|
A journey with the rice grains of our village.
On a clear autumn morning in Hanoi , steam rises, carrying the exquisite aroma of a steaming bowl of pho. The soft white noodles, the delicate scent of onions, the familiar slurping sound… all begin with a grain of rice. More than just food, rice is the soul, the memory of family meals, a cultural tradition intertwined with the Vietnamese people for millennia. And it was from this grain of rice that Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hang chose her entrepreneurial journey.
In early 2009, at the age of 47, when many of her peers were already thinking about retirement, Ms. Hang chose a different path. Leaving her senior management position in a state-owned enterprise, she founded and became the General Director of Vietnam Agricultural and Foodstuff Import-Export Joint Stock Company (VAF, brand VAFOOD). Starting with only 8 employees, the first year's revenue was a mere 8 billion VND, and tax contributions amounted to approximately 450 million VND, but she instilled a lasting philosophy: "Clean food from farm to table."
In 2015, during a business trip to South Africa, she received a small order: a few dozen kilograms of rice paper for spring rolls and some dried pho noodles to serve the Vietnamese diaspora. It seemed simple, but when she gathered the goods at Dong Xuan Market, she was shocked. The rice paper for spring rolls was drying everywhere, covered in dust. The dried pho noodles were adulterated with additives to make them chewier, lacking proper hygiene. A product embodying the spirit of Vietnam, yet it was so difficult to hold its head high in a foreign land. She wondered: "Why does Thailand have tom yum soup that's popular worldwide , while in Vietnam, pho and spring rolls are still confined to rural markets?"
That question led her to a new direction, linking with traditional craft villages but requiring a change in approach. She sought out Lang Chieu ( Ha Nam province ), famous for its spring roll wrappers, and then a village in Hai Duong specializing in vermicelli and pho. She didn't replace the farmers, but rather worked alongside them. The villagers preserved their traditional techniques, while VAF brought in technology, especially the Japanese-standard freeze-drying process.
From there, other products were elevated and differentiated. No more borax, no more bleaching agents. The rice noodles retain their natural rice color, are chewy and elastic, and can be stored for a long time without losing their flavor. The rice paper wrappers no longer get moldy after a few months, but still retain the sweet and savory taste of local rice.
Years of effort have culminated in the 4-star OCOP certification – a "passport" that opens the door to the international market. And Vietnamese rice, through the hands of traditional crafts and technology, can now confidently stand alongside world-renowned culinary icons.
|
The arduous task of bringing pho and spring rolls to international trade fairs.
At the 2023 Guangzhou Fair (China), the Vietnamese booth stood quietly amidst hundreds of brightly lit booths. Only a few product packages and promotional posters adorned the shelves. Passersby were indifferent. No one stopped. No one showed any curiosity. Ms. Hang sat watching, suddenly realizing that mere display of goods wasn't enough to attract international visitors.
At the end of 2023, she once again went alone to participate in the CIIE Fair in Shanghai, China. Her booth was empty, with no staff or assistants. She decided to try something different. She bought sausages, cucumbers, and herbs herself, sat down, rolled each spring roll, and fried them, offering them to customers for free. The aroma spread, and a few people stopped, then dozens, then hundreds of people lined up. After the spring rolls, she offered customers hot pho. Her small booth suddenly became the center of attention at the fair.
She still vividly remembers an elderly Chinese man who, after finishing his meal, returned and pleaded to buy some dried pho noodles: "It's so delicious, can I take some home?" In subsequent years, this regular customer always arrived very early at the fair and brought many relatives and friends to experience and shop with him. The few packets of rice paper wrappers she brought weren't enough for all the customers. They became cherished gifts. That moment was enough to convince her: "Vietnamese pho and Vietnamese rice paper wrappers, if made correctly, can touch anyone's heart."
