DIen Bien Phu: Success Story

Lo Thi Phuong, a 32 year-old Black Thai from Hung Yen village, was one of Chi Em’s
first clients. Phuong took out a 570,000VND loan (€24) to invest in her small fish raising
business. Every year in November, she spends 1,500,000VND (€54) on 2,000 fish. And seven
months later, Phuong harvests the fish to sell to a local trader in the Ban Phu market or, if
the fish are big enough, in the Dien Bien Phu city market. Each year, her net profit ranges
from 3.5 to 4.5 million VND (€147-189). Her fish pond is especially successful because it is
so close to the stream.

Recently Phuong has faced hardship. Within one month of joining the Chi Em program her
grandfather died and her grandmother became gravely ill. As Phuong now cares for her grandmother, she has no time to sell vegetables in the market so she is happy that she was able
to invest in and rely on her fish business, which requires less physical labor. Phuong likes Chi Em because she received a loan very quickly without needing collateral required for state bank loans. She enjoys the responsibility of acting as a Cluster Head because she likes guiding other members and learning about bookkeeping.