From the hometown fields to more than 40 inventions with Vietnamese imprint

Not originating from a modern laboratory, the innovation of Mr. Pham Van Hat - a farmer in Tan Ky commune, Hai Phong, started from a very ordinary aspiration: How to make life less difficult for people. After more than 15 years of hard work, he has manufactured dozens of types of agricultural machines, many of which have been exported, becoming a vivid proof of the creative power of his homeland's fields.

The journey begins with... failure

At the recent National Innovation Day 2025, Mr. Pham Van Hat represented non-professional inventors to talk about their inspirational journey.

Mr. Pham Van Hat is a member of the Farmers' Association, Director of Hat Sang Che Company Limited, from Tan Ky commune, Hai Phong city. "My relatives and friends, many people call me by a very familiar name: "Hat sang che"," Mr. Hat introduced.

Mr. Pham Van Hat introduced more than 40 inventions with Vietnamese imprint.

“I am not a scientist , I have never been to university or attended a mechanical school. I am just a farmer who finished 7th grade. But for over 15 years, I have always had a simple wish: How to help farmers in my hometown have less hardship, reduce hardship and still have a bumper crop,” Mr. Hat shared.

It was that very ordinary desire that urged Mr. Pham Van Hat to enter the path of invention.

In 2007, Mr. Hat boldly invested more than 3 billion VND to build a safe vegetable farm. But at that time, the concept of “clean vegetables” was too new, the market was not ready. He failed, was in debt, and seemed to have collapsed.

“To pay off my debt and learn more, I decided to go to Israel to work. In the country considered the “capital of agricultural technology”, I realized that not everywhere farmers have modern machinery available. Once I had to spread fertilizer by hand on hundreds of hectares of fields in the hot sun. I asked myself: Why is there no machinery to support this hard work? Can I do anything?”, Mr. Hat shared.

That question ignited the fire of creativity. Mr. Hat proposed and directly manufactured a fertilizer spreader attached to the back of a tractor. The product was copyrighted by the boss and sold for more than 4 billion VND. Mr. Hat received a bonus of 10,000 USD and a salary increase of 2.5 times. "But the most valuable thing is not the money, but that I found my passion for invention," Mr. Hat shared.

Belief in innovation

“Many people think I was ‘foolish’ to leave a high-paying job abroad to return to Vietnam, while still carrying a debt of more than 4 billion VND. But I think: “If you work for someone else forever, you will never get rich. Only when you become your own boss and invent your own inventions, can you truly help your fellow countrymen,” Mr. Hat confided.

With that thought in mind, Mr. Hat returned home, borrowed money to open a small mechanical workshop - the beginning of a new journey full of hardships but also full of aspirations. After 3 years, Mr. Hat paid off his old debt, proving that his decision to return was the right one.

Up to now, Mr. Hat has created more than 40 types of agricultural and craft machines such as: Seed planting robots; Pesticide sprayers; Seed sowing machines, potting machines; Young corn shelling machines, rice scoopers; Bean sprout harvesters...

“In particular, in the past two years, I have successfully invented an escape device for high-rise buildings that the world has never had before. I dare to say that because a Japanese company invited me there and they collected all the models in the world, there were 14 types, but none of them were as good as mine. I told them that the products they knew were only second-rate, while mine was 20th-rate or higher. A Chinese company also showed me more than a dozen of their devices, but none of them were as good as mine. But why don't I want to transfer them? Because I want Vietnamese people to use them first, then I will transfer them to foreign countries. I want to prove to the world that this product was invented by Vietnamese people and used by Vietnamese people first. Currently, I have registered an exclusive patent for this product," Mr. Hat shared.

Each product that Mr. Hat invented comes from the real needs of the people, from the hardships that Mr. Hat has witnessed and experienced. “The seed-planting robot that I am most satisfied with only costs about 35 million VND but can replace the labor of 40 farmers. Notably, this product has been exported to 14 countries, including the US, Japan, Israel and South Korea,” Mr. Hat said.

Or like the pesticide sprayer, which is considered the most laborious and toxic step in farming, Mr. Hat spent nearly 2 years researching and investing more than 200 million VND to complete. Thanks to this machine, farmers no longer have to hold the nozzle to spray directly on the field, significantly reducing the risk of poisoning and occupational diseases.

“I always set the criteria “Simple - Effective - Cheap - Durable”. Thanks to that, my machines are often priced only 1/3 - 1/10 of imported products but are suitable for Vietnamese rice field conditions”, Mr. Hat said.

“I am proud not only because I have sold thousands of machines or exported products to the US and Japan, but also because I feel that I have contributed a small part in helping people reduce hardship, increase productivity, and reduce production costs. What is more important is that my story has proven that: Innovation does not only originate from a modern laboratory, but can start from a farmer with a simple wish - to help people reduce hardship. Anyone can innovate, if they dare to dream and persevere in pursuing it,” said Mr. Hat.

Mr. Hat believes that every initiative, no matter how small, can bring great change to the community, as long as it comes from the heart and the desire to serve.

“In the future, I will continue to diligently research and invent greener, smarter devices, contributing to the construction of modern, sustainable and environmentally friendly Vietnamese agriculture. I also hope that agencies and organizations will continue to pay attention and support to encourage the creativity of farmers themselves, so that many new ideas can be nurtured and spread,” Mr. Hat shared.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/nguoi-tot-viec-tot/tu-dong-ruong-que-nha-den-hon-40-sang-che-mang-dau-an-viet-20251004223943030.htm