The remarkable story behind the bread cart of the female graduate.

Dao Thi Kieu Oanh (25 years old), from Dong Thap province, graduated from university with a degree in marketing, but every day she meticulously prepares ingredients to make bread, rice noodles, etc., then pushes a cart to sell them. According to Oanh, in the past 8 months, she hasn't regretted her decision for a single day.

Family expectations

Oanh's parents, who live in the countryside, grow acerola cherries to sell, and their monthly income is barely enough to cover living expenses. In 2017, Oanh passed the entrance exam to the University of Finance - Marketing in Ho Chi Minh City. As the eldest child in the family, Oanh was the subject of high expectations, so her decision to sell bread was a shock to her parents. Oanh recounted that she realized marketing wasn't a good fit for her. She admitted that her choice of major was influenced by friends and teachers, while she herself was still uncertain. "This field requires dynamic, quick-witted young people who can handle high pressure. That requirement is completely opposite to my personality," Oanh said.

In 2022, Oanh graduated with a degree in marketing from the University of Finance - Marketing, Ho Chi Minh City.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

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Realizing she had chosen the wrong major, Oanh didn't dare quit for fear of disappointing her family: "If I switched to a different major, my family wouldn't be able to afford the tuition. My parents back home work hard, and I couldn't bear to let them down." During her student years, outside of class, Oanh worked part-time selling bread and earned 20,000 VND per hour. This money helped her cover food and rent. Interacting with customers also made her more confident and outgoing. Later, she applied those skills to run her own bread cart. In 2022, Oanh graduated with a degree in marketing from the University of Finance - Marketing in Ho Chi Minh City. With a good grade, the young woman applied for a job at a pharmaceutical company in District 10 (Ho Chi Minh City). There, her main job involved paperwork and printing documents. With a salary of about 8 million VND per month, Oanh could only barely make ends meet and couldn't support her family.

Become your own boss with a food truck.

Oanh quit her office job in April 2024 because it was too restrictive and stressful. Initially, the young woman planned to find another office job. However, memories of her days selling sandwiches suddenly came flooding back. After that, Oanh decided to start her own sandwich cart. With over ten million dong saved from her office job, Oanh bought a cart to sell sandwiches, rice noodles, and other snacks. Every day, Oanh and her younger brother wake up at 3 am to prepare the rice noodles, make the scallion oil, and make lime tea… Then they leave their rented room in Binh Tan District at 5 am, bringing the ingredients to Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 11 (Ho Chi Minh City) to sell. “I chose this location because there are many students and passersby. I park my sandwich cart nearby,” Oanh shared.

According to Oanh, in the past eight months, she hasn't regretted a single day selling bread.

PHOTO: KIM NGOC NGHIEN

Oanh recounted that in the early days, she couldn't sell even 10 loaves of bread and lost money. She and her sister ate the unsold bread instead of rice for a whole month. In the second month, things improved; they sold out and started making a profit. Oanh said that the profit from selling bread and rice noodles is over 10 million VND per month, enough to cover expenses and support her younger brother who just finished high school. Since her sister started selling bread, Oanh's younger brother, Dao Duy Anh Khoa (20 years old), also came to Ho Chi Minh City to help. "Before, working in an office, I only earned enough to live on, but now I can support my brother. My brother isn't very quick-witted and doesn't have good communication skills, so it's hard for him to find a job," Oanh said. She sells bread in the morning, rests for a few hours at lunchtime, and then prepares ingredients for the next day in the afternoon. When asked, "Do you regret putting your university degree aside to sell bread?", Oanh smiled and replied, "I love this job; it suits me because of the flexible hours. For the past eight months, I haven't regretted selling bread for a single day. I want to strive to develop my business into a bread shop."

By selling bread, Oanh is able to support herself and take care of her younger brother.

PHOTO: KIM NGOC NGHIEN

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Ms. Le Thi Tien (50 years old), from Lap Vo District, Dong Thap Province, said she was shocked to hear that her daughter had quit her office job to sell bread from a cart. “My husband and I were determined to send her to school so she could escape the life of farming, with her tanned face and calloused hands. But she chose such a difficult and arduous path, which breaks my heart. We tried to dissuade her, but seeing her determination, my husband and I had to tell our youngest son to help his sister.” The first month was slow, and Ms. Tien repeatedly advised Oanh to return to her office job. However, Oanh remained determined to pursue her bread-selling career. “Now that I see her business is stable, I feel relieved. Any job is fine, as long as it’s honest work,” Ms. Tien said.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-dac-biet-dang-sau-xe-banh-mi-cua-co-cu-nhan-185241221123820339.htm