Hoang Huy Long, Founder of May Vegan: Telling the story of Vietnamese culture through vegetarian cuisine
For designer Hoang Huy Long, May Vegan is not only a place for him to unleash his creativity, but also a place for him to share the unique features of Vietnamese culinary culture with friends around the world.
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| Hoang Huy Long, Founder of May Vegan. |
The "brainchild" of the interior designer
Nestled at the end of Chau Long Street (Hanoi) or in a collective house on Vinh Ho Street, May Vegan seems completely separate from the bustling, noisy atmosphere of the city. With the slogan "Come home to eat vegetarian", May Vegan opens up for diners the entrance to an old space, where there are bright red brick walls, sun-filled porches and a shady green garden.
Founder and designer Hoang Huy Long shared with us that he spent all of 2023 pondering over the design of May Vegan Chau Long, just as he was absorbed in the design of the first May Vegan in Vinh Ho. “From interior design to restaurant building, it’s not too far off. Because every time I get to design a new restaurant myself, I feel very happy,” Long said.
If founders often consider each startup project as an important turning point in their lives, then for Hoang Huy Long, May Vegan is even greater than that. He puts a lot of heart into May Vegan and considers it his “brainchild”. Every picture hanging on the wall, the decorative objects, the round wooden tray to carry things, to the menu of up to 40 dishes at May Vegan are all designed and selected by him.
Having been on the market for about a year, May Vegan has quickly received many positive reviews from customers, especially international guests. The brand achieved an average score of 4.8/5 based on 100 reviews via Google Reviews.
Long said that to achieve those initial results, partly because May Vegan and he himself had a lot of luck. But on the other hand, he had accumulated some experience through the business process since 2012 and participated in contributing shares to another vegetarian restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City before starting May Vegan.
The founder, born in 1982, has brought Vietnamese culinary culture into the dishes at May Vegan with all his passion and creativity, even though he has not studied vegetarian cuisine at any school. Long personally creates the menu, designs the dishes, thinks about the ingredients, quantities, and cooking methods, then discusses with the kitchen team to finalize the final plan. The dishes of bun cha, bun nem, bun dau... are processed entirely from plant ingredients at May Vegan, bringing a flavor that is both familiar and strange.
Long revealed that about 50% of May Vegan’s customers are foreigners who love vegetarian cuisine and want to experience Vietnamese culture in a different way. For this group of customers, May Vegan has added some vegetarian pizza lines, using local vegetables, such as young rice pizza, sticky rice pizza, bamboo pizza, etc.
“May Vegan tells passionate and dedicated vegetarian culinary stories here. I believe that, not only the dishes, May Vegan also brings you the impression of an emotional space of art and tradition,” the founder of May Vegan shared.
Every two weeks, May Vegan will add a few new dishes. Each time, Hoang Huy Long personally writes the entire menu at both locations. Even the media content on May Vegan's fanpage, each image, article, and video, is all his responsibility.
“It's not that I don't trust my employees, it's just that I want to directly share the spirit of May Vegan with everyone,” Long confided.
Developing the chain in a sustainable way
The journey to open May Vegan restaurant originated from Hoang Huy Long's desire to spread reading culture more widely in the community. Long's mother is a literature teacher, so from a young age, Long read many books and found joy in the pages of books.
When he grew up, he traveled with some friends to the Central Highlands and the Northwest to collect donations and build free bookcases. After that, he returned to Hanoi, and with his friend collected books from stores to set up a free reading space for everyone called “Nha May”.
“To sustain this reading model, I founded May Vegan. That way, we will have enough revenue to go the long way, continuing to spread the reading culture,” the founder shared.
In March 2023, the first May Vegan location officially opened on Vinh Ho Street (Dong Da District, Hanoi). In January 2024, May welcomed the second location on Chau Long Street (Ba Dinh District). Each space is designed with its own highlights, but the common point is the appearance of ceiling-high bookshelves. Customers coming to the shop can read books and receive free drinks, without having to use any services.
Long is preparing for the opening of May Vegan's third location, which is expected to take place in the next few months. The appearance of May Vegan's fourth location later this year is also being considered.
To streamline the process, May Vagan built a central kitchen, specializing in preparing bases and sauces for cooking dishes, then transporting them to each restaurant in the chain. “I want to emphasize that I will never franchise May Vegan, because that is my own story. I want to develop the brand in a sustainable and stable way,” Long affirmed.
To date, May Vegan has not yet called for any investment capital, although some investors have offered to cooperate. Hoang Huy Long shared that he is considering finding a suitable investor, not just someone who will invest money, but also a partner, capable of spreading the image and value of May Vegan to the community.
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