Taking us to visit the orchards of persimmon and grapefruit full of fruits, he said realizing that the climate here is cool, his family decided to find a new direction to increase income: growing fruit trees. In 2016, the family started growing 3 hectares of grapefruit, 1 hectare of persimmon and 8 hectares of plum and peach under VietGAP standard. The trees have grown well, turning out high yields, and the fruits have been favoured by consumers. Currently, each year the family collects about 30 tons of fruits of all kinds, earning an income of over 300 million VND (12,350 USD).

Linking fruit growing households in production and product consumption, in 2016, Thang established the Pha Din Tourism Cooperative, with seven household members. Currently, the cooperative, with Thang as director, grows 35 hectares of persimmon, grapefruit, plum, peach and guava. To improve product quality, cooperative members only use raw materials such as fish, soybeans and microbial powder to produce organic fertilizer for plants. They have invested in a modern mist irrigation system that meets VietGAP standard or higher. Each year, the cooperative provides over 60 tons of fruits to the market, earning each member 150 million VND in annual net income. It creates jobs for 15 regular workers and 30 seasonal workers.

Not only fruit tree farming, Thang is also a pioneer in tourism development on the legendary Pha Din Pass. He said: “Pha Din Pass is more than 1,000 meters above sea level, known as one of the "four great passes" in the Northwest. Pha Din bears not only historical value but also unique geographical factors, so we decided to invest in tourism development here”.

His company’s Pha Din Top tourist site is more than 30 hectares wide, including ecological forests, flower gardens and spiritual areas. Each area is designed with its own style to meet the needs of tourists. Officially put into operation in August 2018, Pha Din Top has now become a familiar stop for tourists, focusing mainly on weekends, and especially major holidays. On average, the site welcomes 100 - 200 visitors per weekday, and over 500 per weekend day.

“Coming to Pha Din Top, I feel that the air here is very fresh and cool. Immersing myself in the majestic mountainous scenery amid beautiful blooming flowers is very interesting. I will definitely come back here with my friends many more times,” said Hoang Thuy Nga, a tourist from Mai Son district.

Not only being one of the 100 outstanding Vietnamese farmers in 2023, Bui Ngoc Thang was also honoured as one of the province’s 55 outstanding intellectuals and creative workers in 2023.