For a price lower than that of a blender, this machine can “process” 200 to 300 kilograms of water hyacinth or grass in just one hour. Its creator, Nguyen Nhu Linh, is a “ground engineer“…
The low-lying rice fields in Thuy Thanh (Thai Thuy – Thai Binh) have witnessed the toil of people. A young man is laboriously working in the swamp with a heavy load of water hyacinth. He hurriedly carries it back, dumps it onto the yard, and starts chopping, chopping, chopping… amidst the “‘tortured’” cries of pigs demanding food due to their hunger… This was in 1999, during the extremely tough days for Nguyen Nhu Linh.
From a Signal Soldier to a “Ground Engineer“
“Because my parents were poor, I had to chop water hyacinth and slice sweet potatoes” – this folk saying seems to carry the fear of the itchiness caused by chopping water hyacinth, which can tear the skin on one’s hands… Thus, the thought of “wish I had a water hyacinth chopping machine” kept haunting Linh.
The “capital” that got Linh started was only a bit of knowledge about machinery and electronics he gained while serving as a signal soldier in Military Region 3, supplemented by training in small workshops in the neighboring commune after he was discharged in 1986. Linh began tinkering with designs for a water hyacinth chopping machine by observing rice milling machines in the local market.
With a firm grasp of the principles, he now needed to find materials. Motors from various scrap air conditioning units were abundant. For years, Linh worked alone, sketching various designs, yet the results were far from satisfactory. The initial machine was as large as a rice milling machine, producing a noisy operation that turned the hyacinth into powder. Some machines even flung the hyacinth like a rice threshing machine. It wasn’t until he discovered a “discharge” with a shield that the “technology” for chopping water hyacinth was perfected. The chopped hyacinth was uniform, with small pieces just like the precise cuts of village girls. Done! Linh jumped for joy and boasted to everyone in the village.
After finishing the machine, it was time for Linh’s close friend from the same hometown, also in a situation of “raising a wife and children“, to benefit. Out of kindness, Linh gave his friend the first machine he made. Then he tinkered to create a few more machines to sell to people in the village, hoping to “test the market.” But despite waiting, there was still no sign from the market. Villagers were happy with the water hyacinth chopping machine, yet they hesitated to buy many because it was hard to trust a machine made by a non-certified, unbranded gardener.
Another reason the chopping machine’s fame didn’t spread far was that many households in the village who bought the machines kept them hidden, fearing others would borrow or take them away.
From “Ground Engineer” to… Business Owner
It wasn’t until the water hyacinth chopping machine reached the ears of a district official that things began to change. This official visited Linh’s household appliance repair shop and was completely convinced by the products of this ground engineer. He suggested that Linh register for ownership and quality standards for the chopping machine and water pump, and establish a business to expand production and turn these products into commodities.
The procedures for registering quality standards were swiftly supported and completed by the Thai Binh Department of Science and Technology. The district even provided over 80 million VND for Linh to register research and develop his products as a scientific project. Additionally, the government facilitated Linh in renting premises outside the town to start his private enterprise.
In February 2004, the machine manufacturing enterprise named Thien Thuan was established in Thuy Thanh commune, located right next to rice fields and just over 15 kilometers from Thai Binh city. Although initially small in scale, the enterprise monthly sold hundreds of water pumps and water hyacinth chopping machines, attracting over 30 local workers, ensuring them an income between 700,000 and 1,000,000 VND. Notably, Linh not only employed young people with intermediate degrees in electrical mechanics but also “enrolled” unskilled workers and organized for them to learn while working, turning the machine manufacturing establishment into an effective vocational training center.
Today, Linh’s water pumps and water hyacinth chopping machines have established a solid brand. The water hyacinth chopping machine has been displayed at the Thai Binh Small and Medium Enterprises Conference and will continue to be showcased at the “Friends of Farmers” fair held in Thai Binh city in October.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lich, Deputy Director of the Thai Binh Department of Science and Technology, highly appreciates the self-made machinery products of Nguyen Nhu Linh. What is remarkable is that this rural engineer does not stop at processing and creating products from old machines; he has now designed water pumps and fully localized water hyacinth chopping machines from his small workshop in his impoverished village.
The Chairman of Thai Thuy District likened Nguyen Nhu Linh to the likes of Nguyen Duc Tam, Nguyen Van Dung, or Nguyen Cam Luy… of the Southern farmers. As for Linh: “I make machines first and foremost to save myself, to relieve my fellow villagers from the hardship of manual labor. I opened the company to help young people find jobs, reducing the need to wander far for a living…“. He whispers, still steadily winding motors, working like any other worker…
People’s Army Newspaper
