Rustic Golfer

ORIENTATION FOR A SMALL FARMSTAY: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO AT THE BEGINNING?

I have advised many farms and farmstays across Vietnam—from giving a single piece of advice or an idea, to in-depth consulting, and especially ongoing mentorship. I consider myself someone with a natural aptitude for strategic orientation consulting: defining direction, strategy, customer personas, and allocating short-, mid-, and long-term development phases for farms.

I start this article with what may sound like “bragging” not to polish my name, but because I truly want newcomers—especially those building small farms—to read this very carefully. It’s not by coincidence that I have been able to advise and mentor many successful farms in Vietnam.

Another thing: you may hear someone who has met me, or even traveled with me on a cross-country farmstay journey (meaning spending many days together), say: “Mr. Tùng doesn’t even own a farm—this is all just theory,” implying “he can talk but can’t do,” or that I lack practical experience. However, you need to open your mind and receive wisdom (not just knowledge). You can learn from a Craftsman—someone who diligently works like a welder who only knows how to weld—or from a Teacher—someone who understands and explains the underlying principles so that thousands of people can do it.
Do you choose to learn from a Teacher, or from a Craftsman?

1. WHAT IS A SMALL FARM?

A small farm is one with a modest land area, or with intentions, direction, and development goals limited to simple activities and experiences—pure farmstay—without plans to develop into a complex, multi-utility destination.

For example: you do not intend to build high-end ecolodges, luxury glamping zones, or a Vietnamese traditional house conservation area. This means that even if you own dozens of hectares, you do not plan to significantly increase the overall value (only basic agriculture combined with small-scale accommodation). In contrast, some farms I have guided in Vietnam include 3–5 types of functions on one site, or even 7–10 types under one comprehensive management system.

In short:
A small farm is either small in size (around <3 hectares), or large in area but lacking the intention or resources to develop into a complex, multi-zone project.

2. WHAT IS “ORIENTATION”?

Orientation is the will to move toward a certain destination. There is no destination that is big or small, right or wrong—only one that is appropriate.

That destination reflects the aspirations of the person in charge and is strategically arranged to skillfully utilize limited resources. For example, success may require about nine types of resources. You may be strong in eight of them, but extremely weak in one critical resource. If you fail to recognize this weakness, it can lead to collapse—even the loss of your entire career.

Therefore, orientation is essentially a conclusion or guiding principle for the model you are pursuing. No two orientations are the same, because ownership differs, resources differ, locations differ, and the legal environment changes over time.

WHAT DOES A SMALL FARMSTAY NEED TO DO AT THE BEGINNING?

Below is the most fundamental roadmap:

1. RIGHT MINDSET, CLEAR DEFINITION

Learn from correct and sufficient information sources, with comprehensive perspectives and multi-dimensional viewpoints. Ideally, learn from an information ecosystem. I know it is very difficult to assemble such an ecosystem, which is why since 2019 I have tried to create many articles, maintain an open mindset, and connect with brothers and sisters from different professional backgrounds to contribute. I encourage them to share from their own expertise, so that multi-dimensional knowledge can create a development spiral for farmstays across Vietnam.

Join this information ecosystem to learn and contribute:
Facebook: 👇
WhatsApp Community (where I share all 7 years of experience): 👇

In short: you must clearly define what you want and deeply understand the industry you are entering. If you are vague and one-sided, you are guaranteed to lose.

2. RESEARCH CROPS, AGRICULTURE, AND LOCAL CULTURE

Every place in Vietnam has its own unique local products—this is our absolute advantage. Everywhere has native crops and livestock that can create differentiation.

Talk to elders and knowledgeable locals in the area where you are working to discover unique plants or animals. If a species has disappeared or declined, restore it. Tell the story of how you revived and developed it—this becomes your farm’s brand story (storytelling).

Once identified, create a development roadmap:
When does it become a farm specialty?
Can it become a commune-level specialty, a provincial specialty, or even a national treasure?

When you think big, you must refine other aspects: branding, raw material zones, processing technology, intellectual property management, etc.

Important note:
If you don’t yet have the resources to scale up, then for a small farm, the very first thing to do is PLANT TREES.

