Businesswoman Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen: Preserving the soul of Hanoi's sticky rice flakes through simple, rustic things.

From the tender green rice grains of Hanoi's autumn, businesswoman Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, owner of the Com Moc Huyen brand, chose to dedicate herself to the craft of making com (a type of Vietnamese rice flake) with perfection and self-respect. For her, com is a memory of the land and people of Hanoi, needing to be preserved through its simplicity and kindness.

Businesswoman Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen.

Approaching sticky rice flakes with respect.

Present at numerous major cultural and tourism events in the capital and nationwide, from the 2025 Autumn Fair, activities within the framework of A80, the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US, the Hanoi Autumn Festival, the 2025 Traditional Craft Village and Street Food and Tourism Festival, to the Hanoi Food Festival, the Moc Huyen sticky rice flake stall maintains its simple appearance yet consistently attracts visitors who stop to browse and shop. The fresh, tender rice flakes emit a gentle aroma that captivates passersby, reflecting the very essence of Hanoi's culture: refined and quiet, creating a lasting appeal.

Behind that stall was businesswoman Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Director of Viet Long Investment and Trade Development Joint Stock Company, the company that developed the Moc Huyen rice flake brand. This woman had a gentle smile and her eyes always shone with pride when talking about rice flakes. Her voice softened when she spoke about herself: "I love rice flakes and I make them with the mindset of a Hanoi resident who doesn't allow herself to be careless."

Few people know that before building the Com Moc Huyen brand, the businesswoman born in 1978 was a journalist working at the Vietnam Sea Magazine. Her job took her on many trips, allowing her to work with the navy, coast guard, and other military units. That period gave her valuable life experience, high discipline, and a strong sense of responsibility.

But personal life presented a different choice. Her child was born prematurely and needed her presence more. She chose to stop, not because she was tired of the profession, but because she didn't want to abandon her child during the most crucial years of their life. Recalling that decision, she smiled softly: "That was when I needed to slow down, to do something I could delve deeper into, be more thorough about, and still feel like I was doing serious work."

Leaving journalism behind, she accepted the challenge of starting over, without titles or guarantees, relying only on experience and patience.

The idea of ​​making sticky rice flakes came to her naturally, without the connotations of a business plan. Her family has roots in the traditional craft. Her aunt, Nguyen Thi Hoa, is an artisan, and her family has been making sticky rice flakes for over a hundred years in Vong village; she is the fourth generation. Before that, she often bought sticky rice flakes to give as gifts to friends, business partners, and esteemed guests. She understands what she is giving, where it comes from, and why it is worthwhile. In a society where gift-giving easily becomes a formality, Hanoi sticky rice flakes are, for her, a choice that is just right, refined, and imbued with cultural memory and depth.

Ms. Huyen started making rice flakes in 2019. Viet Long Investment, Trade and Development Joint Stock Company was established in 2022, after she had come a long enough way to understand that if she wanted to do things properly, she needed a more systematic approach. Moc Huyen rice flakes were born from her name and the word "Moc" (meaning "natural" or "simple"), representing the original rice flakes, the simple method of preparation, and the unpretentious spirit.

She had a very clear understanding of the market. Long-established brands of rice flakes already had a firm foothold. The question for her wasn't how to compete through advertising, but how to survive through quality. She chose the difficult path of word-of-mouth and experience. She attended events, paid for booths herself, invited customers to sample the product, and listened to every feedback. "Advertising can get people to try it, but only a real experience will make them come back," she said.

The early years were a series of heavy losses. Sticky rice with green rice flakes couldn't be kept for more than one day. Green rice cakes had to be given away after four days. For major events, she brought goods worth hundreds of millions of dong, but the sales weren't enough to cover the costs. Recalling that period, her eyes filled with sadness: "There were days when I set up my stall knowing I was going to lose money, even hundreds of millions of dong, it was so disheartening!"

But then she diligently participated in trade fairs, people tried her products, bought them, and came back for more. Orders started coming in because of trust. She once asked customers if they were buying out of support. The answer was straightforward. No one spends tens of millions of dong just to show support. They buy because they find it delicious and high-quality, sophisticated enough to give as a gift. "For me, that's more important than anything else," she said proudly.

Com Moc Huyen was born from the name of Ms. Huyen and the word "moc," meaning "moc" (meaning "natural" or "simple"), referring to the original rice grains and the simple way of making them.

Perfectionism has become a habit.

Standing in front of the Com Moc Huyen stall, everything is meticulously arranged with a very Hanoi-style setting that makes everyone want to stop and take photos. From the way the products are displayed, the colors of the bamboo and lotus leaves, harmonizing with the fresh rice flakes, to the staff's uniforms. For Ms. Huyen, perfectionism isn't just a concept, but a habit formed from each time she prepares the stall, each way she packages the products, and each word she speaks to customers.

