Nguyen Trinh, Founder of Ms. Linh's Snakehead Fish Noodle Soup: Choose to learn, choose to work and choose to stand up

Work as a worker and learn cooking

Starting out as a worker in a delivery company, Nguyen Trinh always dreamed of a more distant future, where he would open his own restaurant and be his own boss. After much deliberation, the young man born in 1994 decided to study cooking, believing that, in any circumstance, eating and drinking is still a basic human need.

Without family support, Trinh saved money and enrolled in an executive chef training course at a vocational school in Ho Chi Minh City. He gradually learned the basics, not only of food preparation, but also of calculating product costs, managing ingredients, and operating a kitchen.

The days of studying and working made Trinh exhausted, but he was always confident in the path ahead. After finishing the course, he boldly quit his job at the delivery company to work for restaurants. The working process made him realize that knowledge is not enough, he needs to directly interact with reality to turn the knowledge he has learned into "personal capital".

Today you are a worker. But who knows, in a year, you might be a small boss like me? Don't let anything limit you.

- Nguyen Trinh

The turning point came in 2019, when the restaurant where Trinh worked stopped operating. Instead of continuing to work for others, he decided it was time to stand on his own two feet. “If not now, then when?” Trinh said to himself.

With only 7 million VND, Trinh could not open a restaurant or eatery. He started with a hamburger cart on the sidewalk of Ung Van Khiem Street (Binh Thanh). Still using hamburgers, Trinh varied them by adding many types of sauces, such as BBQ, teriyaki, spicy tamarind, chiligaram... Within just 2 months, the people around him became familiar with the young man with a gentle smile, next to the cart that always emitted a fragrant smell.

But hamburgers only sell between 6am and 10am, the rest of the time Trinh is completely free. He decided to turn his rented room into a kitchen to sell food online at noon.

Using the recipe for hamburger sauce, Trinh created Malaysian-style rice and noodle dishes with many flavors. To find customers, Trinh had to learn how to post on online food delivery apps. “Those days, it was just me and my phone, constantly spinning around selling hamburgers, preparing food for lunch, checking orders, and placing orders. There were days when I was so tired that I didn’t dare to rest…”, Trinh recalled.

After a whole year like that, Trinh's landlord took back his room. But he did not see it as a difficulty, but as an opportunity to upgrade his model. From an online kitchen, Trinh rented a space on Nguyen Xi Street (Binh Thanh) to open a Malai Rice and Noodles store, specializing in selling rice, noodles, and hamburgers. With a ready source of regular online customers, the store broke even in just 3 months. This premise helped Trinh open a second store in Thao Dien.

But then Covid-19 hit, forcing Trinh to close his store in Thao Dien. He maintained one store, trying to make ends meet during the difficult period.

By 2023, Trinh will reopen the second store on Dang Van Ngu Street (Phu Nhuan Ward). In addition to serving the needs of "what to eat for lunch today" or simply "changing the taste" for family meals of diners, Malai Rice and Noodles also meets large orders for offices, events, conferences...

Desire to spread national cuisine

Claiming to be passionate about culinary creativity, Trinh was surprised one day by the story of a rustic Vietnamese dish - snakehead fish noodle soup. When joining a group of people working in the culinary field, he learned about Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Linh, a woman who faced many difficulties in life, but still raised her juniors and children, just by selling noodle soup on the sidewalk. For Trinh, it was not just a story, a life...

“I asked her to teach me how to make banh canh. I want to use my knowledge and experience to bring snakehead fish banh canh to more people. But not just banh canh of the past, but banh canh that puts quality first, elevating each noodle, green onion... Because Vietnamese cuisine deserves to be elevated,” Trinh shared.

To honor his teacher, Trinh named the restaurant Ms. Linh’s Snakehead Fish Noodle Soup. Last year, he opened a branch in Binh Thanh District and this year he opened another branch in Phu Nhuan District.

He said, he does not sell food to fill customers' stomachs, but sells quality products that come with a fun dining experience. Snakehead fish is not frozen, but fresh fish, meticulously deboned, steamed to preserve its natural sweetness. The broth is simmered from fish bones, no need for thickening powder. When customers enter the restaurant, the staff greets them friendly, even remembering their names and preferences if they are regulars. "Selling cheap? Anyone can do it. But selling the best - that's the way to never worry about losing customers," Trinh concluded.

Currently, all four of Trinh's restaurants are operating stably. He does not need to directly cook like before, but instead leaves it to his staff to take care of, so that he has more time to step back and focus on marketing, management and operations.

In his spare time, the Founder spends time writing and sharing experiences via social networks. He said he is willing to connect and support young people who want to start a business in the restaurant industry. As for the brand of Ms. Linh's snakehead fish noodle soup, Trinh has completed the model and can transfer it for free to individuals at home and abroad - those who truly want to develop themselves and develop traditional Vietnamese dishes.

“No one is born good. What matters is whether you choose to learn, choose to work and choose to stand up or not,” the 9x founder advised.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nguyen-trinh-nha-sang-lap-banh-canh-ca-loc-co-linh-chon-hoc-chon-lam-va-chon-dung-len-d278834.html