Sai Gon Kim Hong: Mechanization in service of farmers

“Perhaps heaven destined me to work in agriculture, so I simply have to follow that path,” Ms. Dao Thi Nhu He, Director of Sai Gon Kim Hong Trading and Service Co., Ltd., said with a smile.

As a woman pursuing a field long regarded as challenging, and driven by a passion for mechanics, she understands that the path she has chosen is far from easy. In fact, finding a woman genuinely devoted to agricultural mechanization like her is rare - not only in Viet Nam, but even around the world.

Bringing cluster rice seeders to the Mekong Delta

Born into a family with generations devoted to farming, Ms. He’s childhood was closely tied to her parents’ strenuous harvest seasons. Those memories left a lasting impression, prompting her to constantly ask herself: could technology help ease the burden on farmers?

Working as a Korean interpreter, she gradually saved enough to import three machines for her family’s use. Determined to pursue a new direction, she founded Sai Gon Kim Hong Company in 2008, distributing combine harvesters and providing rice transplanting services. However, the market was not yet ready. Farmers remained cautious, and high investment costs made the path toward mechanization far from smooth.

Fifteen years later, the Government’s project on “Sustainably developing one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030” has created fresh momentum for both businesses and farmers to innovate. Today, cluster seeding techniques combined with deep fertilizer placement are no longer unfamiliar to farmers in the Mekong Delta, becoming a hallmark of next-generation rice cultivation.

Agricultural expert Ngo Van Day, former Deputy Head of the Southern Office of the National Agricultural Extension Center, has described the cluster seeding-fertilizer placement solution as a “perfect pair” in rice farming.

The One Million Hectares of High-Quality and Low-Emission Rice Program has reignited the female entrepreneur’s passion, as she successfully persuaded farming communities to pursue more sustainable cultivation practices. Today, that flame burns more steadily, guided by greater maturity and determination.

“The most sustainable approach is to work directly with farmers and demonstrate the technology right in the fields. Farmers need businesses that are willing to take responsibility for their products. And for businesses, mechanization is a commitment to farmers,” the Director of Sai Gon Kim Hong shared.

In March 2024, the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a technical handbook on high-quality, low-emission rice production in the Mekong Delta, recognizing cluster seeding mechanization combined with deep fertilizer placement as a solution that improves fertilizer efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

More recently, on February 9, 2026, the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development officially recognized the technical advancement titled “Mechanized cluster seeding combined with deep fertilizer placement in rice production,” led by engineer Dao Thi Nhu He and her research team.

An economic equation for the key rice bowl

Cluster seeding mechanization helps save up to 60 kilograms of seed per hectare compared to broadcast seeding. Under the roadmap of the one-million-hectare project, by 2026 around 400,000 hectares are expected to adopt the high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation program. With the current average seed price at approximately VND 20,000 per kilogram, applying cluster seeding technology across the entire area could save an estimated VND 480 billion in input costs.

If combined with deep fertilizer placement, an additional VND 960 billion could be saved across the low-emission rice cultivation area. At present, under the farmer support linkage program between Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company and Sai Gon Kim Hong Company, farmers can apply fertilizer twice per crop instead of three times. This is equivalent to reducing 150 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare, saving around VND 2.4 million per hectare at an average fertilizer price of VND 16,000 per kilogram.

In total, if the cluster seeding-deep fertilizer placement technology is widely implemented, it could reduce input costs by nearly VND 1.5 trillion per year for the Mekong Delta, not including further savings on crop protection chemicals thanks to lower seeding density, better field ventilation and reduced pest pressure. These are tangible and substantial benefits for farmers as well as for the entire production region.

However, in reality, mechanized seeding has yet to be widely adopted, possibly because farmers have not fully prioritized seed reduction, even though this is a key criterion of the project. To lower production costs for farmers, the first step must be reducing seed use, as cutting seed rates also leads to reductions in other input costs. Yet this objective has not been clearly recognized during implementation.

Another issue lies in the role of traders who purchase paddy directly in the fields. They typically pay little attention to farmers’ seeding methods. Whether farmers sow 120 kg, 150 kg, or even 200 kg per hectare is not included in procurement conditions. As a result, farmers have little incentive to invest in or change their practices, while the final buyers - who wield significant influence over production decisions - remain detached from this criterion.

According to Ms. He, this represents a gap in the value chain: linkages between farmers and businesses are agreed upon at the beginning of the crop, but traders often sign contracts only about 10 days before harvest, making consistency in production practices difficult to achieve.

During pilot demonstrations under the One-million-hectare project, most participating enterprises performed well and achieved promising results. However, when scaling up in practice, not many farmers have the financial capacity to afford the technologies applied in large-scale demonstration fields.

Above all, Ms. He’s greatest motivation comes from the joy and satisfaction of farmers. Ms. Do Thi My, a farmer in Kien Minh commune, Hai Phong, and a customer of Sai Gon Kim Hong, shared: “Tet has become more relaxing thanks to cluster seeding technology.”

For farmers in northern Viet Nam, the Tet season is often a busy time, keeping early seedlings warm, taking advantage of each irrigation cycle to prepare the soil, and constantly watching the weather and cold spells. After years of hard work, Ms. My decided last year to invest in a cluster seeder and found the sowing and transplanting process far less strenuous. What she values most is having more time to gather with her children and grandchildren during the first days of the Lunar New Year - something truly precious for a farming family.

The nature of a mechanization enterprise differs significantly from that of an agricultural input supplier. Inputs such as seeds and fertilizers are used every season and farmers have many options on the market. Machinery, however, represents a long-term investment, expected to last for years and requiring ongoing maintenance costs. As a result, purchasing decisions are often slower and depend heavily on farmers’ trust and confidence.

“The One-million-hectare project has the potential to fundamentally transform farmers’ cultivation practices. To change the way farming is done, it is essential to have the support of businesses, international organizations, as well as initial assistance from the State for farmers,” Ms. He emphasized.

$ 1 = VND 26.175 - Source: Vietcombank.