Bursting into tears as a simple, traditional dish touches the heart of someone far from home.

Without capital, a foundation, or guidance, Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa (born in 1992) began her entrepreneurial journey with a seemingly simple dish: fermented pork.

With over 10 years of perseverance, she not only built the Truong Foods brand in Thanh Son town ( Phu Tho province), but also moved many people to tears as they rediscovered the taste of memories through each slice of meat, imbued with the warmth of their hometown.

From the age of 18, Ms. Hoa meticulously handcrafted her first jars of fermented pork.

Tears fall because of a long-distance phone call.

"Many people ask me why I chose to start with a traditional dish like fermented pork – a product that's not new, not unusual, and often subject to prejudice. But I think simply: It's a dish from my hometown, something I know how to make, and the only thing I could start with when I had nothing," Thu Hoa gently recounted.

That year, she was only 18 years old, an age when most people are still dreaming in university or enjoying carefree days, but she was already busy shopping at the market, meticulously making her first jars of fermented pork by hand.

Some days, she would sit and sell right in front of her house, hoping passersby would stop. Other days, she would carry it to the market, calling out to each person individually. At that time, fermented pork was still unfamiliar to many people. But then, little by little, some people came back to ask to buy it, some gave it as a gift, and she felt a small joy kindle in her heart. "I thought: Why not develop this dish? We must do it properly, make it known to more people so that this traditional dish of our ancestors doesn't fade away."

She said that every journey has moments when you want to stop, like the days when she made fermented pork by hand, with more failed batches than successful ones. No one would buy the products she made. Some nights she would just sit and cry alone. But one afternoon, she received a call from a customer in Ho Chi Minh City that she will never forget.

"He said: 'It's been so long since I've tasted the same sour pork dish my mother used to make. Before she passed away, she always made this for me whenever I went back home. Thank you for making me feel like I'm seeing my mother again…'"

After the call, she couldn't say another word. Her hand held the phone, but her heart felt constricted. She sat listlessly in front of her stall, staring at each box of fermented pork as if they had suddenly come to life. They were no longer just products she sold to make a living, but an invisible bridge connecting a daughter far from home to her deceased mother.

The young woman once shed tears when her first day of business failed to sell any products.

"I thought of his mother, a woman who probably also quietly went into the kitchen, meticulously seasoning and marinating each piece of meat as a way of expressing her love. And today, I—a stranger—have unintentionally become the one continuing that love. I cried not out of pride, but because I felt small in the face of what the food from my hometown can do. A touch of gentle sourness on the tip of the tongue, a hint of rich memories—yet it can make someone cry, it can make a grown man tear up in the middle of the city," Ms. Hoa recounted. That was the moment that gave her more confidence than ever before.

The journey from the kitchen to the pages of a book.

Initially, many people doubted and ridiculed her, and even relatives advised her to "get a stable job." But she didn't argue. She chose to respond with action.

The production process is a closed loop.

Making it tastier, cleaner, and more organized. She personally refined every box, every label, every letter to continuously improve. Negative feedback from customers—those complaining about raw meat, those questioning hygiene—became motivation to improve the process. Traditional fermented pork is now cooked to 70%. The packaging was redesigned. Food safety and hygiene information is clearly displayed. Step by step, customers gradually returned. The product gained trust. The Truong Foods brand was born and is becoming increasingly well-known.

Ms. Thu Hoa never attended business school. She lacked a structured strategy and a mentor. But she possessed something no textbook could teach: perseverance and belief. "There were times I felt like giving up. But then I thought of my mother, who doesn't talk much, but always stands behind me, supporting me. I thought of my daughter; I wanted to give her a better future. It was the love for my family that kept me going, that kept me moving forward."

Ms. Hoa believes that the success of her startup idea stems from three factors: the product, the sales method, and the marketing.

From a young woman with nothing, Thu Hoa is now the Director of Truong Foods and the author of a book about her entrepreneurial journey. "The most valuable thing I've realized isn't revenue or scale, but how much I've grown. I'm grateful for every tear, every criticism, every day I couldn't sell anything, because all of it has made me stronger today."

Ms. Hoa's products are sold in large quantities.

She wrote the book not only to talk about her current achievements, but also to honestly share the difficulties, mistakes, and lessons she has learned. She wants to convey a message: You can start from the smallest, most ordinary things, as long as you do it sincerely and don't give up.

When asked what she would say to young people who are hesitant to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams because they fear failure, she simply smiled and replied with a single sentence: "Just take action. If it's right, you'll get results; if it's wrong, you'll learn a lesson." Because starting a business is never a bed of roses. But if you dare to begin and have the courage to see it through, flowers will bloom, not at your feet, but in your own heart.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/bat-khoc-vi-mon-an-dan-da-cham-den-trai-tim-nguoi-xa-que-20250509093129365.htm