To start a successful business, you need to proactively adapt to the market.

Decided to "leave the city and return to the countryside"

In the sweltering heat of an early May day, in a factory located in Duc Hoa Ha commune, Ms. Du Ngoc Huyen Trang was busy arranging bags on a wooden shelf.

"After many years of starting a business, what makes me happiest is that I have contributed to turning sedge - a plant that often grows in saline, alum-contaminated wetlands - into useful products, with Vietnamese brands, to consumers around the world ," Ms. Trang began the story.

Trang’s opportunity to start a business with sedge is also quite interesting. In 2000, after graduating from university, Trang worked for a company specializing in handicraft products, with a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City.

After 9 years of working in this field, she changed direction to the information technology field, focusing on distributing technology equipment. By 2019, feeling no longer interested in her current job, she decided to "leave the city and return to the countryside", with the initial thought of taking time to rest after many years of focusing on work.

However, after only a short time in her hometown, her passion for handicrafts rekindled when she realized that the local resource of sedge was extremely abundant.

"Duc Hoa district, especially My Hanh Bac commune, grows a lot of sedge. At that time, I went to find out, contacted my old classmates, and then decided to make straws from sedge," Ms. Trang recalled.

Sedge is grown a lot in Duc Hoa district, Long An province.

The first straws were sold to acquaintances and beverage businesses in the area. Realizing the potential of this product, Trang planned to find a way to export the product, but the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, causing the plan to be unfinished.

When the Covid-19 epidemic was under control, Ms. Trang immediately started implementing her new plan - which was to research and produce products such as handbags, hats, sandals, backpacks... from sedge. The raw materials are locally woven sedge sheets or purchased from some provinces in the Mekong Delta such as Tien Giang, An Giang , Kien Giang...

Ms. Trang came up with designs and hired workers to make products from sedge in various shapes and sizes. "To have suitable and diverse designs, I had to learn a lot, refer to existing products on the market and understand the actual needs of customers. The first products were sold domestically, then exported," Ms. Trang said.

Find output for the product

From the initial successes, in 2024, Ms. Du Ngoc Huyen Trang invested in building a factory and established "Onbe Craft Green Production Cooperative", taking on the role of Director. At its peak, the cooperative received many orders, including large orders, creating jobs for nearly 20 workers.

Handbag products made from sedge

To promote products and expand the market, she also regularly participates in fairs, especially international fairs. In addition, she also focuses on promoting products on websites and social networks. "Realizing the importance of promoting products online, I invest in equipment to take pictures and introduce products in many different forms.

I have connected with some units to support opening booths on social platforms like TikTok, but they shared that the products are not suitable and difficult to sell when the users of this social network are mainly young people, so I am temporarily stopping," Ms. Trang shared.

In 2024, Ms. Du Ngoc Huyen Trang actively participated in a number of startup competitions, including the "Women's Creative Startup and Green Transformation" competition organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union and won the Encouragement Prize with the project "Sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion sedge bags".

According to Ms. Trang, when participating in the contest, she and other project owners were trained and shared a lot of useful knowledge about startups; how to operate and manage cooperatives and businesses. With her project, experts advised her to continue diversifying designs; product colors must be more neutral to easily reach more consumers.

"Experts advised and suggested that the product should not be too colorful or flashy. I accepted and adjusted this valuable suggestion immediately," Ms. Trang emphasized.

According to Ms. Du Ngoc Huyen Trang, the reality is that product output is currently facing many difficulties because many people are tightening their spending. In addition, increased labor and transportation costs have increased product prices, making it difficult to compete in the market, especially the international market.

Ms. Du Ngoc Huyen Trang with a handbag made from water hyacinth

However, she still believes that the cooperative's products will "survive" because there are still customers who love and support environmentally friendly products.

"The cooperative's products currently cost between VND300,000 and VND500,000 per product. I'm glad that there are still customers. I remember when I attended a fair in the province, there was a woman who was willing to spend money to buy 10 bags at once because she really liked handmade products. Besides, people who like nostalgia also choose the cooperative's products," Ms. Trang excitedly said.

Sharing more about her future plans, Ms. Trang said that, in addition to the existing products, she will focus on some key products to position the brand more clearly. In addition, she hopes to have more companions to help the production and business develop more and more; increase competitiveness in the international market.

"I think if there are more people working together, each person in charge of a job, it will be more specialized and effective. Besides products from sedge, I also make products from water hyacinth, hoping to continue to receive attention from consumers," said the Director of Onbe Craft Green Production Cooperative.

Some startup experiences of Ms. Du Ngoc Huyen Trang:

- To start a successful business, passion is very important. Besides, you must set goals and have the desire to achieve them.

- Besides learning theory, we must practice continuously and learn from practical experience.

- Always ready to deal with difficulties encountered, proactively adapt to rapid changes in the market.

- Know how to manage, production expansion must be really appropriate, if not carefully calculated, it can lead to increased costs without bringing the desired results.

- Need support and sharing from family and relatives so that you can wholeheartedly devote yourself to starting a business.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/de-khoi-nghiep-thanh-cong-can-chu-dong-thich-ung-voi-thi-truong-20250518172841603.htm