Not only skilled in farming and livestock, Nguyễn Xuân Bình of Đồng Thanh Hamlet, Thiệu Tâm Commune (Thiệu Hóa District, Thanh Hóa Province) is known as the first person to successfully grow coffee on sandy soil. His achievement has opened a new direction for economic development on the alluvial land along the Chu River.
To build a lush, high-yield coffee plantation like today, Bình had to sacrifice much—his job, his savings, even his reputation. Driven by a passion for coffee that made him forget food and sleep, he boldly brought coffee plants from the Central Highlands back to his sandy hometown and eventually proved it could thrive.
Before deciding to plant coffee, Bình spent years studying through books, newspapers, and radio programs. Whenever possible, he travelled to Đắk Lắk to observe local farmers’ planting and care techniques firsthand. For eight years (1998–2006), he made the trip twice a year to learn. “I read and watched stories of people getting rich from coffee. I told myself, if they can do it, why can’t I? Once I had the knowledge, I decided to bring this high-value crop home,” he said.
His path was far from easy. When he asked for land to plant coffee, Thiệu Tâm commune officials strongly opposed it. Many thought he was crazy to bring a crop suited to the Central Highlands climate to Thanh Hóa. “But when they saw I was determined, the commune eventually leased me one hectare of land along the Chu River. Despite the gossip, my wife and children supported me,” Bình recalled.
After securing the land, he invested 8 million VND to buy over 1,000 coffee seedlings. With solid technical know-how, planting and care went smoothly. The riverside soil was fertile and near an abundant water source, so the plants grew quickly. “When the coffee adapted to Thanh Hóa’s climate, the historic heatwaves of 2009 and 2010 hit and affected the crop. Many people whispered that I should cut the trees for firewood. I ignored them, brought a pump to the Chu River and watered continuously. Thanks to that, the coffee survived the scorching drought. Afterward, it flourished and soon blossomed and fruited,” Bình said proudly.
In 2010, the first harvest yielded two tons of coffee beans, selling for over 70 million VND. His bold experiment finally earned the respect of neighbors and even local authorities, who were delighted to see branches heavy with ripe red cherries—a promising new path for the commune.
Bình plans to expand to six hectares soon and aims for fifteen hectares by 2015. He also intends to establish a company for coffee production and processing. “My biggest challenge now is land. The commune has agreed to lease me another five hectares, but that’s still not enough. I hope local authorities will continue to support me so I can further develop coffee in Thiệu Hóa,” he said.
Nguyễn Xuân Bình’s success in growing coffee on sandy, alluvial soil truly marks a pioneering direction, proving that coffee can take root and thrive even on Thanh Hóa’s sandy riverbanks.