"Tu the hired worker" becomes durian billionaire

Although now a durian billionaire, the name "Tu the hired worker" associated with Thai Van Dong (63 years old, residing in group 8, quarter 1, Binh Loc ward, Dong Nai province) remains deeply etched in the memories of many for his remarkable determination to overcome hardship.

Reflecting on the hardships he has endured, Thai Van Dong shared: As long as our hands kept working and our minds kept planning, life could become what it is today.

Thai Van Dong and his wife, Nguyen Thi Diu (residing in Binh Loc ward, Dong Nai province). Photo: Diem Quynh

Rewind the film of life

One day in early November 2025, in the midst of a lush durian orchard in group 8, neighborhood 1, Binh Loc ward, Thai Van Dong recounted to us his journey of self-reliance, building a livelihood, and rising to prosperity.

In 1993, the young couple, Thai Van Dong and Nguyen Thi Diu (born in 1972, from Ha Tinh province), along with their 5-month-old son, left Long Khanh Station in search of work in the remote uplands of Binh Loc ward. After spending a few months living under a thatched roof at a relative’s house while working as hired laborers, the couple was granted two sao of land by early settlers to begin farming.

Warmed by the support of fellow countrymen, Dong and Dieu became even more determined to work hard, both cultivating their small plot and taking on local hired work, to quickly pay off the remaining debt on the land. That’s why, when others were paid by the day for weeding rice, corn, beans, and coffee, Dong opted to work on a contract basis. Each day, he pushed himself to complete the workload of two to three people to meet deadlines, which earned him higher wages.

While most hired workers preferred easy jobs and pleasant weather, Dong accepted all kinds of work without complaint, whether it was digging holes, cleaning wells, clearing fields, or breaking new ground, come heavy rain or harsh sun. According to him and his wife, because there were many laborers in the area at the time, only those who took on the most challenging jobs, worked on contracts, and stayed diligent could ensure steady work and better pay.

Thanks to that mindset, though they were just hired hands like many other newcomers to Binh Loc (now Binh Loc ward), Dong and Dieu managed to acquire 1 hectare of farmland after just three years of settling in.

Even after securing his own land to farm, Dong continued to work as a laborer. He and his wife calculated that they needed to save a large sum of money for the education of their four children. Although Dieu was busy with farming, childcare, and running errands to the market, she still worried about her husband whenever news spread of accidents during well-digging. As for Dong, even knowing the dangers, he remained focused on one thing: working hard so that his children could have a better future.

Despite saving every penny and never shying away from difficult jobs, Dong and Dieu were compassionate by nature and, on occasion, took on debts on behalf of others. Dieu shared: “They also know how to plan, borrowing to buy land or waiting until their pepper or coffee harvest to repay. That’s why my husband and I helped them get loans and acted as guarantors. But still, there were those who, in times of hardship, evaded repayment, forcing us to cover their debts.”

From hired worker to durian billionaire

In 2000, Dong gave up hired labor after acquiring 5 hectares of land for growing food crops in Xuan Tho commune (now Xuan Loc commune). Each day, he stayed in a small, windswept tin hut, personally hoeing and tending to rows of corn, beans, rice, and cassava, which he transported back to Binh Loc ward to sell, supporting his three children as they entered university one after another.

In need of healthy crops but lacking fertilizer, Dong did not hesitate to step into waist-deep pig manure pits to collect fertilizer for his fields and garden. In 2016, he transferred that plot to someone else and used the proceeds to purchase 1 hectare of land near his existing garden, converting all 2 hectares of land he owned to durian cultivation.

It is not uncommon for farmers in Binh Loc ward to be well-off, with an annual income of 3-4 billion VND. However, for Dong and Diu, starting from nothing, working for hire, and achieving success is something to be proud of.

 LE TRUC SON, Head of Quarter 1, Binh Loc Ward, Dong Nai Province

After more than four years without any income and having invested billions of dong, Dong and Diu found their own way to cope, living frugally, using short-term means to sustain long-term plans, and borrowing when necessary, while waiting for their durian trees to reach harvest. In the 2022 durian season, their 2 hectares of fifth-year durian trees yielded a profit of over 800 million VND. In the following years, annual profits reached over 2 billion VND per 2 hectares.

Notably, although they started growing durian later than many other farmers in Binh Loc ward, the durian orchard of Dong and Diu consistently earned bronze, silver, and gold medals in the Model Garden Contest organized by formerLong Khanh City from 2023 to early 2025.

Each year, Dong and Diu also provide capital and job opportunities for more than 30 disadvantaged households; donate over 350 square meters of land to the locality for rural road construction; and contribute tens of millions of VND annually to support community movements and activities in residential areas, neighborhoods, and the ward.

Reflecting on the long journey filled with both hardship and opportunity, each part shaped by their determination and planning, Dong shared: “If we live with love and responsibility toward others and the land, then whether people call me ‘Tu the hired worker’ or the durian billionaire, I feel happy and proud. But I prefer to be called ‘Tu the hired worker’, because it reminds my wife, my children, and myself to keep striving, to work and study, to stay in step with the progress of society and the country.”

By Diem Quynh – Translated by Quoc Dung, Minho