Sturgeon Farms Bring New Income and Jobs to Thanh Hoa's Mountain Communities

Cold Mountain Streams Support a New Rural Business

By 2024, a sturgeon farm started by Luong Thi Luc and her husband, Pham Ngoc Thanh, in mountainous Thanh Hoa province was raising 20,000 fish a year, generating revenue approaching 2 billion VND and profits exceeding 600 million VND. Five local workers had regular jobs there, earning 6 million to 8 million VND a month, well above the regional average.

The business in Ban Xuan Son village, Son Dien commune, Quan Son district, grew from an observation beside the Suoi Sua stream in 2020: its water stayed cool and clean and flowed throughout the year. Those conditions offered a chance to raise sturgeon, a valuable fish that needs cold water and careful attention.

For communities long associated with poverty and traditional agriculture, the farm offers a different way to earn a living. Luc and Thanh have moved from an unsuccessful bamboo chopstick workshop to a business supplying urban markets and helping four other households enter aquaculture, the farming of fish and other aquatic animals.

A second operation, run by Ha Khac Sam at the foot of Pu Rinh mountain in Lang Chanh district, shows that the opportunity extends beyond Quan Son. His farm produces 8 to 9 tons of sturgeon and salmon annually, with revenue nearing 3 billion VND.

Both businesses also show why expansion requires care. Cold water alone is not enough: farmers face expensive infrastructure, demanding feeding schedules, disease risks and floods. Their experience points to an economic opportunity rooted in mountain water resources, but one that depends on skills, investment and protection of the streams that sustain it.

How a Failed Workshop Led to Fish Farming

Luc and Thanh both graduated in physical education in Hanoi. After marrying, they returned to Luc's native village in Quan Son, hoping to build a better life. Their first venture was a workshop making bamboo chopsticks, but unstable markets and low profits forced them to search for another business.

The turning point came during their 2020 visit to Suoi Sua. Thanh had relatives who had successfully raised sturgeon in Yen Bai, giving him a practical example of what might be possible. He proposed trying the same species in their village, and Luc immediately agreed.

The couple began researching the fish and preparing the infrastructure. Their decision joined a local natural resource, a stream with a steady supply of cool water, to experience gained elsewhere. It also meant entering a technically demanding activity outside the subject they had studied.

The development of the two farming ventures stretches across more than a decade:

• 2010: Ha Khac Sam began his farm in Lang Chanh with support from local authorities and a personal investment exceeding 400 million VND.
• 2020: Luc and Thanh identified the potential of Suoi Sua stream and began preparing their sturgeon venture.
• 2023: The couple established the Thanh Luc Aquaculture Cooperative to organise production, marketing and support for other households.
• 2024: Their operation was raising 20,000 sturgeon annually, with revenue approaching 2 billion VND and profits above 600 million VND.

The Cost of Getting the First Fish to Survive

Luc and Thanh had to build much of what their remote location lacked. They invested heavily in access roads, an electricity supply, cement tanks and a system carrying water directly from the stream into the tanks.

Their first batch contained more than 1,000 juvenile sturgeon brought from Sapa in Lao Cai province. Many died during the early phase. The couple's limited experience and the difficulty of transporting sensitive young fish over a long distance made the start especially challenging.

Agricultural extension officers and sturgeon specialists helped them improve their methods. Luc and Thanh learned to watch water temperature, oxygen levels and feeding schedules closely. Each of those conditions affects whether the fish remain healthy and grow.

Why Water and Feeding Need Constant Attention

Sturgeon at the farm need water temperatures between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius, a constant supply of oxygen and a steady flow of clean water. Changes in those conditions can lead to disease or deaths across a large part of the stock. A reliable stream is therefore central to the business, while daily monitoring helps farmers respond when conditions change.

The tanks must be deep enough and provide sufficient space. The farming approach described uses tanks 1.2 to 1.4 metres deep, with an area of 20 to 35 square metres. Water circulates continuously to resemble the flowing river environment in which the fish naturally live.

Feeding adds another demanding routine. Young sturgeon need food every two hours, including at night. Feed must be of high quality and is often imported to support growth and the flavour of the fish. These requirements make labour, feed and technical knowledge recurring costs, even after the tanks have been built.

After about a year of learning through experience, Luc and Thanh achieved their first successful harvest. They sold more than two tons of sturgeon at prices ranging from 180,000 to 220,000 VND per kilogram. After expenses, their profit was nearly 100 million VND.

That return was substantial in an area where most families relied on slash and burn agriculture. It gave the couple a basis for expansion, but followed a period of losses and close attention to the fish rather than an immediate financial success.

A Family Farm Becomes a Cooperative

Luc and Thanh expanded after their first harvest. By 2024, annual production involved 20,000 sturgeon, revenue was approaching 2 billion VND and profit exceeded 600 million VND. Revenue is the money a business receives from sales; profit is what remains after its expenses.

The five regular jobs created at the farm bring monthly wages of 6 million to 8 million VND into local households. For the area, those wages offer an alternative to depending entirely on traditional farming and are above the regional average.

