Tiếng ViệtMrs. Do Thi Thuy – Chairman of Thien Phuoc Ramie Joint Stock Company and the author of AP1 ramie variety which is widely grown in many Northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam has been awarded the Doctorate Degree by International American University (IAU) for her tireless efforts after more than ten years of researching, selecting and developing a closed ramie production chain from field to factory. Her efforts not only help protect and enhance the environment but also create better livelihoods for thousands of people, especially women and young people from ethnic minorities.
From barren fields on the mountain
In the Northwestern mountainous villages in Dien Bien and Son La and other provinces of Vietnam, for years now, the ethnic minority of Thai, H’mong and Muong people have been familiar with a woman in her fifties, small but agile and not afraid of high mountains. She went to every field on the mountain to encourage the local people to replace ineffective crops with ramie. Being a leader of a company without being arrogant, what the local people saw in her is the simplicity, closeness and the passion when she talked about ramie plant and how to grow and harvest the crop. Her enthusiasm easily wins the hearts of people. From a new crop, Mrs. Do Thi Thuy has now convinced many localities to grow ramie on an area of thousand hectares.
With 30 – year experience of textile industry, Mrs. Do Thi Thuy has a comprehensive understanding about fashion products. She shows a strong desire to find sustainable materials for Vietnam in particular and the world in general. Since 2012,Mrs. Do Thi Thuy and her partners were determined to research, select and breed successfully AP1 ramie variety which is genetically stable and has many superior characteristics such as grow easily, shoot and cover quickly. Additionally, this plant is hardly infected with pests and diseases. If cared for properly, mature ramie can be harvested from 4-6 crops every year. Ramie can be planted once and harvest continuously for10 years. The yield is from 3.5- 4.0 tons/crop/year. After the bark is peeled off, the wooden part inside and leaves of ramie plant will be returned to the soil to increase fertility. Ramie bark will be dried and preliminary processed before being brought to the factory with a capacity of 1,500 tons of yarn per year in Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam. Ramie fibers are then transported to textile companies. As a result, each hectare of ramie plants can generate an income of 60-80 million VND/year (equal to 2,400 -3,200 USD/year), 2.5 or 3 times higher than growing corn and cassava. Thanks to this, many households got out of poverty. More importantly, because these ramie plants are hardly infected with pests and diseases, local farmers have no longer been exposed to pesticides.
….to international fashion runway
Ramie fiber is known as the queen of natural fibers. Tests showed that up to 75% of bacteria in the products made from ramie fibers are killed after 24 hours. Especially, disinfection effectiveness still reaches 98% after 50 washes, helping to limit secondary pollution caused by bacteria. Besides, ramie fabric is also durable and great at absorbing sweat and allowing sweat to evaporate faster. Therefore, AP1 ramie fiber gains domestic and international fashion industry popularity. In the fashion show entitled “Our Ao Dai” (Vietnamese traditional long dress) held in Hanoi, 15 Vietnamese designers gathered to showcase more than 600 Ao Dai outfits made of silk and delicate ramie fabric. The show also presented collections inspired by 15 countries around the world. The fashion show left lasting impression on public. In addition, Italian, Indian and Laotian Ambassadors and their wives joined other models to present Ao Dai during the show. This showed the applicability and popularity of Ao Dai outfits made of natural fibers, in particular ramie fiber which is loved by many Vietnamese and foreign women.
…and International American University
With her pioneering contributions to developing and improving the production chain of “Made in Vietnam” fashion products from AP1 ramie, Mrs. Do Thi Thuy received honorary doctorate from International American University (IAU) whose management school was recognized as a top-ranked institution in California by the California Herald in 2023. This great honor is the result of many years of her efforts to put ramie into production. Mrs Thuy and her colleagues have been continuing to carry out many scientific research projects to realize the green transformation goal of Vietnam’s textile and garment industry. She has successfully built a value chain from farming, production, to trade, bringing great economic value as well as social security. Thanks to her leadership, ramie chain has created jobs for 1000 domestic workers and stable income for many households in Vietnam. This valuable title will also a motivation for Mrs. Do Thi Thuy and her partners to keep researching and applying ramie across diverse industries such as food, animal feed to maximize value of this fiber crop.
