Yen's day begins with her and two workers busily producing and drying pho noodles on racks in the sun to store for the winter. "In hot weather, my facility produces as much pho as possible to ensure the product is fragrant and delicious. During the rainy season, this is more difficult because there's no direct sunlight, so we have to use high-intensity drying ovens, which consumes more electricity," Yen explains.
Ms. Yen shared how she became involved in this profession. After graduating from nursing school, she worked at Hoi An City General Hospital. After three years, she had to quit due to difficulties arising after giving birth to her first child. In 2017, she decided to continue the traditional dried pho noodle production business of her husband's family.
"Working as a nurse at the hospital was quite challenging, but I felt happy seeing patients recover day by day... After leaving the hospital, I was quite sad, but as a woman, I wanted to dedicate most of my time to taking care of my family."
"On the other hand, I noticed that the local area has a fairly abundant supply of fragrant and delicious rice, but the market price is low. From there, I decided to choose my family's traditional pho-making business to start my own. I want to produce high-quality pho noodles to supply consumers, thereby increasing the value of the rice produced by the local people," Ms. Yen said.
Ms. Yen and her husband invested over 200 million VND to buy machinery and raw materials, and began reviving the pho noodle production business under the name "Ba Yen's Dried Noodles and Pho Noodles".
After the rice noodles are dried, she carefully packages and stores them. Having worked in this business for over 8 years, she supplies tons of dried rice noodles to the market every month.
"Making pho noodles might seem easy, but producing high-quality dried pho noodles involves many steps. The most difficult part is selecting the rice and processing it before putting it into the machine until the finished product is ready, ensuring the noodles are both chewy and soft," Ms. Yen shared.
Each kilogram of dried pho noodles costs 40,000 VND. Her market consists of traditional markets, large and small supermarkets in Quang Nam province and Da Nang city. She earns approximately 100 million VND per month in revenue, and after deducting labor and ingredient costs, her profit is around 30 million VND per month.
To secure a supply of Q5 rice for pho production, Ms. Yen also collaborates with dozens of local farmers to cultivate this rice variety and purchases it annually, ensuring a stable market for the farmers. Her pho production facility also provides regular employment for three local workers, each earning 200,000 VND per day.
Currently, Ms. Yen has completed her application to participate in the provincial Creative Startup Competition, which will be held in May 2024. She plans to expand her production facility next year, investing in more machinery to produce larger quantities for her customers.
[ VIDEO ] - Ms. Pham Thi Hong Yen shares her startup story:
Mr. Doan Cong Dao, Vice Chairman of the Dien Phuong Ward People's Committee, said that currently there are 3 OCOP-certified products in the locality. Ms. Yen's dried pho noodles in Triem Dong 1 neighborhood are very promising, and her family has submitted an application to participate in the provincial startup idea competition.
Over the past period, the local authorities have consistently sought out and guided establishments producing pho, carpentry, bronze casting, etc., to complete registration procedures and encouraged local development, resulting in an increasing number of products being brought to market. "Mrs. Yen's pho production facility not only enriches her family but also creates jobs for many local workers, which is commendable," Mr. Dao said.
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