Minh Long's successor generation: New vision based on core values

Preserving heritage - innovating the way of doing things

For nearly six decades, Minh Long has been known as a typical Vietnamese ceramic brand, built on the cultural foundation and craftsmanship of many generations of artisans. As the company enters a transition period, the most important question for the next generation is how to continue to develop in a business environment that is very different from the past.

For Mr. Ly Huy Buu, the biggest challenge is not maintaining the legacy, but the ability to operate the business according to the standards of the modern market. Graduated and matured in an international educational environment, he brought to Minh Long a new approach: data, technology and user experience design thinking. This became the foundation for the company's transformation from a traditional production model to an integrated management system, automation and digital factory.

Mr. Ly Huy Buu - General Director of Minh Long Company.

Generational transition: from trust to real change

Minh Long’s continued success is due to the convergence of the founding generation’s experience and the new perspective of the younger generation. The children of businessman Ly Ngoc Minh not only inherit the fruits of their father’s long-term labor, but also clearly recognize the limitations of the old model – where manual production is a key factor but also a barrier to expansion.

Mr. Buu and his young team have implemented many systemic changes: digitizing processes, upgrading production technology, expanding research and development departments, and setting new management standards. These steps are not to break tradition, but to make tradition operate more effectively in the modern economic context.

Notably, the transfer at Minh Long did not follow the “father gives - son receives” model, but rather in the spirit of cooperation. The father gives trust; the son proves his ability with actual results. This is considered the foundation of a less volatile transfer process than many other private enterprises in Vietnam.

Three pillars of development: culture - market - technology

Under the leadership of Mr. Ly Huy Buu, Minh Long repositioned its strategy based on three clear pillars.

The first is culture. For him, Vietnamese culture is the material and soul of ceramic products. This element is not only expressed in patterns or shapes, but is incorporated into the entire experience of use. This orientation directly inherits the philosophy of the previous generation, while expanding to suit the aesthetic sense of today's consumers.

1m70 tall porcelain statue of a young girl on display at Minh Long Ceramics Museum.

The second is the youth market. The young customer group is considered a new consumer force: they have modern aesthetic taste, care about quality and are rich in experience. To reach this group, Mr. Buu promotes minimalist, modern and multi-layered emotional product lines, but does not lose the Vietnamese mark in materials and design.

Third is technological innovation. Minh Long invests heavily in automation, data management and operational optimization. In particular, the one-time firing technology at 1,380°C – Minh Long’s core differentiator – continues to be considered by Mr. Buu as an important technical foundation. Mastering this difficult technique helps products achieve higher durability, solidity and safety, while optimizing energy and shortening production cycles. In addition, the digital factory system and closed chain allow businesses to improve quality, control raw materials and respond more flexibly to domestic and foreign market needs.

Looking to the future with a new logo

The change of Minh Long does not stop at technology or products, but is also reflected in the new brand identity. The logo of a sail full of wind marks a turning point: the new generation proactively expands to the international market, carrying the aspiration to bring Vietnamese ceramic products to the world on the basis of Vietnamese technology and cultural identity.

With a realistic perspective, Mr. Ly Huy Buu does not consider succession as a title, but as a responsibility for the achievements of the previous generation and the requirements of the new era. Preserving the quintessence and innovating the way of doing things are two parallel factors, helping Minh Long enter a new growth phase without losing the core values that have made its name.

Thuy Duong

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/doanh-nhan/the-he-ke-thua-minh-long-tam-nhin-moi-tren-nen-gia-tri-cot-loi/20251208044910239