MY THO , Vietnam, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Across Vietnam, a generation of digitally fluent farmers is embracing technology to bring fresh life to rural communities. Among the tools reshaping their fields are agricultural drones developed by XAG, which help save labor, boost yields, and create promising careers for young people returning home.
One such returnee is 30-year-old Lưu Văn Đoàn. Slim and tan from years of outdoor work, Đoàn starts his day at 3 a.m., when the village lies silent in darkness. Clad in his company’s green shirt, he readies the XAG P150 agricultural drone for a long day ahead. From early morning to late afternoon, Đoàn travels throughout Tiền Giang province, providing crop protection services to local farmers, including his own rice paddies.
“I used to work at a factory far from home, barely earning enough and missing my family,” he recalls. When his brother introduced him to agricultural drones, Đoàn immediately saw their potential and began learning. “I found my passion for technology. Soon I was piloting drones every day,” he says. After five years in the field, Đoàn now earns a living from work he finds far more rewarding and exciting.
His story reflects Vietnam’s broader farming challenges. According to analysis from the Vietnamese Elderly Population, the country’s farming communities are rapidly aging, with about 7.96 million elderly people living in rural areas. Meanwhile, millions of young Vietnamese have left for city jobs, creating severe labor shortages in agricultural regions.
Đoàn understands why farming has lost its appeal. Traditional farming can be grueling—manual spraying means trudging through rough, muddy fields up to 12 times each season, often with little protection. “Carrying heavy equipment under the hot sun, chemicals burning your skin—sometimes the fields were almost impossible to cross,” Đoàn remembers. Now, with just a smartphone and an autonomous drone, he finishes jobs faster and with far less risk. “It’s much easier,” he says.
For Đoàn, the XAG P150 agricultural drone has been a game-changer. Equipped with a remarkable 70kg payload and route planning using centimeter-accurate RTK positioning, the P150 achieves consistent and even coverage over fields of various shapes and sizes. Unlike manual spraying, which often misses spots or overlaps, the drone delivers thorough application. “When spraying herbicides by hand, weeds sometimes persist,” Đoàn notes. “With drones, fields are often completely weed-free.”
At first, many farmers were hesitant: “The spray uses too little water—how will the rice grow?” they questioned. But seeing is believing. As the P150, with its 70-liter smart liquid tank, hovers over the paddies, its quad-rotor design generates a downdraft that ensures pesticides coat both sides of the leaves. “You can clearly see that drone spraying makes the rice look healthier,” Đoàn says, proud to have convinced the skeptics.
This effectiveness also translates to economic benefits: farmers using Đoàn’s drone service have cut their use of plant protection products by 30%. “The savings on pesticides cover what farmers pay for the drone service!” Đoàn proudly shares. These real-world results also echo findings from the Institute of Agricultural Economics in Vietnam, which reports that agricultural drones can cut pesticide use by up to 30% and increase crop yields by as much as 15%.
Even and precise spraying is especially crucial in Vietnam’s fast-growing fruit export sector. For crops like durian and jackfruit, strict residue limits are enforced by importers throughout Asia and beyond. With the P150, Đoàn can precisely map areas, set exact dosage rates, and guarantee even coverage—helping farmers maintain access to high-value overseas markets and ensuring their fruit meets tough international standards.
Like many young Vietnamese, Đoàn is part of a new wave: tech-savvy, ambitious, and deeply rooted in their hometowns. “Drones have made a huge difference for us,” he says. “As things develop, I hope to expand, add more drones, and help more farmers succeed.”
For Đoàn and his peers, the workday still starts before sunrise and ends late—but now, drone technology has changed what’s possible in the fields. By adopting these tools, a growing community of drone pilots is solving two problems at once: making farming more efficient and creating tech-driven careers that are drawing young Vietnamese back to the land they’ve always known.