Plant perennial trees: fruit trees, large timber trees. All seedlings must be purchased from certified suppliers, even if they are more expensive. Why? Because those certificates are legal proof of what you have planted on your land—evidence of your future asset ownership on that land. Be very careful to keep invoices and documentation when buying seedlings.

Plant as diverse a range of trees as possible (multi-layered, multi-canopy, multi-species), so that visitors have something to eat and enjoy in every season, and to reduce risks if certain crops fail.

3. INTEGRATED PLANTING (7-LAYER FOOD FOREST MODEL)

You need to design a sustainable vegetation system. Below is the standard 7-layer Food Forest model—an agricultural approach very suitable for small farms:

[1] Canopy Layer:
The backbone of the garden—provides shade and wind protection.
Suggestions: Native timber trees (Sao, Dổi, Gõ đỏ), large fruit trees (ancient durian, jackfruit, avocado, trám).

[2] Sub-Canopy Layer:
Main fruit production layer.
Suggestions: Mangosteen, custard apple, guava, orange, pomelo, sapodilla.

[3] Shrub Layer:
Very diverse in Vietnam.
Suggestions: Coffee, tea, sim, mua, hibiscus, chili, eggplant.

[4] Herbaceous Layer:
Soft-stem plants with fast biomass growth.
Suggestions: Banana varieties, canna, mugwort, lemongrass.

[5] Ground Cover Layer:
The soil’s “armor.”
Suggestions: Perennial peanut, sweet potato vines, pennywort, bidens grass.

[6] Root/Tuber Layer:
Utilizes underground soil layers.
Suggestions: Taro, cocoyam (in moist areas), cassava, yam, Stephania, turmeric, ginger.

[7] Climbing Layer:
Uses vertical space.
Suggestions: Gac fruit, pepper, betel leaf, butterfly pea, telosma, passion fruit.

Extensions:
[8] Fungi Layer: Termite mushrooms, wood ear, reishi under moist canopies.
[9] Aquatic Layer: Lotus, water lily, water spinach, water hyacinth in ponds.

4. IDENTIFY FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Small farms usually have very limited resources, especially money. So how do you avoid “dropping the basket halfway”?

Survival principles:

Do not build or purchase anything that does not yet generate income.

Do not run ads when the product is not yet complete.

Do not host overnight guests without sufficient legal conditions (at minimum, approval from the local commune police).

Rough budgeting (for reference):
Understand that trees take about 3 years to stabilize; seed-grown trees take about 5 years (but are more sustainable).

[1] Crops:
Estimate about 500 “mil” (intentionally misspelled to avoid algorithm suppression). This can be spent all at once or spread over time.

[2] Infrastructure (ponds, electricity, roads):
Basic cost around 300–500 “mil.” If you overspend here early (huge concrete roads, overly beautiful stone embankments), you may run out of money for other work.

[3] Buildings & Structures:
Must be solid. “Solid” does not mean heavy reinforced concrete, but steel frames, modular systems, and lightweight yet strong materials.

Residential/operational house: ~5–8 mil VND/m²

Guest accommodation: >8 mil VND/m² to ensure minimum comfort

Use short-term gains to support long-term goals. Take very small, executable steps to get immediate results. I know many farms that started from negative cash flow and now have very healthy finances.

5. MASTER PLANNING (5 PRINCIPLES)

Even a small farm must be properly planned from the beginning to avoid demolition and rebuilding later:

Living areas on high ground, agriculture below:
For drainage, wind, views, and flood prevention.

Separate Dynamic and Quiet zones:
Dynamic (restaurant, café, activities) vs. Quiet (bungalows, meditation).

Separate traffic flows:
Supply roads (fertilizer, materials) must be separate from guest walking paths. Don’t let fertilizer trucks pass by café tables.

Functional zoning:
Agricultural zones (smell, machinery noise) must be far from accommodation and service areas.

Energy self-sufficiency:
Prioritize solar energy, on-site waste treatment, and circular organic agriculture.

Building a farmstay is a journey of self-cultivation. Start with small but solid steps—especially for small farms.

#baivietnhahoachdinh
#farmstay
#farmstayvietnam
#bângglamping #bâng_farm_design

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