Labor Hero Tran Manh Bao and the journey to elevate Vietnamese rice grains

From a soldier returning from the war to the head of ThaiBinh Seed Group, Labor Hero, Master Tran Manh Bao devoted all his heart to the development of the Vietnamese seed industry. For him, the greatest achievement is not only Vietnamese-branded rice varieties, but also contributing to improving the lives of farmers and building a high-quality labor force.

Soldier's bravery on the economic front

Starting as a public utility enterprise under the State, ThaiBinh Seed has now developed into a leading economic group in the field of plant varieties, with a large market share and influence in the country as well as the region. That achievement is associated with the leadership role of Mr. Tran Manh Bao - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Group's Board of Directors.

Looking back at the development journey, Mr. Tran Manh Bao shared: "I always find the most effective direction for businesses to develop quickly and sustainably. Before the requirements of the market mechanism, in 2004, I proactively proposed equitizing the enterprise to innovate and create motivation for development". By 2014, ThaiBinh Seed completed 100% equitization, opening a new development phase.

With the motto "Intelligence - Technology - Relationship", he orients businesses to take science and technology as the driving force for development, people are the center and innovation is the foundation.

Under his management, ThaiBinh Seed became the first enterprise in Vietnam to establish a directly affiliated Plant Research Institute. This is an important platform for researching and selecting rice varieties with Vietnamese brands, capable of competing in the international market.

In parallel with research investment, the enterprise also builds a modern infrastructure system with equipment imported from Denmark and Japan. Two lines at Vu Chinh Seed Processing Plant with a capacity of 40,000 tons per year, along with a high-tech rice drying and milling system, contribute to making ThaiBinh Seed one of the leading modern seed centers in the country.

One of his outstanding achievements is the successful research and development of the TBR225 rice variety. This rice variety has been widely produced in many northern and central provinces, contributing to improving yield, limiting pests and diseases and increasing income for rice farmers. In addition, research projects such as the TBM18 sweet sticky corn variety or rice strains resistant to bacterial leaf blight, adapting to climate change continue to affirm the development orientation based on science and technology of enterprises.

Unremitting journey of dedication

Growing up from a worker, Mr. Tran Manh Bao always considers human resources as a decisive factor for the sustainable development of the business.

At ThaiBinh Seed, training is regularly implemented. Every year, 100% of technical staff and workers are professionally trained, improve their skills and participate in salary raise exams. In addition, the enterprise focuses on fully implementing regimes on social insurance, health insurance, labor protection, gradually improving the material and spiritual life of workers.

With his contributions to Vietnam's agricultural sector, in 2020, Mr. Tran Manh Bao was awarded the title of Hero of Labor in the renovation period by the President. After that, he continued to be honored with many awards such as Typical Vietnamese Entrepreneur (2022), Creative Labor Certificate of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and Honorary Professor title of the American International University (2025).

At the age of 76, he continues to accompany the development of the business. In 2026, ThaiBinh Seed will start construction of a modern agricultural product processing plant in Hung Yen, aiming to complete the closed value chain from production to processing and consumption.

After more than three decades of development, ThaiBinh Seed has not only affirmed its position as one of the leading enterprises in the field of plant varieties but also becomes a symbol of the spirit of innovation, self-reliance, self-strengthening and accompanying farmers. In that journey, the mark of Labor Hero Tran Manh Bao is always associated with the aspiration to elevate Vietnamese rice grains in the domestic and international markets.

Recognizing his persistent and outstanding contributions to the development of Vietnam's agricultural sector, Master Tran Manh Bao will be honored at the Vinh Quang Viet Nam 2026 program.

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