Our impression of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van (41 years old, residing in Dai Hiep commune, Dai Loc district, Quang Nam ) is that she is a petite woman, always smiling. But behind her is an extraordinary determination.
Ms. Van was born and raised in a poor farming family. She had to drop out of school at a young age and leave her hometown to work as a housekeeper for a family in Da Nang . Working as a housekeeper was hard work, but the income was not enough for the family to cover their living expenses.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van overcame adversity to start a business (Photo: Character provided).
After a while, she quit her job and went to Ho Chi Minh City to help out with housework for a relative. During this time, her landlord gave her the opportunity to learn weaving, but because of her small body and the loom being too tall and heavy, she could not pursue the profession.
At the age of 18, Ms. Van returned to her hometown to learn sewing and then worked for large tailor shops. After 4 years of working, she started a family and had 2 children.
In 2010, she suffered from a herniated disc, paralyzing half of her body. Her long hospital stay caused her family to fall into debt. With the difficulties piling up, the couple decided to go into business, bringing products from the lowlands to sell in the highlands. After a while, the debt was paid off.
Ms. Van signed contracts with organic product growers to have quality raw materials (Photo: Character provided).
While doing business smoothly, Ms. Van was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and breast cancer. During the treatment, due to the use of strong medication, her hair fell out a lot. She decided to try using grapefruit peel, soapberry and basil to wash her hair for 1 month, the effect was obvious.
In 2019, Ms. Van came up with the idea of making shampoo. Through learning from experience, researching books and newspapers and asking for guidance from acquaintances, she made shampoo named "Hong Van grapefruit shampoo". Before launching it to the market, she asked relatives and friends to try it, everyone found it effective so they encouraged her to boldly develop the product.
"Thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and striving to rise up, it has helped me overcome challenges. Even when facing difficulties, don't be discouraged, because when one door closes, another will open for you," said Ms. Van.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, fresh lemons were in high demand, but they spoiled easily, so she came up with the idea of producing lemon juice.
Because it does not use preservatives, has a reasonable shelf life and retains its flavor, her lemon juice is well received by consumers. In mid-2021, she decided to establish a business specializing in producing Hong Van brand lemon juice.
According to Ms. Van, lemon trees grown on alluvial soil along the river in her hometown have slow growth, but because they are grown organically and do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, the raw material is safe and rich in vitamin C.
Ms. Van's products use organic materials and do not release waste into the environment (Photo: Character provided).
In 2022, Ms. Van boldly registered for the contest for ideas on women starting a business; Vietnamese women confidently doing business organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union. As a result, she won 3rd prize for Vietnamese women confidently doing business.
In February 2022, she established a production facility with a closed space scale on an area of over 500m2 in Dai Hiep commune. The facility creates jobs for 6 local workers, and at the same time signed a contract with people in Dai Loc district with an area of 8 hectares of organic lemon, kumquat, grapefruit... Lemon juice of Hong Van facility also achieved 4-star OCOP in 2022.
In addition to the main products of lemon and kumquat juice, Ms. Van also uses the pulp to make many products from lemon and kumquat peels, using almost all the raw materials, without any waste to the environment.
"Currently, Hong Van lemon juice is displayed at agents in Quang Nam and Da Nang provinces. In particular, we have established a distribution network to Laos. In the future, I hope to be able to bring the product to more countries," Ms. Van shared.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/nguoi-phu-nu-nhieu-lan-vuot-bao-benh-nho-tinh-than-khoi-nghiep-20240308125831058.htm
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