Michael Dinh and the desire to connect Asia and Europe

There are many Vietnamese people in the Netherlands in particular and in Europe in general who open Asian food retail stores. But the next generation is often reluctant to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Michael Dinh is an exception. He is joining forces with his family to open a second supermarket in the Netherlands, aiming for a model of “modern, sustainable and humane Asian supermarket”.

Michael Dinh worked part-time at his parents' Asian store, C&C Asian Market (opened in 2016), while studying International Business Administration at VUA University (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) from 2019 to 2023. That was also the time when Covid-19 broke out.

He realized that home cooking is the core element and also the promising future of this type of supermarket. Another advantage is that the Netherlands has a future for developing Asian food. There are many Asian restaurants but home cooking and Asian cooking after Covid-19 has become a stronger trend. For Michael, this is an opportunity to develop his business and himself.

Michael Dinh (far right, second row) and colleagues at C&C Asian Market. Photo: NVCC

After graduating from university, Michael did not try his hand at large companies or corporations like other young Vietnamese people, but instead worked full-time and took over his parents' store.

He shared: “Of course, working for a large company will give me more opportunities to develop, while in a family company, everything is done by myself, and the working hours are endless. A typical example is how to string together reasonable data for thousands of small items. My parents, like many other Vietnamese people who run supermarkets, restaurants, or nail salons, often rely on their efforts and hard work. Westerners have to understand the problem thoroughly before they dare to do it. In Amsterdam, there are shops selling Vietnamese products at high prices, based on the motto of hard work and daring to do it. But if there are problems with policies or competition in the future, will they be able to survive?”

So did the knowledge learned in school help Michael? Many people asked him this question. The young owner smiled: “I asked myself that question. Is what I learned useful now? The problems at my supermarket are still too small and simple, I cannot immediately apply the strategies I learned, and the results are not immediately visible. But I also clearly see my parents' desire to make this type of supermarket better. We learned how to install the lights ourselves, how to arrange items in a beautiful position, how to label them, how to design an attractive and inviting space. I hired staff specializing in brand communication, data management, supply chain... My goal is to build a trustworthy brand for Asian cuisine from product quality to customer care. To do that, we must do the core first: have good products that meet consumer needs, fast and accurate service, manage each item effectively, minimize the amount of expired goods and continue to thoroughly understand the market...”.

Although small in scale, Michael's Asian supermarket has created a Loyalty card program (point card, incentives for regular customers), set up an online sales website, imported many products, especially quality Vietnamese products to serve the home cooking needs of local people.

This young Vietnamese man also attends fairs and retail events to find good sources of goods: “The demand for Vietnamese food is increasing. For example, recently there have been a few restaurants selling Hue beef noodle soup in the vicinity, so many customers have come to the supermarket to ask for the right dried noodles to bring home to cook beef noodle soup to make it as delicious as in the restaurant. In the long run, success in business, in my opinion, is not just about making money, but also about understanding people and understanding yourself. Currently, young people are hesitant to become owners in the retail industry like me. But just do it, don't be afraid.”

LAM VAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/michael-dinh-va-khat-vong-ket-noi-a-au-post823679.html