Muoi Cuong - A global farmer with a passion for cocoa in Mekong Delta

When the sun rises above the vast Hau River, the sound of the grinder and the guests’ conversation reverberates throughout every crack and crevice of the green and crimson leaves; it means a new day starts at the Muoi Cuong cocoa farm.

Our journey also begins here.

You will see and try home-made chocolate in Cocoa farm

The Muoi Cuong cocoa farm’s entrance is hidden behind the red-green vegetation surrounded by fruit orchards.

It will a miss if you travel to Can Tho without stopping by Mr. Muoi Cuong cocoa farm. We believe that Mr. Muoi Cuong and his farm are absolutely worth a visit.

In terms of the cocoa history, he shares that in 1960, his family planted the first cocoa tree that his father brought from Malaysia. 3 years later, the trees gave fruits. That was the time when most farmers had to cut down their cocoa trees because they did not know what to do with the ripe cocoa fruits.

He says that local people were not used to eating cacao fruits or even chocolates in their daily meals. Therefore, they have no idea what to do with these fruits.

Mr. Muoi Cuong has always been diligent in his daily work. Under the eave, Mr. Muoi Cuong diligently tosses the sieve while cleaning up the chocolate crumbs with his hands. He has been dutifully performing this action every day for the last many years.

The Mekong Delta’s cocoa growing movement was started in the 1960s by Lam The Cuong aka Mr. Muoi Cuong. He is the one who contributes a lot to the agricultural development of Phong Dien district and mekong delta region.

Despite numerous ups and downs, his life has always been connected to the cocoa trees and the region of Phong Dien. He now plays the role of an inspiration to individuals who fall in love with the tranquility of Can Tho and the sweetness of cocoa fruits.

Mr. Muoi Cuong loves to share stories about cocoa trees. To create final products, fermentation, drying, grinding and extraction are involved. For visitors, this is the final result of a lifetime’s enthusiasm and love for cocoa fruits, not just a method for creating chocolate bars or cocoa powder.

Among plenty of Can Tho delicious specialties, Banh Cong is loved by its crispy taste and simple ingredients

Mr. Muoi Cuong mentions the time when it has affected the cocoa trees. He said he fell into distraction when he saw cocoa gardens cut down one after another for being replaced by durians and jackfruits. Then he told himself that if no one followed him, he would just keep moving ahead because it is what he has spent most of his life pursuing.

He kept the conversation going, the government has also promoted the development of cocoa trees three times up to the present. He is the one who gathers all the information, techniques to share with his neighbors. The price of cocoa cannot match that of other crops. In the end, everything turns out to be meaningless.

Thanks to his continuous efforts, cocoa products at present not only help locals to make ends meet but also contribute to Phong Dien agriculture development, giving Can Tho such a great destination and a quality product of Southwestern farmers.

The taste of cocoa is fragrant and sweet mixed bitter, but it is the sincerity and quality of a genuine Southwester farmer that holds back visitors from all over the world.

When sitting and listening to Mr. Muoi Cuong, we are offered a cup of cocoa drink. Perhaps the slight bitterness is the difficulties, the ups and downs, the sweat and tears that he has experienced in the process of his resilience.

But the fragrant sweetness which is the love and passion that he has cultivated for each cocoa tree and is also the enthusiasm in each stage of producing products from cocoa beans.

Looking at the gray-haired man in front of us, we do not see an old man but a young soul who loves his life and job and shares his life’s story to his visitors. This is the image of a simple, confident and enthusiastic Southwestern farmer who deserves to be the new modern farmer model.

The way Mr. Muoi Cuong communicates with visitors in foreign languages and gestures make no language gap between visitors and him.

In the middle of the story, I occasionally turn my eyes to Kathy and Jennifer, they still immerse themselves in his story. For us, these stories and experiences are priceless.

Working as a tour guide gives me a chance to travel to many tourist attractions and meet many people, but it rarely appears in the eyes of a business owner and makes me feel emotionally strange, like looking into Mr. Muoi Cuong’s eyes which I see both love and concern rising strongly.

We all concur when he says, “Farming is hard work.” Particularly with Mr. Muoi Cuong’s tidy and eco-friendly gardening farming, this is really true. There are only golden ants, pond muck and cocoa waste; there are no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

When we hear the experiences of farmers who are farming sustainably and collectively, I am thrilled to work with those farmers as a tour guide for an ecotourism business.

Walking out of the garden, the figure of Mr. Muoi Cuong fades hiding behind the foliage. The smell of cocoa and the smell of the garden are still in our mind as well as holding our feet, the image of a diligent farmer engraves in our mind and becomes an unforgettable memory.

However, it is comforting to know that when we return the following time, the cocoa garden, the sweetly fragrant cocoa cups, and – most importantly – Mr. Muoi Cuong and his stories will be there to greet us.

That is our luck when we have a chance to listen and be a partner with people of Mekong Delta who tailor the beauty of the region via their passion and love.

You will see and try home-made chocolate in Cocoa farm

Details

Address: My Khanh – Phong Dien – Can Tho city.

Photographer: Minh Bach
Designers: Phuoc Thanh + Ngoc Dung + Ngoc Nhan
Writers : Ngoc Nhan + Kim Ngan + Wendy