In the dynamic startup environment of Ho Chi Minh City, many young individuals are opting for green entrepreneurship, which seeks to achieve both economic efficiency and sustainable value for the community.
Young man turns bamboo into a green future
Amidst the colorful atmosphere of the 2026 Ho Chi Minh City Youth Festival held in late March, a small display corner "anchored" passersby with the rustic charm of bamboo, bulrush, and Lepironia grass. There, Nguyen Hoang An Khuong, born in 1998 and founder of The Greenmart Vietnam, passionately shared the story of his startup journey tied to green living.
Launched in late 2020 as consumers increasingly prioritized eco-friendly products, The Greenmart Vietnam began with bamboo straws. From there, the young man gradually expanded his portfolio to notebooks, cups, thermoses, and handbags made from bamboo and natural grasses, aiming to replace single-use plastics. He sought out traditional craft villages and certified raw material areas, working directly with local farmers and artisans to give these materials a new "life cycle." This model has also generated employment for numerous workers in Ca Mau, Dong Thap, and Tuyen Quang provinces, helping them move away from a total dependence on precarious seasonal harvests.
Starting at the age of 22, Khuong began with modest savings accumulated from selling bamboo straws online during his junior year of college. In the beginning, facing a lack of capital and experience, Khuong had to handle multiple stages himself—from product inspection and labeling to delivery—to optimize costs.
Throughout this journey, Khuong considers himself fortunate to have started his business in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the most dynamic innovation startup ecosystems in the country. He gained solid footing through support from the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union and access to preferential loans from the Youth Startup Support Fund via the Business Startup Support Center (BSSC), alongside consultations on cash flow management and efficient capital use.
Khuong also tells his green story through experiential workshops on decorating eco-friendly products, attracting young locals and international visitors from Singapore and South Korea. These sessions allow participants to touch and feel the value of a green lifestyle, gradually forming a habit of using these products in daily life.
Beyond establishing a reputation for quality, Khuong skillfully integrates cultural elements into his designs. From materials to patterns, each product serves as a vehicle for Vietnamese identity. Images of Independence Palace, Ben Thanh Market, and the Temple of Literature are recreated on rustic bamboo surfaces, elevating the product’s value beyond mere function to become an "ambassador" spreading the image of Vietnam’s people and traditional values in contemporary life.
Young entrepreneur cultivates green mushroom farm in hometown
Pursuing similar sustainable values, Ho Hoang Hieu, born in 1991 and Director of An Gia Investment Development Service Co., Ltd., chose to return to his hometown to launch a startup focused on circular medicinal and edible mushroom cultivation. At dawn, Hieu is already at the farm. After a quick inspection, he checks his phone to monitor temperature and humidity levels. He notes that the time required on-site daily is minimal, as most tasks are supported by technology—from automated irrigation systems to environmental monitoring via IoT sensors.
Thanks to technology, Hieu’s mushroom farm operates stably with improved productivity and reduced labor dependency, while mitigating disease risks compared to traditional methods. However, reaching this stability involved several failures. Recalling 2019, spoiled batches due to lack of experience served as a costly lesson, prompting him to seek formal training at the Ho Chi Minh City Agricultural Hi-Tech Park (AHRD). This transition allowed him to master technical processes step-by-step.
After receiving the Luong Dinh Cua Award from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and with guidance from experts, he continued to refine his model. Today, his farm produces a diverse range of edible mushrooms such as grey oyster, Thai oyster, and straw mushrooms, alongside medicinal varieties like lingzhi and cordyceps.
Each year, the facility supplies approximately five tons of mushroom spawn to the market. In his process, Hieu focuses on utilizing agricultural by-products to create organic nutrient sources, combined with microorganisms and nutrient pellets to boost yield. He states his motivation stems from witnessing the overuse of chemicals in agriculture, which poses food safety risks.
Beyond personal gain, Hieu’s farm has become a learning site for Youth Union members, young people, and farmers in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.
“Initially, I thought I only knew how to work and that no one would listen to me,” Hieu said. “But after speaking, I realized that every authentic story can motivate others."
