Transforming a deep-forest ‘miracle medicine’ into 4-star OCOP products

From a barren hillside, Nguyen Van Khon in Hung Thinh commune (Dong Nai), recognized as an Excellent Farmer of Vietnam in 2024 and a Representative Farmer in 2025, has written a proud narrative for farmers in the new era. He is the guardian of the rare xao tam phan (Paramignya trimera) gene pool, having developed this medicinal plant into a 4-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) brand.

The rush for medicinal herbs and the decision to preserve rare genetics

In the early 2010s, xao tam phan, a rare medicinal herb found primarily in Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan, was rumored to be a "miracle drug" capable of supporting the treatment of many critical illnesses. A fever for xao tam phan spread across rural areas, prompting people to rush into forests to dig up roots and exploit the plant spontaneously, pushing the species to the brink of extinction. At that time, there were no organized models for cultivation, conservation, or quality control.

Starting from a personal need to find medicine for a relative, Nguyen Van Khon began his journey to locate xao tam phan. Unlike those who merely wanted to "hunt" the valuable herb, he was troubled by a question: if everyone dug up the plant to the point of extermination, who would preserve this rare variety? Furthermore, without quality control, would the medicinal value remain intact?

In 2012, Khon decided to leave his stable job as a telecommunications engineer in Ho Chi Minh City to return to his hometown in Dong Nai. He cleared his family’s harvesting pepper and cashew garden to plant xao tam phan on the arid hillside experimentally. "If successful, I preserve a rare gene pool. If I fail, consider it the payment for the debt to my own choice," Khon recounted.

He poured all his capital into the venture, traveling to Khanh Hoa to purchase 1,400 xao tam phan seedlings. At that time, few people believed he was doing the right thing; some even opposed him fiercely. Surprisingly, the first batch took root and grew well, proving that xao tam phan adapted perfectly to the climate and soil of his hometown. The plant was drought-resistant, suffered from few pests, and was suitable for organic farming with limited chemical use.

Just as hope was kindled, a major crisis struck. Nearly 10,000 xao tam phan plants in his garden simultaneously turned yellow and withered due to poor-quality fertilizer, forcing him to uproot the entire crop. Left empty-handed, in debt, and under pressure from public opinion, many advised him to stop. However, he refused to give up.

He quietly started over, borrowing more money to rebuild the garden while changing his approach. He switched to organic farming, strictly controlled seedling sources, and gradually perfected a clean, closed-loop planting process. Crucially, he shifted from sexual propagation using seeds to asexual propagation via cuttings to avoid cross-pollination, a factor that can easily alter medicinal properties. Based on this foundation, his xao tam phan cultivation area gradually stabilized, with plants growing robustly and maintaining high medicinal content.

To date, across 5.6 hectares, Khon owns more than 500,000 xao tam phan plants for raw material, many of which are over 6 years old. The older the plant, the higher its medicinal value. Leaves can be harvested after three years, while the stems and roots, the parts with the most outstanding value, can be exploited from the sixth year onwards.

According to Khon, fresh leaves and stems currently fetch approximately 300,000 VND (USD 12) per kilogram; fresh roots cost about 1 million VND (USD 40) per kilogram, with selected premium types reaching up to 5 million VND (USD 200) per kilogram. The average processing ratio is 3 kilograms of fresh material to 1 kilogram of dry product. After deducting expenses, his family achieves a profit of approximately 1 billion VND (approx. USD 40,000) per year.

Building a sustainable medicinal value chain

Determined that medicinal plant development is only sustainable when linked to a closed value chain, Khon established Tam Tam An Medicinal Materials Co., Ltd. in 2020. He invested in workshops and modern equipment, manufacturing in accordance with Ministry of Health standards. From the xao tam phan raw material, the company researched and developed 9 product lines, including herbal tea, medicinal wine, and health-support supplements in pill form, 4 of which have achieved 4-star OCOP standards. These products not only meet requirements for safety, quality, and traceability but also carry a story about gene conservation, organic production, and benefit-sharing with growers.

From the foundation of his cultivation area and processing factory, Khon continued to share the model with the community, building a linkage chain with farmers. In early 2024, with the support of the Dong Nai Farmers' Union, he and other households established the Professional Farmers' Branch for xao tam phan cultivation in Hung Thinh commune, comprising 15 members.

The model operates on the principle that the enterprise provides standardized seedlings at a preferential price (about 50,000 VND per plant), supports planting techniques, care, and organic harvesting processes, and underwrites the entire output at a stable price. According to calculations, after five years, each hectare of xao tam phan can yield a profit of about 300 million VND per year, significantly higher than many traditional crops grown under the same arid soil conditions.

Le Huu Thien, a member of the Standing Committee of the Dong Nai Gardening Association, assessed: "Mr. Khon's model of planting and processing xao tam phan brings economic efficiency while aligning with the direction of clean agriculture and a green economy, reducing the pressure of exploiting natural medicinal resources. This is a model that needs to be replicated."

Currently, the xao tam phan raw material area has expanded to nearly 20 hectares in Trang Bom and dozens of hectares in other localities. Additionally, a 56-hectare farm is being deployed in Lam Dong. The entire cultivation area is managed towards clean production and traceability, linked directly to the processing enterprise.

Nguyen Van Khon's story is not just a typical example of getting rich from agriculture. It transcends the scope of a household economic model, embodying the spirit of daring to enter difficult fields, accepting risks, and investing in high-value-added products with strict standards. It represents a shift from a production mindset to an agricultural-economy mindset, reorganizing production along a chain in which quality, branding, and traceability serve as the foundation.