The Thanh Luc Aquaculture Cooperative, established in 2023, gave the couple a way to coordinate production and marketing while helping neighbours begin farming. They now supply fingerlings, meaning young fish, as well as feed and technical guidance to four other households in Quan Son.

Urban Buyers and Recognition for Local Fish

Sturgeon raised in Thanh Hoa reaches restaurants and tourist destinations in Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. Those outlets connect production in remote mountain communities with customers in major urban and tourism markets.

The product has received a three star OCOP certification. OCOP stands for One Commune One Product, a government programme recognising quality local speciality products. The recognition has helped increase demand and open access to new markets.

The cooperative brings several parts of that trade together: obtaining young fish and feed, sharing production knowledge and organising sales. For households entering a demanding new activity, access to those inputs and guidance can help them move beyond the limits of an isolated family operation.

Growing domestic demand for locally produced sturgeon of high quality provides room for further development. Export potential is also part of the opportunity identified for the industry, while the existing trade described here centres on Vietnamese restaurants and tourist destinations.

At Pu Rinh, Floods Tested an Earlier Pioneer

Ha Khac Sam, known as the "Sturgeon King" of Thanh Hoa, began his venture in 2010. With support from local authorities and more than 400 million VND of his own money, he developed a farm at the foot of Pu Rinh mountain in Lang Chanh district.

Sam faced repeated setbacks, including devastating floods that wiped out entire crops of fish. His experience shows how a business dependent on mountain water can also be exposed to its destructive force. Persistence and changes to his farming methods helped him continue.

He now operates the province's largest sturgeon and salmon farm, producing a combined 8 to 9 tons annually. Revenue is nearing 3 billion VND, with annual profits of 500 million to 600 million VND. The production figure covers both species raised at the farm.

Sam's operation provides stable employment for several local workers and attracts visitors interested in aquaculture and ecological tourism. It has become a regional model for combining fish farming with an interest in the surrounding mountain environment.

The two ventures have different histories, but both relied on substantial investment and learning through setbacks. Luc and Thanh struggled to keep their first young fish alive; Sam lost entire crops to floods. Their later earnings sit alongside those earlier risks.

New Income, Women's Leadership and Local Tourism

Luc, a Muong woman, has been recognised by the Thanh Hoa Women's Union as an exemplary female entrepreneur. Her leadership and willingness to share knowledge have encouraged others in her community to consider new economic activities.

For women and ethnic minority communities, the farm offers an example of local business ownership beyond subsistence agriculture. Its benefits also reach workers and neighbouring households receiving fish, feed and advice through the cooperative.

Sturgeon farming creates wider business activity around the farms and can encourage young people to remain in their communities rather than move to cities for work. For successful households, it has brought a shift from subsistence production to entrepreneurship, with incomes that rival those available in urban areas.

Luong Van Chien, vice chairman of Son Dien commune, identifies the model as the first of its kind in Quan Son. He sees potential for replication at three to four other locations with suitable water resources. That condition matters: the scope for expansion depends on finding places with water that can support the fish.

Trinh Duc Hung, chairman of Tri Nang commune, also highlights the connection between sturgeon farming, economic development and community tourism. Visits to farms could combine the natural beauty of the mountains with meals featuring locally raised sturgeon, an approach already reflected in visitor interest at Sam's operation.

Expansion Depends on Skills, Finance and Healthy Streams

New farmers face substantial costs before they can sell a fish. Roads, electricity, tanks and water systems require investment, while feed remains expensive throughout production. For many families, the initial bill can put the activity beyond reach without access to finance.

Technical training is equally necessary. Sturgeon are sensitive to environmental changes, and farmers need specialised knowledge to manage water quality, temperature, feeding and disease risks. The experience at Luc and Thanh's farm shows the value of advice from agricultural extension officers and specialists.

Local governments are exploring support through technical training, access to credit and market development initiatives. Expansion will also require new entrants to have the resources and skills to maintain product quality as more households begin production.

Mountain streams must remain healthy for farming to last. Water use needs to avoid depleting local supplies or damaging ecosystems downstream. Waste management and responsible sourcing of feed are also necessary to protect the environment on which the farms depend.

The next stage of growth is still being explored, with no specific expansion timetable given. The opportunity combines fish sales, local employment and tourism, while the practical tasks remain concrete: secure suitable water, prepare farmers, finance infrastructure and manage production responsibly.

Luc, Thanh and Sam have demonstrated that cold water aquaculture can generate substantial earnings in difficult mountain settings. Extending those benefits to more families will depend on carrying the same attention to skills and resources into each new location.

Key Points

• By 2024, Luc and Thanh's farm was raising 20,000 sturgeon annually, with revenue approaching 2 billion VND and profits exceeding 600 million VND.
• Their five regular workers earn 6 million to 8 million VND a month, and their cooperative supports four other households in Quan Son.
• Thanh Hoa sturgeon is sold in Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh and has received a three star OCOP certification.
• Ha Khac Sam's farm produces 8 to 9 tons of sturgeon and salmon annually, generating profits of 500 million to 600 million VND.
• Sturgeon farming requires cool, clean, flowing water, constant monitoring, frequent feeding and substantial investment.
• Local officials see potential for further farms and tourism, with training, finance and environmental protection central to expansion.