The story of "Steel Rose" Tran Thi Loan

Veteran businesswoman Tran Thi Loan, a typical example of progress in the province's patriotic emulation movement in the 2020-2025 period. Photo: Ngoc Linh.

Write the journey of hometown rice

Our first impression when meeting businesswoman Tran Thi Loan, Phu Ly ward, was the sweet Nghe An accent with a slim but very agile appearance, the proper manner of a soldier. Especially in her story, there was always joy and happiness when talking about the rice grains of her homeland, simple things but they have made her "heavy-hearted" for more than 40 years.

Born in 1957 in the poor countryside of Ha Tinh , the image of rice fields sometimes covered in blazing sun, sometimes flooded by rain and floods is always imprinted in Mrs. Tran Thi Loan's mind. Therefore, from a young age, Mrs. Loan understood the hardships and difficulties of farmers to produce rice. This is the source of her passion, enthusiasm, and nurtured her desire to contribute to the Vietnamese food industry.

Ms. Tran Thi Loan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Ha Nam Food Joint Stock Company shared: In 1976, I joined the army in Division 441, Military Region 4 with the main job of military post and communications for international missions. After completing my service, I took the exam and was admitted to the University of Finance and Accounting (Hanoi). After graduating, I was assigned to work at the Department of Finance of the old Ha Nam Ninh province, but I asked to return to work in food to fulfill my childhood dream of agriculture .

With her efforts, from a saleswoman, Ms. Loan was assigned to work as an accountant, then counter manager, store manager, and in 2004, she was trusted to be the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Director of Ha Nam Food Joint Stock Company, a member of the Northern Food Corporation.

In 2013, she retired under the regime, but after a few years, when she learned that the Company was operating at a loss and was on the brink of bankruptcy, she decided to buy back 100% of the shares with the determination to revive the local food industry. Thanks to her talented, steadfast and courageous leadership, the company not only escaped the "life-threatening" situation but also continuously grew, becoming a solid home, taking better and better care of hundreds of officers, employees and workers with an average income of 6.5 million VND/person/month.

Ms. Tran Thi Loan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Ha Nam Food Joint Stock Company, shared about existing rice products.

Businesswoman Tran Thi Loan shared: Currently, the Company consumes over 100,000 tons of rice each year at the most favorable purchasing price for farmers. At the same time, it is a typical enterprise in stabilizing food prices during holidays, Tet, epidemic prevention or crop failure, floods and storms; is a trusted customer and partner of the General Department of State Reserves, beer and wine factories... with a charter capital of over 20 billion VND, an average annual revenue of nearly 400 billion VND. In addition, the Company always maintains 3,000-5,000 tons of rice in warehouses to ensure food security in the province.

Not only stopping at the food sector, Ms. Loan also pioneered a new direction: high-tech agriculture. In 2017, she built the project "Investing in building a high-tech agricultural center to produce high-quality seedlings and flower and ornamental plant products". The project has created jobs for hundreds of employees of the Company and the locality, with annual revenue reaching 8 billion VND.

Woman with a kind heart

If in the business world, Ms. Tran Thi Loan is always brave and decisive, in social work, she shines with her kind and loving heart. Learning and following Uncle Ho's words about "caring for the people, especially the disadvantaged", she always considers volunteering as part of her life's responsibility.

Veteran Tran Thi Loan often visits and encourages her comrades and teammates.

Over the years, she and the Company have actively responded to the movements: "The whole country joins hands for the poor - No one is left behind", "The whole country joins hands to build new rural areas"... Every year, she supports social charity funds such as the Fund for the Poor, the Education Promotion Fund, the Gratitude Fund, supporting Truong Sa, people affected by natural disasters and floods... with an amount of 300-400 million VND.

She personally sponsors 5 orphans with a financial support of 150 million VND per year, and together with the Women Entrepreneurs Association of the former Ha Nam province, she takes care of 17 other children. She also mobilized the construction of 12 gratitude houses, of which 3 were funded by her own money. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she and the Company contributed nearly 1 billion VND to support rice, necessities, gifts for doctors, nurses, and patients, subsidize "zero-dong supermarkets", and support provinces severely affected by the epidemic.

What many people admire is her persistence in volunteer activities. Not just a few short-term events, but over many years, she has maintained stable contributions. These are Tet gifts for poor households, bicycles for students, shelters for veterans... It is this persistence that creates trust and a strong influence in the community.

One of the houses built by Ms. Tran Thi Loan and the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of the former Ha Nam province for a policy family.

In particular, as Vice President of the Veteran Business Association of the former Ha Nam province, President of the Provincial Women Entrepreneurs Association, President of the Ha Nam Provincial Elderly Association for the 2024-2029 term, regardless of her position, she has demonstrated her leadership role, initiated many movements to unite members, promote the spirit of production competition, expand the market, and create a connecting playground for businesses.

The tireless efforts of Ms. Tran Thi Loan have been recognized by the Party, the State, ministries, branches, and the former Ha Nam province with many noble awards. In the past 5 years alone, she has received the First Class Labor Medal, the title of “National Emulation Fighter”, “Outstanding Vietnamese Businesswoman with the Golden Rose Cup”, “Outstanding Senior Citizen with Excellent Economic Performance in the Nation”… These certificates of merit are not only a recognition of achievements, but also a testament to the creative and persistent work journey of this nearly 70-year-old woman who is still full of energy.

Looking back on her journey, the veteran businesswoman shared: “I always consider Uncle Ho as a great example to learn from and follow. I learned from him the virtues of simplicity, diligence, hard work, compassion, and sharing. Especially the years of training in the military have trained me in will, courage, and decisiveness. From then on, I always try and make every effort in production, business, and social security work.”

In the midst of countless difficulties and challenges, soldier-businesswoman Tran Thi Loan still maintains her faith, steadfastness and kindness. At nearly 70 years old, she is still tirelessly contributing, continuing new projects and devoting her energy to the poor, orphans, her comrades and the community.

The story of Mrs. Tran Thi Loan is not only an example of a successful businesswoman, a soldier with a spirit and fortitude of steel, but also a living testament to the spirit of patriotic emulation and the beautiful tradition of "helping each other" and "loving others as you love yourself" of the Vietnamese people.

Minh Hai

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/chuyen-ve-bong-hong-thep-tran-thi-loan-250913082806436.html