Growing power: the Saigon aquaponics movement

A growing group of enthusiasts are pioneering a Saigon aquaponics movement – creating the potential to produce sustainable food in your own home.

A mechanical engineer, a medical equipment specialist, a biotech worker and a budding IT technician are redefining
the purpose of rooftops as simply places to dry clothes; they are pushing for a rooftop aquaponics movement. Collectively called Vnaquaponics the team of four are among some of the pioneers of aquaponics in Vietnam.

“Aquaponics is essentially the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics,” explains Huynh Minh Thuan, the spokesperson and medical equipment specialist of the group. Aquaculture is the practice of rearing water-bound animals in tanks. Hydroponics is its plant-based counterpart.

Aquaponics  1

“In aquaponics, we build a symbiosis system using fish and plants. The fish live in one tank, the plants grow roots in a connected tank. Fish create nutrient rich water by producing organic waste and attracting bacteria. Plants then extract nutrient from this nutrient rich water, thus cleansing the fish’s habitat. Plants also shed leaves and other plant materials into the water supply, and the fish eat this plant waste. And there you have it, a complete and self-contained food production cycle that requires minimum land resources or human intervention.”

Aquaponics 1

 

In other words, aquaponics is the future of ecological agriculture. Not only does it maximize limited resources, it also produces far better yields than traditional farming and requires neither the use of growth hormones or constant human care. A good aquaponic system can run on automated mode for weeks, needing only the occasional harvests to keep the plants from overgrowing. The cost of building a full-size aquaponic system is roughly VND3 to VND5 million per square meter depending on the complexity of the system.

Value of clean food

Aquaponics

According to Thuan, aquaponics is still relatively unknown in Vietnam, where the community is composed mainly of hobbyists rather than professional farmers.

“We are basically a bunch of guys who know our way around wrenches and DIY projects, have some knowledge of gardening and are either concerned or made to become concerned about the state of our food safety by our wives or girlfriends,” shares Thuan.

 

“A couple of years ago, there was a food scandal involving chemically contaminated beansprouts. People were so scared of being poisoned by these toxic beansprouts that many started looking into growing clean beansprouts in the privacy of their home. So they started searching for tutorials online and you know how Youtube likes to suggest similar topics to watchers. One thing led to another and that was how the aquaponic movement starting appearing in Vietnam, through sheer accident and food safety fears.”

Aquaponics  2

In terms of weather conditions, the country’s tropical climate and year-round sunlight is especially ideal for aquaponics. Ironically, at the moment, aquaponics in Vietnam is more popular as home decor than an alternative to traditional farming.

“Over half of our population is involved one way or another in the agricultural industry. You would think in a country like this, it would be the farmers who pounce on aquaponics tech, but no. It’s the ladies who fancy a lovely bouquet on top of their fish bowls that are the first consumers of aquaponics products right now,” says Thuan.

Aquaponics

Explaining this puzzling state of affairs, Thuan believes the agriculture industry in Vietnam is mired in traditional technologies and out-dated thinking, and that despite several food safety scandals in recent years, the majority of local farmers do not understand or value clean, organic food produced by aquaponics.

“Your normal farmer, when we approached them with an aquaponic model we designed specifically for Vietnam, is not very interested. From their perspective, they have worked the same way for centuries so if it isn’t broken, why change it?”

Which is a shame, according to the group, as Saigon holds tremendous potential for aquaponics with its ideal weather conditions and under-utilized rooftop space and, most importantly, a young educated population who knows the value of clean, organic food.

One of Vnaquaponics’s long-term goals is to change this general mindset towards food production and safety. “We have only just started out and are a long way from doing what we really want to do,” says Thuan. At the moment they have their hands full with several personal projects and some for clients.

“We have designed and built several flora and fauna systems specifically for local weather conditions,” says Vo Hoang Nhan, the group’s mechanical engineer.

“We learned how to build aquaponic systems from Western manuals and books, but the conditions of Vietnam are different from America and other European countries. A lot of adjustments in construction materials, plant and fish types are needed. A lot of adjustments in handling the fresh produce too since the yield in a tropical country is much more than in a temperate country!” Nhan, whose rooftop serves as the testing grounds for the group’s design and building trials, boasts that he has harvested more than 100 kilograms of fish within the last two months and that he hasn’t had to buy his greens from the markets for a long time now.

Recently, Vnaquaponics has started building an elaborate website as a hub for information on the topic. Though the site is not yet finished, it already holds a substantial amount of documentation on the group’s experiments with various designs.

“Our number one goal right now is to spread awareness and knowledge of aquaponics to the Vietnamese public,” says Thuan. “Once we’ve got the basics down pat, good business will soon follow.”

 

*Images by Ngoc Tran.

Share this story, choose your platform!

About the author:

3 thoughts on “Growing power: the Saigon aquaponics movement”

  1. hi, Im coming to visit vietnam next weekend, dont know whether you guys have a tour for your aquaponic system ? Im curious and willing to learn more about it .

    Reply
  2. I am very interested in what you are doing. I am a research associate at Kathmandu University in Nepal and part of my work is to review what others are doing in south Asia. I would love to correspond if you would not mind.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Why You Should Hire A New Home Builder For Your New House

Building a dream home from the ground up seems like a pinnacle of achievement. And while a DIY approach may appear economical on the surface, orchestrating a major new home construction solo proves immensely challenging for most. Hiring an experienced new home builder like Vision Homes ultimately saves money, stress, and headaches in the long

Read More »

5 Examples of Wrongful Termination Explained

Being fired from work can be a traumatic experience for anyone. However, if it has been done illegally it’s even more overwhelming. There are many instances where letting go of an employee is completely valid. But, if you have been unfairly dismissed without a reason – legal action can be taken.  To help you understand

Read More »

Six Signs That Indicate Your Partner Is Micro-Cheating On You

Relationship experts say that “clearly defining your boundaries can set a happy and healthy relationship with your partners.” However, we may need to understand when these boundaries go too far off the line and create a rift in our relationship. Every relationship has little white lies or harmless secrets that partners keep from each other. Not

Read More »

How Carpet Cleaning Enhances Carpet’s life and Value?

Carpet cleaning can be painstaking when you have a large house and many carpets. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why people require the services of professional carpet cleaning companies that can quickly clean up your messes. However, carpets are not the only things you might need to clean up. When it

Read More »

The States That Have Legalized Marijuana So Far 2021

Are you interested in the legalization status of marijuana, especially in the United States, and want to learn more? Do you want to know where in the United States you could visit and still be able to smoke a joint legally? The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic in the United States for

Read More »

Understanding A Hoarder: Why Can’t They Throw Anything Away?

To provide an understanding and the process of hoarding, we must first understand its definition. Hoarding is defined as a single-minded urge of collecting and safekeeping unwanted items in great numbers. Most of the people afflicted with hoarding disorder find it hard to throw away items. A hoarder desires to save items that they know

Read More »