Leaving behind a career in television, two sisters from Lang Son have turned ancient corn into a digital delicacy. Through TikTok, they’ve earned over $4,000 in their first livestream, paving a promising path for regional agriculture.

A rustic return home to build a digital brand

Turning her back on the limelight and screen, former TV host Hoang Phuong returned to her village in Lang Son to start a business rooted in local tradition, alongside her sister Minh Hong.

With creative content on TikTok and Facebook, the sisters transformed heirloom corn into a signature digital product. Their first livestream alone earned nearly 100 million VND (around $4,000 USD), marking a breakthrough for promoting regional produce online.

Why did a rising MC leave the city for the mountains?

Phuong’s decision to leave her established media career shocked both her family and herself. “I once thought I’d spend my life in television and the arts,” she said. “But then the pandemic struck, forcing a pause that made me reflect. What was I really living for? What did I truly want?”

Worrying over the struggles faced by her hometown’s farmers, Phuong felt compelled to return.

Her sister Minh Hong, experienced in farming and reeling from the collapse of her agri-tourism business during the pandemic, joined her. It was during this time that she proposed producing healthy corn noodles for an agricultural export company - an idea that reignited their entrepreneurial spirit.

“I spent two weeks weighing the idea, then decided to return home to set up a corn noodle processing facility,” Hong shared. Phuong supported her decision wholeheartedly. Daughters of farmers, the two shared a dream of building prosperity from the soil.

From ancient corn to digital sensation

Their first product, corn noodles, proved far more complex than expected. Restoring a non-GMO heirloom corn strain and processing it into gluten-free noodles took nearly a year of trial and error.

“The noodles clumped, broke, and stuck. At one point, the machine wouldn’t produce a single strand,” Hong recalled. “We wasted tons of corn, filled notebooks with failed attempts, but the learning never seemed to end.”

When technology faltered and confidence wavered, they pivoted. Thus, their second product was born: puffed corn snacks made from ancient sticky corn, handcrafted over a wood fire with no frying or preservatives.

“Each puff tells a story - of childhood, harvests, and the long journey to preserve nearly forgotten seeds,” Hong said emotionally.

Bản Phượng Hồng: A hometown legacy goes digital

The brand name, Bản Phượng Hồng, reflects both their village roots and the combination of their names. It was born from a desire to tell authentic stories about their homeland, its people, and its heritage crops.

To promote their products online, the sisters handled everything themselves - from content ideas and filming to scripting, voiceovers, and editing.

“We took turns with the camera, often shooting at midday, one of us sweating behind the lens while the other cooked popcorn on the fire and delivered lines,” Phuong laughed.

Their efforts paid off. “Our main revenue comes from e-commerce platforms, especially Facebook and TikTok,” Hong said. “Growth surged when we invested in more videos and frequent livestreams.”

Their first official livestream was a game changer, earning nearly $4,000 USD. With honest, heartfelt videos, they quickly attracted a loyal following and new customers. Clean food distributors reached out, placing bulk orders and helping their products enter supermarket chains nationwide.

Local villagers, initially surprised, grew proud seeing their produce on national platforms. Many now believe: “Our local goods really can reach the world.” The encouragement fueled the sisters’ mission.

Today, Bản Phượng Hồng employs 14 full-time workers and 20-25 seasonal laborers during peak times. Their USDA-certified organic corn fields also provide jobs for 4-5 more locals.

Looking ahead, the sisters aim to expand beyond their core offerings. They plan to introduce new products from Lang Son’s agriculture while developing their own certified organic farming areas.

This will not only diversify their online product range but ensure quality and build long-term trust.

Bản Phượng Hồng exemplifies the immense digital potential of Vietnamese agricultural products, offering a fresh, promising model for traditional farming ventures.

Their story is a testament that with creativity and the right technology, every product - no matter how humble - can find its market and achieve online success.

Thu Uyen