Having graduated from a hotel management program and subsequently studied foreign languages, despite receiving jobs offered by several companies with high salaries, young man Tran Thien Vu, 24, a resident of Lien Chieu District, Da Nang, decided to "change course" to pursue his long-held dream of establishing a food service chain.

Thien Vu makes bread to serve customers.

At the end of 2019, Thien Vu discussed his idea with his family, but it was met with opposition. The family hesitated because Thien Vu had a well-rounded education, knowledge, a stable job, and a high income, which could be considered the dream of many fresh graduates.

Undeterred, Thien Vu quietly developed his idea and built a detailed plan regarding choosing a business location, landscape decoration, equipment purchase, financial preparation and hiring staff.

With courage, determination, and a willingness to think and act, along with his passion, in 2020, Thien Vu decided to start his own business by opening a restaurant under the brand "Hoang Gia" (Royal), with himself as the owner.

"In any profession, you need secrets and experience, and success doesn't come right away. In the early days of managing both cooking and administration, there were many difficulties and uncertainties. Despite of being young, with limited business experience, especially in terms of capital, I have gradually learned step by step, understood customer preferences, and made adjustments," said Vu.

The first restaurant Thien Vu opened was located at 183 Ly Thai Tong, Hoa Minh Ward, Lien Chieu District. It operates from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm daily, offering dozens of types of bread, sticky rice, soup, and rolled cakes. Alongside these were carefully packaged and presented canned goods and bottled drinks.

To achieve stability and success, Vu faced many challenges and hardships. There were times when he thought about returning to his previous nine-to-five job because of the different unique tastes and preferences of customers, and the market's volatility. Not to mention the need to create his own taste and brand for bread, the most beloved dish among Vietnamese people, and the competition among other eateries and businesses.

To create a distinctive flavour, Thien Vu took the trouble to explore and eat at almost all the famous bread brands in the city. He even travelled to Ho Chi Minh City to learn about the processing of different fillings. With gained experience, Thien Vu began to develop specific formulas for each type of filling, from marinating meat, baking time, thickness of each meat strip, grinding meat for meatballs, to fermenting glutinous rice, soaking beans, and careful timing for rice steaming.

Thanks to his diligence, enthusiasm for service, and always treating customers as partners and "gods," Thien Vu paid attention to the smallest details. He maintained a suggestion book at the restaurant and regularly asked for feedback, allowing customers to contribute their ideas for him to consider adjustments.

Thien Vu added, "Getting customers is difficult, keeping customers is even harder. To make customers know, consume, and support you, you need to ensure quality, food safety and hygiene, and reasonable prices."

With the success of the first restaurant, Thien Vu continued to search for locations to open two more new restaurants in Lien Chieu District and Son Tra District. The number of customers at these locations has also been stable.

Ms Tran Thi Lan, residing on Au Co Street, is a regular customer who shared, "I often buy food to serve my family's breakfast. Besides the variety of dishes, suitable taste, and guaranteed food safety, the young owner is also very enthusiastic."

Thien Vu's eateries currently provide employment for 8 to 10 workers, with incomes ranging from VND 10 to 12 million per person per month.

Ms Nguyen Thi My Dung, from Hoa Minh Ward, has been working at the restaurant for over a year. Despite her family's difficult circumstances, working at the restaurant has provided a stable income every month, helping support the education of her two small children and covering the family's living expenses.

These days, Thien Vu is once again actively seeking a location and preparing conditions to open another new restaurant in Hai Chau District.

For the convenience of service, business, and development, Thien Vu has brought his restaurant online, allowing customers to place orders over the Internet. This business model may no longer be novel, but it can be considered the passion of the young man on the entrepreneurial path to enrich himself and contribute to creating jobs for others.

In addition to running his business, Thien Vu often visits and gifts those at social welfare centres and in the local community to share and contribute to bringing warmth to those in difficult and unfortunate circumstances.

Reported by NHAN HIEN- Translating by T.VY