From an amateur, with no knowledge of the culinary industry, no knowledge related to design, construction and human resource management, now the 9X guy has in his hands: a sidewalk coffee shop at the gate of Pao's house, Sung La, a coffee - cocktails shop and an Italian pizza and pasta shop in Dong Van town.
Arriving alone in a land about 2,000 km from his hometown, he quickly started working on the specialty of Shan Tuyet tea. However, at this time, because he did not have enough experience and knowledge to understand the market and customer needs, he failed with his first project.
“At that time, I thought about giving up and returning to Ho Chi Minh City to feel relieved. But then, the thought of “I’ve already done it, why give up” held me back. Everything only really changed when I decided to open my first coffee shop. Every little detail in the shop, from the arrangement of space, the choice of dishes, to the way I serve customers, gave me the opportunity to learn, experiment, and leave my personal mark,” he said.
In Ha Giang, with limited resources, he had to learn and do everything by himself from scratch. Every design, construction, and mixing was the first time. Hoang practiced drawing, worked with local workers, and figured out pizza and cocktail recipes himself. Moreover, during the process, he saw his Hmong employees grow up day by day.
All three shops that Hoang manages are run by Hmong employees. Hoang said some have been working there for 1-2 years, while others have only been working there for a week. Currently, Hoang is working with 8 young locals. Each of them had a different difficult situation before coming to the shop.
The young man from Lam Dong expressed: “From being shy and afraid to communicate, now we are confident in mixing drinks, serving foreign customers, and managing work in the restaurant. Some of us have repaired the dilapidated house for our family, bought a motorbike to pick up and drop off relatives, or saved money for the future.
Seeing you guys improve your personal and family life, I clearly feel the value of business is not just about profit. You guys treat me like an older brother, take care of me a lot, and always invite Hoang to your house to eat and drink, but the corn wine of the H'Mong people is very intoxicating (laughs)".
When he has free time, he often explores the life around him. What impresses him most are the towering rocky mountains, the winding curves and the deep blue Nho Que River at the foot of Ma Pi Leng Pass. Every time he stands on the top of the pass, looking at the vast sky and land, all his worries seem to disappear, leaving only a feeling of peace and serenity.
He likes the way the locals live, simple from the way they go to the market, honest but full of emotion. Or, from the stories in the market to the simple meals in the village, he clearly feels the warm affection between people. Gradually, without realizing it, he has become attached to this land not only because of work.
“Now, every morning when I wake up, I feel happy because I am doing things that I feel comfortable with and love. There are things that discourage us, but there are also things that motivate us. The feeling of doing what you love is wonderful, sometimes it is so small, but it is done with all the love,” Hoang confided.
The 9x guy can now proudly introduce to customers from all over the world Vietnamese coffee, craft beer, fresh pizza and drinks created with local ingredients with attentive service in the land of the Fatherland.
