The special story behind the bachelor's bread cart

Dao Thi Kieu Oanh (25 years old), from Dong Thap province, graduated from university with a degree in marketing, but every day she meticulously prepares ingredients to make bread, rice vermicelli, etc., then pushes her cart to sell. According to Oanh, in the past 8 months, there has not been a day when she has regretted her decision.

Family expectations

Oanh's parents in the countryside grow cherries to sell, and their monthly income is just enough to cover their living expenses. In 2017, Oanh passed the entrance exam to the University of Finance and Marketing in Ho Chi Minh City. As the eldest sister in the family, Oanh has high expectations from everyone, so selling bread was a... shock to her parents. Oanh said that when she started studying marketing, she realized it was not suitable. The girl admitted that she chose the major based on the guidance of her friends, teachers... but she herself was still vague. "This industry needs young people who are dynamic, agile and can withstand high pressure. That requirement is completely opposite to my personality," Oanh said.

In 2022, Oanh graduated with a degree in marketing from Ho Chi Minh City University of Finance and Marketing.

PHOTO: NVCC

Realizing that she was studying the wrong major, Oanh did not dare to give up because she was afraid of disappointing her family: "If I study another major, my family will not be able to pay the tuition. My parents in my hometown are working hard, I cannot bear to disappoint them." During her university years, after school hours, Oanh asked to work as a bread seller and was paid 20,000 VND/hour. This money helped Oanh pay for food and accommodation. Thanks to communicating with customers, Oanh became more bold and open. Later, Oanh applied those skills to own her own bread cart. In 2022, Oanh graduated with a marketing degree from the University of Finance and Marketing, Ho Chi Minh City. With a good degree, the young girl applied to work at a pharmaceutical company in District 10 (Ho Chi Minh City). Here, Oanh's main job was related to paperwork and printing documents. With a salary of about 8 million VND per month, Oanh can only make ends meet and cannot take care of her family.

Master the bread cart

The office job was too restrictive and stressful, so Oanh quit her job in April 2024. Initially, the young girl planned to find another office job. However, memories of the old days of selling bread suddenly returned. After that, Oanh was determined to have her own bread cart. With the capital of more than ten million VND saved while working in the office, Oanh bought a cart to sell bread, rice vermicelli... Every day, Oanh and her younger brother wake up at 3am to prepare rice vermicelli rolls, make scallion oil, make lime tea... Then leave the rented house in Binh Tan District at 5am, bring the ingredients to Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 11 (HCMC) to sell. "I chose this location because there are many students and passersby. I park my bread cart nearby," Oanh shared.

According to Oanh, in the past 8 months, there has not been a single day she has regretted selling bread.

PHOTO: KIM NGOC NGHIEN

Oanh said that in the first days, they could not sell all 10 loaves of bread and lost money. The Oanh sisters ate unsold bread instead of rice for a whole month. In the second month, everything improved, they sold out and started to make a profit. Oanh said that the profit from selling bread and rice vermicelli was more than 10 million VND/month, enough to cover expenses and take care of her younger brother who had just finished high school. Since her sister started selling bread, Oanh's younger brother, Dao Duy Anh Khoa (20 years old), also went to Ho Chi Minh City to help. "In the past, working in an office was just enough to make ends meet, but now I can take care of my younger brother. My brother is not very smart and not good at communication, so it is difficult for him to find a job," Oanh said. In the morning, she goes to sell, rests for a few hours at noon, and in the afternoon, Oanh continues to prepare ingredients for the next day. When asked: "Do you regret putting away your university degree to sell bread?", Oanh smiled and replied: "I love this job, I find it suitable for me because of the flexible hours. In the past 8 months, there has not been a day when I regret selling bread. I want to strive and develop into a bread shop."

With her job selling bread, Oanh can support herself and take care of her younger brother.

PHOTO: KIM NGOC NGHIEN

Ms. Le Thi Tien (50 years old), from Lap Vo district, Dong Thap province, said she was shocked when she heard that her daughter quit her office job to push a cart to sell bread. “Oanh’s father and I were determined to send our daughter to school to escape the life of working in the fields, with a dark face and calloused hands. But she chose such a difficult and arduous path, which made me very sad. We tried to dissuade her, but seeing her determination, my husband and I had to tell our youngest son to help his older sister.” During the first month of slow business, Ms. Tien advised Oanh many times to go back to her office job. However, Oanh was still determined to pursue her job as a bread seller. “Now that I see my daughter’s business is stable, I feel secure. Any job is fine, as long as it is honest,” Ms. Tien said.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-dac-biet-dang-sau-xe-banh-mi-cua-co-cu-nhan-185241221123820339.htm