QuangNam (VNA) - Nguyen Thi Hong Thuong, 33, runs a large ginsenggarden with more than 600 plants and many other traditional herbal medicineplants in Tra Cang commune in Nam Tra My district in the central provinceof Quang Nam.

Local residents are impressed by the effort sheputs into her work. Thuong had to leave school when she finished grade eight,and went to HCM City to work as a domestic helper. She also worked inindustrial zones. However, her low earnings did little to improve her family’slifestyle.

When she was 22 years old, she returned to herhometown in Quang Nam Province and set up a business in the Nam Tra My mountainarea.

At first, Thuong opened a small grocery shop.Then several residents asked her to help them sell Ngoc Linh ginseng they foundgrowing in the forest.

Ngoc Linh ginseng is a prized herb and the pricekeeps rising. Many residents go to the forest searching for it.

However, Thuong was worried that the ginseng wouldbe over-exploited and wondered about planting the valuable plant to preserveit.

Thuong planted 50 ginseng bushes in 2015.However, most were eaten by crickets in just one night. “I cried a lot becauseall of my capital was invested in it,” she said to the TienPhong (Vanguard) newspaper.

Thuong covered the remaining bushes to preventthem, read more documents and met people with more experience in plantingginseng.

She now grows 600 thriving Ngoc Linh ginsengbushes and many other traditional herbal plants.

“Everyone knows ginseng’s value, but if weexploit it without protection, the plant will become extinct,” she said.

“I wanted to set up a farm to protect thevaluable plant, but preservation needs the co-operation of the wholecommunity,” said Thuong.

Thuong occasionally buys wild ginseng found bylocals. In June, 2016, Ho Van Hanh, who lives in Tra Linh commune, offeredHuong a 50 gramme piece of wild ginseng that he had dug up. He wanted 1 millionVND (40 USD).

But the experienced Thuong told Hanh that hispiece of ginseng came from a huge plant and told him to search for it.

Hanh returned to the place where he had foundthe ginseng and dug up a root weighing nearly one kilogramme, which he sold for200 million VND (8,800 USD). Not only Hanh, but also other residents admiredThuong for her knowledge.

Ho Quang Buu, Chairman of the Nam Tra Mydistrict People’s Committee, told the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaperthat Thuong was a creative young woman, adding that her idea of developing NgocLinh ginseng farms and traditional herbs was wonderful.-VNA