When officials and civil servants leave the State to start a business

Leaving his state job, Mr. Nguyen Hong Kien (left) founded Kien Thai Nguyen Tea Cooperative.

Initial difficulties

Five years ago, while working as a judge at the People's Court of Vo Nhai district, Pham Trung Kien surprised many people when he decided to quit his job. "Many people said I was crazy, my job was stable, there were opportunities for development ahead, but I was so "reckless". My best friend told me to think again" - Mr. Kien recalled.

Leaving his civil servant position, Mr. Kien began a challenging journey as an independent lawyer. His own legal corridor, skills in collecting evidence, building a client base, proving his personal reputation in a fiercely competitive market... are all things that a lawyer outside the system must equip himself with. Financial instability and cautious clients are the things he experienced in the early days.

Since leaving her government job, Nguyen Thi Nhung has spent a lot of time taking care of her children.

Similar is the story of Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung, former Head of Dong Quang Post Office. Having worked for 27 years in the postal industry and had many outstanding achievements in her work, at the end of 2024, she decided to quit her job to start a business with Thai Nguyen specialty tea products.

Only when she became her own boss did she fully understand the pressures of the job: from choosing a business location, choosing a shipping company, competing with large enterprises... to paperwork, taxes, and legal matters. There were days when she asked herself: "Am I on the wrong path?", but then she stood up again from her passion for her hometown tea leaves.

For Ms. Phan Thi Thuy, a former official of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, in early 2025, she quit her job according to Decree No. 178/2024/ND-CP of the Government to create conditions for the agency to reorganize its apparatus. Although she still had 16 years of work left, she still resolutely chose to change direction.

“Only my husband fully supports me. He said: If you have thought it through, then just do it, I will always support you,” Ms. Thuy shared. Coming to the Love World health care product after experiencing it herself, Ms. Thuy started over again in a barrier when the market was flooded with fake and low-quality goods, where consumer trust is the most valuable but also the most fragile asset. Therefore, building a reputation is not simple.

Ms. Phan Thi Thuy always loves her current job.

Many opportunities open up

More than half a year after starting her business, Ms. Nhung has a customer base spread across the provinces, cooperating with many transportation and consumption units. Lawyer Pham Trung Kien has built his own brand.

The opportunity to develop his litigation skills, in-depth consulting and diverse training from law school, and exposure to the real market are the highlights when he does non-state work. At the same time, each business trip to all regions, he considers as a trip , with many experiences in the profession and in life.

For Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, the new job brings joy: I feel healthier, helping many people live positively. Most importantly, I have more time for my family, something that I rarely had when working in a state agency before.

Not only middle-aged people, but also more and more young people are leaving their government jobs to start their own businesses. A typical example is Nguyen Hong Kien (born in 1993, Duc Luong commune), who used to be an office worker for more than 10 years in Hanoi and Thai Nguyen city, but he decided to return to his hometown to start his own business.

Mr. Kien shared: If you have a strong desire, it is never too late to start building a career and it doesn't matter where you work.

With the desire to contribute to promoting the brand of his hometown tea products, after returning home, in early 2024, Mr. Kien established Kien Thai Nguyen Tea Cooperative with 7 members, with himself as the Director.

Currently, the Cooperative has many different product lines from hook tea to shrimp or nail tea, with average selling prices from 200,000 VND to 1.5 million VND/kg. At the factory, the Cooperative has an average of 5-6 regular workers, with salaries from 6-8 million VND/month.

After 6 years of "leaving the city to return to the countryside", Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Van is always happy with her choice.

Even more impressive is the story of Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Van, Head of An Van Tra Cooperative (La Bang Commune). With a Bachelor of Biology degree, having worked in Hanoi with a dream salary, six years ago, she decided to give up and return to her hometown to make tea. She did not choose the quick path, but followed nature, from the care, harvesting, drying, all by hand to preserve the ancient traditional features and peace.

The product packaging is also designed to be environmentally friendly. After a few years of returning to her hometown, Ms. Van has reaped the “sweet fruit”. An Van Tra Cooperative exports hundreds of kilograms of dried tea buds each month, with a variety of lines such as Black tea, Matcha, herbal tea, etc. available at major supermarkets in the country.

Accompanying Ms. Van is her sister who quit her teaching job and other young people who left the city to return to the countryside to start a business. Together, they are writing a new chapter for sustainable tea production, associated with local identity.

The shift from "public to private" is not only a personal choice, but also a trend in line with the roadmap for streamlining the administrative apparatus, helping each person proactively reposition themselves in the new context.

As the economy expands and technology develops, those with expertise, skills, and innovative thinking can strongly reposition themselves in new markets. They still contribute to the overall development in other ways.

Despite the initial difficulties, these experiences have helped them become more mature, more flexible and better able to access the market. Many people have not only improved their income but also spread positive values to the community.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202507/khi-can-bo-cong-chuc-roi-nha-nuoc-de-khoi-nghiep-39612f0/