Heaven never lets down the hard-working. In 2010, Hoàng Đức Thành earned more than 1 billion VND from coffee; in 2011, over 1.4 billion.
After returning early from an overseas labor contract in 2001, Thành arrived in Nghĩa Hưng Commune (Chư Păh District, Gia Lai) with little more than a few old clothes. A friend from Kon Tum, who had also worked abroad, lent him some money to buy a small plot of land to start over.
At that time coffee prices were only about 1,500 VND per kilogram—barely enough to cover costs. Many farmers cut down their coffee trees to plant other crops, but Thành thought differently: “Agriculture requires patience.” He bought technical manuals and even traveled to learn firsthand how to cultivate and care for coffee for higher yields.
His foresight proved right. Coffee prices gradually climbed, his income improved, and he invested in two fish ponds totaling 3,000 m². With money from selling coffee and fish, he and his wife saved to buy more land. After nearly ten years, they owned nine hectares: seven hectares of producing coffee, two hectares of macadamia trees, and 500 pepper vines. He also began raising a small breeding herd of cattle.
By 2010 he earned over 1 billion VND from coffee alone; in 2011 the figure reached 1.4 billion. With more coffee trees now fruiting, he expected about 2 billion VND in 2012. The macadamia orchard—over 800 trees, each already yielding 12–13 kg of nuts—promised nearly another 2 billion VND per harvest at current prices.
Having endured years of hardship, Thành understands the struggles of the poor. Beyond building wealth for his own family, he has helped neighbors such as Sơn, Phượng, Ngấn, and Rơ Châm Bho in the commune to grow coffee and macadamias; today they too enjoy stable incomes.
As we parted, his words lingered: “Ups and downs in life are just scratches—only if you fail to find the right remedy can they become real wounds.”