From farmland to forest biotech: Entrepreneur builds 19 million seedlings a year

Inside a sprawling 60,000-square-metre complex of laboratories and greenhouses, millions of acacia and eucalyptus seedlings grow under fluorescent lights in sterile glass jars.

At the centre of it all is Thái Xuân Biên, director of Thái Xuân Biên Forestry Biotechnology Joint Stock Company, whose journey into biotechnology began with the sale of his family’s only piece of farmland.

Using an initial investment of 300 million VND (about $11,500), the 40-year-old entrepreneur from Cửu An Commune entered a field in which he had no formal experience. Six years later, his company produces around 19 million seedlings annually.

Biên says his path into forestry biotechnology was shaped by years spent working in timber and sugar factories, where he saw the challenges faced by forest growers relying on inconsistent and disease-prone seedlings.

* In 2019, when you decided to sell your land to start a business, many must have called it a gamble. What gave you enough confidence to stake your family’s entire assets on a field you’d never worked in before?

- I spent years working in timber and sugar factories. The more I traveled, the more I saw how hard life was for forest growers, low efficiency due to inconsistent, disease-prone seedlings.

When I returned home to open a small nursery, I realized that producing quality seedlings made it easier to sell, and it eased the burden for farmers.

My initial capital of 300 million VND (about $11,500) came from selling my family’s only plot of farmland. If you don’t dare to change, you’ll be stuck in poverty forever. I accepted that risk.

* The leap from a small nursery to tissue culture technology is a big one. How did you approach this technology?

- I reached out to the Institute of Forest Tree Breeding and Biotechnology under the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences. We collaborated through the project “Development of Forest Tree Varieties for Economic Plantation”.

From there, I gradually mastered the process of propagating acacia and eucalyptus through plant cell tissue culture. I believe this is the future of Vietnam’s forestry sector, as the government has identified this technology as one of ten strategic technology groups.

* What was the most difficult moment in your entrepreneurial journey?

- It wasn’t a lack of money; it was the fear of letting down those who believed in me.

Back then, Võ Thành Triền followed me from the days of the small nursery, enduring all kinds of hardships. There was also Huỳnh Thị Xuân Thương, the first tissue culture technician I trained myself, learning and working without fear of difficulty.

They believed in me when I had nothing to show. That pressure was greater than any number.

* And then, what changed?

- The first tissue-cultured seedlings succeeded. When I saw those tiny plants move from glass jars to the greenhouse and grow strong, I was truly moved.

For many, it was just a seedling. For me, it was proof that farmers can do high-tech if they are determined enough. From then on, I never doubted my path again.

Biên says the company’s tissue-cultured seedlings now achieve survival rates above 95% and yields between 15% and 30% higher than traditional varieties.

In 2025, the Intellectual Property Office granted the trademarks “Tissue-cultured Acacia” and “Tissue-cultured Eucalyptus” under the Thái Xuân Biên name, reinforcing the company’s growing reputation in the forestry sector.

* From revenue of 4.2 billion VND (about $161,000) in 2023 to 22 billion VND (about $844,000) in 2025, what is your secret to growth?

- Trust.

When Japanese partners and Quy Nhơn Afforestation Co., Ltd. choose our seedlings, it’s not just a contract, it’s validation of quality. Forestry customers won’t stick with low-quality products.

When they see their forests thriving, they come back and refer others. Our seedlings are now present in Khánh Hòa, Nghệ An, Quảng Bình, Quảng Ninh, Đắk Lắk, Đồng Nai and Cà Mau.

Many nurseries use our seedlings as foundation stock for further propagation, that’s what truly creates a ripple effect.

* Can you tell us about a special customer who believed in your seedlings from the very beginning?

- The person I’m most grateful to is Phan Chí Thành, owner of a nursery in Khánh Hòa.

At that time, our products were virtually unknown in the market. But Mr. Thành dared to buy in large quantities, even paying in advance so the company could maintain production. He also proactively introduced us to many other customers.

For a startup, that trust is worth far more than the value of any order. On this journey, meeting someone who believes in you during tough times is a rare blessing.

The company has also introduced digital management systems to monitor production batches, including variety source codes, sampling dates, contamination rates, rooting rates and nursery survival rates.

* Your company has also implemented digital transformation in production management…

- We’ve built a data system to track every production batch, including source code of the variety, date of sampling, culture medium formula, contamination rate, rooting rate and survival rate after moving to the nursery.

Customer information, shipping dates and field feedback are all digitized and integrated into a central system. Inventory of materials, chemicals, electricity and irrigation water are also tightly monitored through data.

Soon, we’ll install surveillance cameras, electronic logs and automated reporting so management can monitor all operational indicators from anywhere.

For us, digital transformation isn’t just about looking modern, it’s about ensuring no mistakes slip through in the seedling production process.

Biên says he regularly visits customers’ forests to gather field data and evaluate the performance of his seedlings under real conditions.

* The “Thái Xuân Biên High-Tech Agriculture Project” you’re seeking investment approval for, how does it differ from what you already have?

- Our current facility has achieved a lot, but it’s still limited in infrastructure and capacity.

Once approved and fully operational, expected in 2029, the project will standardize all laboratory infrastructure, expand production capacity and become a centre for research and technology transfer of forestry seedlings for the Central Highlands and South Central Coast.

The goal is stable annual revenue of about 150 billion VND (around $5.75 million) and jobs for more than 500 local workers.

Japanese and Chinese partners have already engaged and highly rated our technology, not because we’re cheap, but because we deliver results.

* More broadly, in your view, what does high-tech agriculture in Vietnam still lack to develop more strongly?

- We don’t lack potential or people willing to act; what’s missing most is synchronized linkage between science and technology, investment capital and sustainable market access.

Many farmers want to apply technology, but initial costs are high, and access to capital and technical transfer remains difficult. Quite a few models have had to stop due to unstable markets.

For high-tech agriculture to truly break through, there needs to be stronger connections between the State, businesses, scientists and farmers.

More importantly, Vietnam must invest in mastering core technologies instead of relying on imports. Only when we master technology can Vietnamese agriculture compete internationally.

* Nominated by Cửu An Commune as an “Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer,” what message do you want to send to rural youth standing at a crossroads?

- I’ve learned that your starting point doesn’t determine your future.

I began with 300 million VND (about $11,500) from my family’s only plot of land, no university degree, no research experience, but if you know what problem you’re solving and for whom, and you work with true integrity, technology becomes a tool, not a barrier.

Today’s agriculture is no longer about “selling your face to the earth, your back to the sky.” The land is the same, but the way we work with it has completely changed.