From that turning point, the "taste-testing strategy" became VAFOOD's secret. Whether in Kunming, Nanning (China), or from Laos, Japan, South Korea, to fairs in distant Africa and Europe, her booth was always packed with customers. People came to try the food, then brought their whole families, buying entire boxes of goods as gifts. What she was proud of wasn't just the sales, but hearing international customers praise: "This pho has the authentic taste of Hanoi pho." Because, ultimately, the most effective way to promote Vietnamese cuisine is to let the world directly experience its flavor.
|
"Keeping the flame alive" for traditional craft villages.
For Ms. Hang, building a business isn't about replacing others, but about partnering with the local people. "If I did everything myself, the traditional craft village would be wiped out," she said, and this very perspective has shaped her dedication to every sheet of pho noodles and spring roll wrapper from her hometown. From the early days, when many were still accustomed to drying pho noodles in the fields, using borax to make them chewy, and bleaching agents to make them look appealing, she patiently persuaded them to switch to cold drying combined with solar energy so that the product would be both safe and retain the natural sweetness of the rice. Initially, everyone was skeptical, but when they saw that the product could be stored for a long time and sold at a high price, the villagers nodded in agreement: "This is the only way to be sustainable."
In Ha Nam, dozens of women have found stable employment, increasing their income while maintaining their family life. They affectionately call her "Director Hang"—a woman who doesn't just give orders remotely but sits alongside them, encouraging them: "Keep working hard, I'll always be there for you." For her, preserving the craft is also about preserving her homeland, preserving the memories of Vietnamese meals in every noodle and spring roll wrapper.
To raise capital to bring her products to market, she even had to sell her family home. On many international trade fair trips, she managed everything alone: renting cheap rooms, personally serving hot bowls of pho to customers for samples. Her stall was small, but it held immense faith. At 62, she's still learning English, using translation apps to communicate with partners when she's not yet fluent, and jokingly saying, "I have to tell you what's right and wrong." Starting her business at 47, she calls it "early retirement to start over," a way of speaking that's both playful and serious, reflecting the courage of someone who dares to step out of their comfort zone.
Fortunately, she is not alone. Her children, who used to work for foreign companies, volunteered to return and share the burden with her. They chose to support her aspiration of bringing Vietnamese pho, vermicelli, and spring rolls to the world, while preserving the integrity and soul of their homeland in each product. As Vice President of HAWASME, Ms. Hang sees even further: women-owned businesses account for a quarter of the country's total, but most are small-scale and vulnerable. Therefore, she always speaks out about bottlenecks in capital, human resources, distribution channels, and promotes digital transformation as a path to survival. She believes that, with the right support, each female entrepreneur will not only steer their own business but also contribute to the sustainability of the economy and society.
After nearly two decades, CEO Tran Thi Thu Hang's journey has yielded remarkable achievements: VAFOOD's pho, vermicelli, and spring roll wrappers have achieved OCOP 4-star certification and are available in Japan, France, Singapore, China, and Laos. She was awarded a certificate of merit and the title of Outstanding Woman of the Capital by the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, recognizing her unwavering commitment to clean food. Every day, tens of thousands of students in Hanoi enjoy safe meals from VAF, a testament to the values she persistently pursues.
For Ms. Hang, the business philosophy is simple yet profound: "The flame of life" - a flame that ignites joy, health, and togetherness in every meal. But today's achievements are just the beginning. VAF is developing the Co Loa (Dong Anh) raw material area, aiming for 5-star OCOP products and a national brand for Vietnamese pho and spring rolls.
"Preserving the craft, preserving the homeland, preserving the soul of Vietnamese cuisine" is the heartfelt wish and message of CEO Tran Thi Thu Hang. From a steaming bowl of pho and crispy spring rolls at family meals, she has persistently elevated them to international standards, reaching markets in Japan, France, and China. For her, happiness lies not in revenue, but in bringing joy and health to the community and affirming the value of Vietnamese agricultural products, contributing to building the "culinary map of Vietnam" on the journey of integration.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/tong-giam-doc-vaf-tran-thi-thu-hang-nu-doanh-nhan-ganh-pho-nem-ra-the-gioi-d376821.html
Comment (0)