From code to crops: IT engineer turns tech into thriving swiftlet farm

As has been his habit for the past few years the Nam Dinh native begins his morning by checking on four swiftlet farms, three in Laos and one in his hometown, using AI-powered cameras and a remote management system that monitors temperature, humidity and sound. Technology still plays a role in the life of this former IT engineer, but now it helps him monitor birds on his farm.

Earlier he had spent over six years working in HCMC. After getting married in 2013 he started a business in his hometown that focused on human resource training, programming training, website design, and selling products to foreign buyers.

The business prospered, allowing him to change his life and provide for his parents, who worked as farmers making rice wine and raising pigs.

Thuan (center, wearing black) and his tech business’ team in 2013. Photo by courtesy of Dinh Thuan

But as success grew, so too did his feeling of suffocation. He says: "The work was too soulless and repetitive. I wanted to create something tangible, something useful to others."

In 2017 Thuan began experimenting with agriculture by planting a medicinal herb, dinh lang, on 13 hectares of land he had bought for VND10 billion ($380,000). But the crop only survived two seasons before succumbing to pests and diseases, and Thuan lost more than VND1 billion.

But he pressed on with his search for a new direction in agriculture, motivated by his dreams.

Swiftlet farming grabbed his attention during a visit to Thanh Hoa and Ninh Binh in 2019. After returning home he decided to give it a try, as Nam Dinh’s proximity to the sea meant swiftlets were a relatively common sight.

The first crucial step in attracting the birds was selecting the right audio recordings of bird calls.

For two months Thuan obsessively listened to swiftlet sounds for analysis, much to the annoyance of his wife. Gradually he learned to distinguish between the calls of mother birds, chicks begging for food, navigational sounds, and mating calls.

Using his IT knowledge, he processed and filtered numerous audio recordings to create a set of sounds specifically tailored to the local swiftlet population, with a high sound resolution quality at 320 kbps.

After finalizing the audio set, he installed it in his swiftlet house and sat still all day observing the birds' reactions. If a sound failed to attract the birds or scared them away, he removed it from the playlist.

His first 200-square-meter swiftlet house was ready in 2020. At first the birds nested regularly, but as winter came they died rapidly from the cold.

"I was heartbroken. I loved the birds and realized I had been careless by copying a farming model from the south without making adjustments for the northern climate."

He reached out to experts and experienced swiftlet farmers but to no avail, he says: "They advised me to give up because swiftlet farming is not viable in cold regions. I knew I could only rely on myself."

He began studying how the birds reacted to different temperatures to study their survival limits.

Vu Tien Duong, one of his employees, says admiringly: "When Thuan decides on something, he will follow through to the end. Sometimes he would spend an entire day, motionless, in the swiftlet house for observation. A slight movement could startle the birds into flying away."

Thuan with outdoor hexagonal speakers for his swiftlet house in 2020. Photo courtesy of Dinh Thuan

After two trial runs Thuan determined that the optimal temperature for swiftlets’ well-being was between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. At temperatures below 20 degrees, the birds lose body heat and experience low blood pressure and fatigue, and become unable to forage. Thuan designed an automated system to control temperature, humidity and moisture inside the house during the various seasons.

In 2022 his business generated revenues of VND4 billion, primarily from swiftlet farming. He decided to quit his IT career entirely and become a full-time farmer.

Technology continues to be a key tool he uses, with applications ranging from managing cameras and remotely controlling the swiftlet houses to automating marketing and customer service.

He is currently developing an integrated farm model with multiple layers: swiftlet farming in the air, aquaculture in the water, and medicinal herbs and fruit trees on the ground, combined with eco-tourism. Despite operating large businesses in both Vietnam and Laos, he employs only 10 workers.

Duong, who only studied up to ninth grade, received training in programming when he worked at Thuan’s tech company.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, former chairman of the Hai Dong Commune Farmers Association in Hai Hau District, says Thuan runs one of the best agricultural business models in the area.

In 2024 Thuan was honored as one of Vietnam's outstanding farmers in the "Billionaire Farmer and Digital Transformation" category.

He says: "I have not abandoned my profession. I’ve just chosen to use technology to create real value in a world that can be touched by hand and felt with the heart."