Shark Ham Tower in the memory of the founder of Hanoi's first supermarket

Pioneers opening supermarkets and celebrating with the Shark Hand Building

As a pioneer in putting the state-owned supermarket model into operation at the headquarters of the Shark Ham Building, Mr. Vu Vinh Phu - former Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Commerce (1999 - 2005), now Chairman of the Hanoi Supermarket Association - recalled the time in 1995 when he was still Party Secretary and Deputy Director of Hanoi Cultural Company. During his working trips to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, he found that the supermarket models in these countries are very good.

"At that time, in Vietnam, if they wanted to buy a pair of sandals, customers could only try one, the other was kept under the counter. Meanwhile, in Singapore, buyers can freely choose, then pay quickly in just a few minutes. This motivates me to deploy a self-service sales model in Hanoi," said Mr. Phu.

After being approved by the company's Board of Directors, in just 3.5 months, the first state-owned commercial center of the capital opened in November 1995 at 7 Dinh Tien Hoang - Shark Ham building.

According to Mr. Phu, at that time, the landscape of Hoan Kiem Lake was very strictly preserved. Many people are concerned that the construction of this building will affect the space of Hoan Kiem Lake. The Hanoi Association of Architects has organized hundreds of meetings and discussions in detail. There were many controversies, but in the end, Hanoi City also finalized the permission for construction.

When the project was completed, Hanoi Culture and Tourism used the two floors below as a supermarket, becoming the first self- secondarily sold model in the capital.

After having a headquarters in such a prime location, "the center of the center", he and the staff of Hanoi Cultural Culture immediately started training, coaching, building a brand, organizing a source of goods to create the first state-owned supermarket for good.

The highlight of Dinh Tien Hoang supermarket No. 7 is the diverse goods, with nearly 1,200 items, from household appliances, vegetables, fruits, and food arranged to be eye-catching and the rights of customers are served the highest.

"When we started implementing, we did not clearly imagine how the line codes and codes for goods would be applied or how the import process would operate. To overcome this, we invite IT engineers to design management software, helping to track imports and summarize revenue by the end of the day.

In the early days of its opening, the shopping mall attracted a large number of Hanoians because of its modern shopping model, rich goods, and customers were free to choose. However, the space was quite cramped. Every day, the number of visitors entering and exiting is up to thousands, to the point that the stone steps in front of the door are worn down and have to be replaced. However, most visitors come just to visit and do not boldly shop.

However, after a while, the number of customers gradually increased. In just three days, revenue has reached 1 billion VND. In the following months, this figure continued to increase, reaching tens of billions of VND in the period 1995-1996", he said.

From the success of Dinh Tien Hoang No. 7 points of sale, after only 7 months, Hanoi Diverse Company has opened a series of additional points of sale in Giang Vo, Thanh Xuan, guiding Intimex to open supermarkets...

"Almost all supermarkets of domestic enterprises are guided by me on how to do it, thereby expanding them," said Mr. Phu.

The change between old and new ways of doing things; between old thinking and new thinking

According to Mr. Phu, the construction of the Shark Ham building is similar to opening the first state-owned supermarket in Hanoi. It is a change between old and new ways of doing things; between old thinking and new thinking.

If we do not put it in the context of public opinion, there will never be a typical work of Hoan Kiem Lake. Just like that, if not decisive, there would be no department store selling goods with a new model at that time.

"To fight between old and new business models, while promoting a commercial civilization, we build a professional working environment, helping employees quickly adapt to modern rotation. Older officials are arranged as treasurers instead of directly selling goods, to optimize labor productivity.

On the 30th of Tet, the leaders also went directly to the store to encourage the staff. When sales reach 100 million VND each, the cashier immediately pays a bonus of 20,000 VND, creating practical motivation both mentally and materially. Thanks to that, the staff works enthusiastically, ready to serve day and night.

By 1999, when I transferred to the Department of Commerce, holding the position of Deputy Director in charge of domestic trade, Hanoi's trade system had made significant progress, with about 20 supermarkets and hundreds of traditional markets operating vibrantly," Mr. Phu recalled.

According to him, opening a state-owned supermarket at that time helped labor productivity at the store be 4 times higher than the old commercial model. Thanks to that, the income of the company's staff and employees has also improved, even adding capital for the Trading Construction and Installation Company in the commercial sector to borrow to build a business house.

"Although a pioneering model, the first State-owned Commercial Center at 7 Dinh Tien Hoang has achieved success. In my opinion, the most important factor is the role of a leader - having expertise, skills and in-depthness in work. If there are any shortcomings for the staff, we are ready to transfer them to ensure the apparatus operates smoothly.

Every process is transparent, from importing goods to each toothpaste box is also recorded in the system, there is no place for fraud. Thanks to that, a professional working regime has been established, creating stability for both old and new employees," said Mr. Phu.