HUTECH student wins Luong Van Can Talent Award with agricultural produce preservation solution from dragon fruit peel
- 08/08/2025
From what seemed like discarded dragon fruit peels, Tran Anh Duy, a Logistics and Supply Chain Management student from the Class of 2020 under the Faculty of Business Administration at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), “transformed” them into an “Organic Agricultural Produce Preservation Solution” that helps extend the shelf life of post-harvest produce.
This solution, extracted from natural, eco-friendly ingredients, is not only creative but also rich in humanitarian value, placing Duy among the Top 9 best projects in the Luong Van Can Talent Award (2023 – 2025 season), a prestigious entrepreneurship competition for students nationwide organized by Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine.
Confronted with the reality of bumper crops bringing low prices, high prices coinciding with poor harvests, and Vietnamese produce often being rejected for failing to meet export standards, Duy took a different approach by focusing on post-harvest preservation, a stage often overlooked in the agricultural value chain. With the idea of utilizing dragon fruit peels, a seemingly forgotten by-product, to create an organic preservation solution, the project offers an innovative approach aimed at sustainable value for Vietnam’s agriculture.
This solution, extracted from natural, eco-friendly ingredients, is not only creative but also rich in humanitarian value, placing Duy among the Top 9 best projects in the Luong Van Can Talent Award (2023 – 2025 season), a prestigious entrepreneurship competition for students nationwide organized by Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine.
Confronted with the reality of bumper crops bringing low prices, high prices coinciding with poor harvests, and Vietnamese produce often being rejected for failing to meet export standards, Duy took a different approach by focusing on post-harvest preservation, a stage often overlooked in the agricultural value chain. With the idea of utilizing dragon fruit peels, a seemingly forgotten by-product, to create an organic preservation solution, the project offers an innovative approach aimed at sustainable value for Vietnam’s agriculture.
Duy’s project utilizes dragon fruit peels, a seemingly forgotten by-product, to create an organic preservation solution
The project was highly praised by the judging panel for its feasibility, community value, and practical application potential. Duy shared that it took him two years to research and complete the competition proposal, facing a lot of pressure and challenges. However, with relentless effort and support from his lecturers, friends, and the competition’s organizers, he overcame the challenges and brought his idea to fruition.
To secure a spot in the Top 9, Duy surpassed over 2,000 contestants from 17 universities in Ho Chi Minh City through three rounds: Business Passion, Career Personality, and Business Aptitude. He was also one of 20 contestants selected for the two-year Luong Van Can Business Talent Training Program.
Duy presents his project at the Luong Van Can Talent Award
In the final round, Duy completed key parts such as presenting his business proposal, delivering an inspirational speech on entrepreneurship and the philosophy of wealth creation, and was recognized with the title of Luong Van Can Talent, with the award ceremony expected in September 2025.
“My three years with the Luong Van Can Talent Award have also been three years of my student journey at HUTECH. From my third year of university to graduation and entering the workforce, it has been a path of growing up from a student into a professional. This award marks a beautiful milestone for me,” Duy shared.
Although the competition has concluded, Duy’s entrepreneurial journey continues. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Administration at HUTECH, aiming to develop the “Agricultural Produce Preservation Solution” into a real product in the near future.
In addition to this award, Duy has impressed with six consecutive semesters of excellent academic performance, two HUTECH Talent Scholarships, and graduating with excellent honors ahead of schedule. He has served as class secretary and class monitor for many years, won second place at the university level and ranked in the national Top 8 in the 2022 Young Logistics Talent competition, and secured second place in the Awakening the Talented Business Administrator contest.
Duy has also achieved many remarkable accomplishments while studying at HUTECH’s Faculty of Business Administration
He advises young people nurturing entrepreneurial dreams that an idea will not go far without the motivation to pursue it. He encourages them to start with a problem they care about, then act, learn, stumble, and keep going, noting that success in entrepreneurship does not come quickly and requires full dedication.
Currently, he is continuing his Master’s in Business Administration at HUTECH, aiming to turn the project into a real product in the future
From what seemed like discarded dragon fruit peels, Tran Anh Duy has “revived” them into a useful and valuable product. His project not only showcases creativity, social awareness, and responsible entrepreneurship but also serves as proof of HUTECH’s practice-oriented education model, where students learn to do real work, think big from small ideas, and act with community responsibility.
The Luong Van Can Talent Award, organized annually by Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine, is a prestigious platform to discover and nurture students passionate about business, with creative thinking and a desire to serve society. The award contributes to developing a generation of young entrepreneurs “with both vision and ability,” making meaningful contributions to Vietnam’s business community and economy.
Communication Center
The Luong Van Can Talent Award, organized annually by Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine, is a prestigious platform to discover and nurture students passionate about business, with creative thinking and a desire to serve society. The award contributes to developing a generation of young entrepreneurs “with both vision and ability,” making meaningful contributions to Vietnam’s business community and economy.
Communication Center
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