Ms. Duyen's (left) herbal startup product is gradually being accepted by the market.

Get creative with your heat-brewing formula

After graduating from the traditional medicine major, Ms. Duyen worked at the Huong Thuy Ward Health Station. With 18 years of experience and knowledge distilled in the industry, she clearly understands the value of each familiar traditional Vietnamese medicine. Growing up in a rural area where "a handful of leaves around the garden" is a valuable medicine, she understands even more the folk habit of soaking feet in salt and herbs after each hard day of work.

Based on her professional knowledge and passion for herbs, Ms. Duyen began experimenting with handmade products, such as lipstick and shampoo made from perilla, basil, lemongrass, soapberry... Wishing to enhance the value of local medicinal herbs, in 2025, she boldly launched "Duyen Herbal herbal foot bath salt", a product that combines traditional medicine experience and creativity in processing.

According to Ms. Duyen, her herbal salt is incubated for over 24 hours, a method that helps preserve the essence of the medicinal herbs, while increasing the absorption capacity when soaking feet. The product is a combination of coarse salt and more than 15 natural herbs such as cinnamon, star anise, ginger, mugwort, red sage, angelica, safflower, lemon leaves, lemongrass... All are harvested from abundant local raw materials, both saving costs and creating value for native medicinal plants.

Thanks to its exclusive formula and meticulous manual production process, “Duyen Herbal Herbal Foot Bath Salt” brings remarkable results: Helps reduce joint pain, improves blood circulation, supports deep sleep, reduces numbness; at the same time, eliminates foot odor, keeps feet soft and warm. “Each bag of herbal salt is not only a health care product, but also a gift that encapsulates the hometown flavor and dedication of a medical practitioner,” said Ms. Duyen.

From small kitchen to creative startup playground

In the early stages, Ms. Duyen encountered many difficulties in capital, technology and production processes. With support from family, friends and especially the Women's Union of Huong Thuy Ward, she persevered in perfecting each stage, testing and constantly improving the product.

Up to now, Duyen Herbal herbal salt has been trusted and received positive feedback from many customers. Not only is it sold on e-commerce platforms and health spas, the product also surpassed hundreds of competitors to be selected to participate in the final round of the Hue City Innovation and Startup Competition 2025, organized by the Department of Science and Technology.

In the upcoming plan, Ms. Duyen plans to expand the production scale, invest in more modern dryers, mixers, and packaging machines to increase productivity and synchronize quality. Ms. Duyen also focuses on building a brand with Hue identity, friendly, natural and sophisticated with health gift product lines, family combos, aiming to distribute at spas, resorts, pharmacies and e-commerce platforms.

With her passion and constant efforts, Ms. Le Thi Duyen not only affirms the role of women in the creative startup journey, but also contributes to spreading the value of Vietnamese medicinal plants, bringing the quintessence of Hue herbs closer to modern life, both friendly and imbued with the identity of her homeland. "I always believe that sustainable health starts from simple things, like the way your feet are soaked in warm water, imbued with the aroma of hometown herbs," Ms. Duyen shared.

Article and photos: Thanh Thao

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/dua-tinh-hoa-thao-duoc-hue-den-gan-hon-voi-doi-song-159671.html