreciates the floriculturists’ charming, down-to-earth, and delightfully comedic content.

During each livestream shopping session, the Hoa Hong Me Linh or Me Linh Rose channels on various social platforms are able to successfully close several hundred to a thousand deals, generating revenues ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong. Consequently, the annual revenue of Ca’s business reaches billions of Vietnamese dong.

He shared that, “Initially, my goal was simply to create instructional videos on growing and maintaining roses. However, as my channel and the Me Linh roses brand gained popularity, I began considering the opportunity to sell plants on various social media platforms.”

Ca has declined numerous advertising offers because he prioritizes being recognized as a farmer, rather than profiting from sensationalism or gossip on social media platforms.

There are hundreds of varieties of roses in the young farmer’s garden, including this blue one. Photo: Hoa Hong Me Linh

With his charismatic sense of humor and charmingly rustic appeal, the videos created by our esteemed founder have consistently garnered resounding success. Notably, a significant portion of our plant buyers are individuals who have had the pleasure of viewing these captivating clips. Consequently, our sales during the Tet holiday season have experienced a remarkable increase of 2-3 times as compared to previous years.

One day, Tran Nhu Quynh and her husband traveled to Me Linh at 6 a.m. to meet Ca, seeking advice. Quynh expressed her admiration for Ca’s videos, noting their brevity, simplicity, and captivating nature. She further commended Ca for extending the same enthusiasm and humor in providing guidance both online and in person.

My passion lies in spending a majority of my time engaging in the art of gardening.

The young farmers took proactive measures instead of waiting for merchants to approach them, in accordance with tradition. Presently, Le Van Ca has established a team of approximately twelve individuals responsible for managing his online sales platform.

The Me Linh roses have gained popularity amongst a larger audience since their promotion on various social networking platforms. As a result, Ca’s flower garden is now consistently bustling with visitors on weekends.

These works of art are made from roses planted in Le Van Ca’s garden.Photo: Hoa Hong Me Linh

After successfully establishing numerous customer groups to offer guidance and address inquiries regarding floral species and maintenance, Ca mentioned, “As my social media presence grew, I found it challenging to balance flower care, customer support, and content creation on various platforms. These responsibilities are all quite time-consuming. Consequently, I made the decision to expand my team in order to streamline customer management and provide enhanced services.”

Nguyen Manh Chinh, hailing from Me Linh District, has been an integral part of Ca’s career since its inception. Reflecting on the success of their shared content on social media platforms, Chinh finds the substantial income generated as a great source of motivation to consistently produce top-notch videos.

Ca and his team dedicate a limited amount of time each day, usually one to two hours, to creating video content. Chinh emphasizes that their main focus remains on their primary occupation of planting flowers. As a result, there is no pre-planned script involved in their filming process. They simply record footage as they go and utilize any available breaks to edit the content.

With the aim of expanding its customer base, the budding floriculturist aspires to venture into the international market by offering exceptional rose bonsai.

Part of Me Linh Rose Garden.

Ca and his friends dedicate their time to researching grafting and maintenance techniques as they expand their flower garden. Additionally, they actively engage in creating content on social networks to reach their target market. To ensure the plants receive proper care, experienced locals have been hired to oversee their maintenance.

In addition, Ca frequently embarks on trips to various destinations in order to expand his knowledge and disseminate flower-growing techniques. He has even delved into researching and devising irrigation and pesticide spraying systems as a means to save time and cut down on expenses.

In the era of Industry 4.0, Vietnamese farmers are showcasing their ingenuity and market savvy, fueling substantial growth in their hometowns and bolstering agricultural and rural economic development.