Nguyen Hong Ngu, 48, is dubbed “the buffalo billionaire” in Luong Nghia Commune, Long My District, in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang. Mr. Ngu’s annual income from raising buffaloes may surpass VND1 billion. He now takes care of around 100 buffaloes, with 20 of them at his house and the remaining in neighboring provinces.
Mr. Ngu “buffalo career” started some decades ago when he was just married. At the time, there was a great demand in his locality for buffaloes used for traction. His first buffalo was a female one which was offered at a low price. He afforded the cattle by selling all the gold the couple received upon the wedding.
In addition to selling buffaloes for breeding, traction and meat for markets in the Mekong Delta and the north, Mr. Ngu has also raised buffaloes for fighting at festivals. Tending to fighting buffaloes is much more demanding than ordinary ones, often taking up to at least 10 years.
After nearly 30 years of raising buffaloes, Mr. Ngu is able to understand every of his buffalo herds. As the Year of the Buffalo is in the air, he is expecting a new house.
By Ngo Hong Thai
