Leaving Australia after a failed startup, he returned to Vietnam to work as a ride-hailing driver.
Lam Duc Nhuan (born in 1992) attended a college in Ho Chi Minh City in 2010. In 2011, Nhuan participated in a student exchange program with Limkokwing University (Malaysia). After this experience, Nhuan decided to apply for a study abroad program in Australia, as he has relatives living in Melbourne (Australia).
In 2012, Nhuan officially became a business accounting student at RMIT University (Australia). He began working part-time at a relative's bakery in Melbourne. Nhuan's years as a student abroad were very difficult; he studied and worked simultaneously to support himself, as his family was not well-off.
Lam Duc Nhuan graduated with a degree in corporate accounting from RMIT University (Australia) (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).
In 2016, after graduating from university, Nhuận decided to try starting a business in Australia and opened his own bakery. However, the business was unsuccessful, leaving Nhuận penniless in 2019.
So, after 7 years of studying and starting a business abroad without success, Nhuận decided to return to his home country to find a new direction for himself.
Upon returning to Vietnam, Nhuận initially worked in an office at a transportation company. In 2020, a colleague shared that, outside of his work hours, he worked as a ride-hailing driver. This side job provided a decent income.
Hearing this, Nhuận decided to try his hand at being a ride-hailing driver. Initially, he drove a motorbike, and seeing that the job brought in a decent income, he boldly quit his office job to become a full-time ride-hailing driver. At that time, Nhuận earned 15-20 million VND per month.
Once he had enough capital, he upgraded from a motorbike driver to a car driver. Currently, Nhuận aims to earn at least 30 million VND per month to fund his startup in Vietnam. To achieve this income level, he has to work very hard, always striving and determined in every day's work.
The dream of "Vietnamese fast food" and "tailor-made" travel services for each individual traveler.
Despite experiencing many ups and downs in life, Nhuận always finds a way to connect his experiences, even failures, so that in the end, he can still use those setbacks to... move forward.
Nhuận's time studying corporate accounting in Australia helped her broaden her horizons, improve her English skills, and gain a foundational understanding of corporate financial management.
Nhuận has been working as a ride-hailing driver for 5 years, and he is still in the process of accumulating capital to start his own business (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).
Having worked part-time at a relative's bakery in Australia, and then opening her own shop, Nhuận gained practical knowledge about the food business.
Upon returning to his home country to work for a transportation company, he gained further knowledge about how to operate a transportation business.
These things are all very helpful for his entrepreneurial goals in Vietnam. Nhuan wants to open a travel company that provides "tailor-made" experiences for each group of tourists.
He also wants to build a chain of banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) shops in Vietnam. According to him, banh mi is Vietnam's most popular "fast food" among international tourists.
During his years living abroad, Nhuận noticed that foreigners mentioned Vietnamese pho and banh mi the most. He believes that banh mi has the potential to become a popular "fast food" worldwide.
Upon returning to Vietnam, Nhuận recognized the potential of selling unique, high-quality travel tours for small groups.
While working as a ride-hailing driver, Nhuận also took on the role of tour guide for foreign tourists, leveraging his existing foreign language skills. This allowed him to gain practical experience for his future entrepreneurial plans.
Nhuận has been working as a ride-hailing driver for 5 years, and he is still in the process of accumulating capital to pursue his startup plans in Vietnam.
Working as a ride-hailing driver has taught Nhuận some meaningful lessons. First and foremost, it's about patience in overcoming difficulties and hardships in work and life, and about valuing each ride and each customer.
During his work, he also honed his patience, learning not to lose his temper or composure due to time pressure, traffic jams, unfavorable weather, and other challenges.
Believe in yourself, live virtuously, and navigate through life's ups and downs.
Nhuận doesn't dwell negatively on the ups and downs of his past experiences. He believes that "the true test of a horse is on a long journey." Every experience, even a failure, has its own value.
When sharing her story with the media, Nhuận comfortably talked about the less glamorous details of her life: a former overseas student who lost everything in a foreign land, then returned home to start over. Nhuận hopes to offer a genuine and positive story for young people who are struggling to start their own businesses.
Nhuận hopes to bring back an authentic and positive story for young people who are struggling to start their own businesses (Illustrative image: iStock).
Nhuận also knows that the job market is becoming increasingly difficult and challenging. He has witnessed some young people become confused and negative after experiencing unfortunate events at work.
However, life will continue to change rapidly due to technological advancements. This requires us to become more flexible and adaptable. Everyone experiences misfortune at times, but we cannot remain stagnant and stuck in a rut. When we find ways to adapt and break free from these obstacles, things will gradually become clearer and smoother.
Nhuận also hopes that young people who learn about his story will see in him a calm acceptance of reality. First and foremost, we must learn to accept what happens to us.
Nhuận had studied abroad, but after graduating, he couldn't find a job in his field in Australia. He started a business with a bakery but suffered losses and lost everything, including all his capital.
Upon returning to Vietnam, he was willing to take a simple office job, then become a ride-hailing driver, starting with a motorbike before finally saving enough money to upgrade to a car.
According to Nhuận, the first step in solving any problem is... to accept the problem first. This acceptance gives us the courage and composure to step out of our comfort zone, overcome uncertainty, and gradually untangle and solve the problem.
In fact, Nhuận not only faced difficulties in his entrepreneurial journey, but he also went through many hardships in his family life, with loved ones passing away one after another. Currently, his mother is his closest blood relative, always there to encourage him in life.
When faced with seemingly insurmountable problems, Nhuận doesn't force himself to overcome them immediately, because we all need time to recover and reflect on the issues we're facing.
However, you shouldn't let yourself get lost in your thoughts for too long, as it will only make it harder to detach yourself from the problem. At some point, you must proactively distract yourself from the stream of thoughts and then begin taking the first steps to solve the problem.
The biggest lesson Nhuận learned from the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial journey is that he must be the one who understands himself best in order to make the most appropriate decisions.
When we succeed because of our own choices, we feel happier. But even if we fail, we'll be less likely to live with regret for having missed opportunities or for being too cowardly to "try."
Furthermore, throughout his life, Nhuận has always believed that he should live a good, kind, and virtuous life, regardless of the ups and downs, joys and sorrows that life has brought him.
Through various experiences, Nhuận realized that each of us needs to learn to be confident in ourselves, listen to our inner selves, and most importantly, dare to step out of our comfort zone to truly get things done. Even with setbacks, we will gain experience.
Ultimately, opportunities to improve ourselves and achieve success—as defined by each individual—are always waiting for us ahead.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/chuyen-chang-du-hoc-sinh-ve-nuoc-de-lam-tai-xe-cong-nghe-20250713155003727.htm
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