She once recounted feeling embarrassed at a major diplomatic event. Her booth was in a prime location, with many international visitors, but she hadn't prepared the space as she'd hoped. When visitors praised her products, she felt she hadn't done enough to present a polished image. Recalling that moment, she paused for a few seconds before speaking slowly: "My biggest fear was not doing enough and bringing Hanoi's name upon the event. Once you're standing there, you can't afford to be careless."

Since then, she has always prepared herself mentally for the possibility of not knowing who might enter her booth. Leaders, experts, tourists, or ordinary citizens—everyone deserves the highest level of hospitality. Her after-sales service clearly reflects this philosophy. When problems arise, regardless of the fault, she chooses to take responsibility first. Products are replaced, and their value is maintained or improved. She lets customers compare for themselves. Most of those customers become regulars. For her, maintaining trust is more important than right or wrong in a specific situation.

Innovation to help rice flakes reach ever further.

Moc Huyen's rice flake products currently range from familiar dishes from Hanoi's nostalgic memories to innovative creations suitable for modern life. But for Ms. Huyen, innovation must always focus on whether the rice flake itself is still at the center. "If people can't feel the rice flake, then it's no longer rice flake," she says slowly, as if reminding herself.

The story of the local sticky rice ice cream is the clearest example of this approach. She spent months working with the technical team, accepting the loss of many batches of ice cream, and resolutely refusing the method of grinding the sticky rice to create the flavor. For her, the sticky rice must be present in its true form, so that when eaten, people can still chew the grains, recognize the very distinctive aroma of young sticky rice, and the appearance must be as sharp as a sculpture.

Ms. Huyen also adjusted her rice flake milk tea to reflect that spirit. Less sugar, a milder flavor, so that middle-aged people still find it pleasant to drink, and younger people don't find it harsh. For Ms. Huyen, a product is well-received not because it's novel, but because of its naturalness, with the rice flakes as the foundation, not obscured by layers of sweetness or other flavorings.

Ms. Huyen is planning to open a small shop specializing in creative drinks made from young rice flakes.

The world of Com Moc Huyen's products unfolds in a clear order. There, items associated with memories of Tet (Lunar New Year), weddings, and ancestral worship, such as green rice flakes, sticky rice with green rice flakes, green rice flake cakes, and green rice flake patties, retain their core position, as an irreplaceable tradition. Alongside these are contemporary items like green rice flake sausages, green rice flake ham, green rice flake milk tea, green rice flake mochi, and green rice flake wine, constantly being innovated to suit various age groups and settings.

Regardless of its form, the original rice flake remains the central focus, allowing consumers to recognize it as authentic Hanoi rice flakes, not a bland, artificially flavored variation. For Ms. Huyen, this diversity isn't about showing off, but about proving that when placed in the right context, rice flakes can perfectly complement modern life while retaining their essence.

She said, "Green rice flakes aren't just a seasonal dish." In the hot season, there's ice cream and iced tea; in the cold season, there's sticky rice, sweet soup, and hot green rice flake rice cakes. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, green rice flakes have their own way of being present, as long as the maker has enough patience and understanding.

As a native of Hanoi, Ms. Huyen always maintains a sense of self-respect in her work. From naming her products, choosing colors, selecting seasons, to communicating with customers, she maintains a slow, meticulous, and balanced Hanoi rhythm, so that people from other places can immediately recognize it. She hasn't opened a fixed shop, so finished products are sold directly, without intermediaries, keeping everything under control. This method is hard work, but it gives her peace of mind.

Ms. Huyen is planning to open a small shop specializing in creative drinks made from young rice flakes. "I just hope that when people pick up a cup of young rice flake milk tea or young rice flake lotus tea, they'll know immediately that it's made with real young rice flakes, so that young people can find something new, and older people can rediscover familiar memories," she said with a radiant smile. It's a space where she can slow down, meticulously work with young rice flakes, and truly appreciate them, allowing them to become a deeper part of contemporary life.

Looking to the future, Ms. Huyen remains steadfast in her commitment to hand-pounding her rice flakes, ensuring they achieve the perfect thinness and chewiness. She is also constantly striving to extend the shelf life of her rice flake products, with a view to exporting them. For her, the future of Moc Huyen Rice Flakes lies not in moving quickly, but in the ability to grow long enough and sustainably, so that Hanoi's rice flakes are gradually recognized for their true meaning in contemporary life.

Amidst an age of intense advertising, Moc Huyen's Com Moc Huyen stall quietly continues to radiate its fragrance. Just as Ms. Huyen keeps Hanoi's com moc Huyen in its most exquisite position, through kindness and sincerity, allowing all other values ​​to naturally find their way to her.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/doanh-nhan-nguyen-thi-thu-huyen-giu-hon-com-ha-noi-tu-nhung-dieu-rat-moc-d464532.html