After many years of struggling to make a living in Thailand, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao (Vu Quang district, Ha Tinh) returned to her hometown to start a business with the product "Thanh Mai Dipping Sauce".
Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao - owner of Thanh Mai fish sauce production facility
In 2014, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao (born in 1996, in village 6, Quang Tho commune, Vu Quang) was introduced by an acquaintance to go to Bangkok (Thailand) to find a job. Here, she did many jobs such as: delivery staff, selling street food... to make a living. In 2015, after meeting and getting attached to Mr. Tran Van Trinh (born in 1991), a fellow villager who was also working in the neighboring country, the two decided to return home to get married.
However, with no stable jobs in their hometown, Dao and her husband continued to leave their hometown to make a living in a foreign land. It was not until the end of 2019, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the couple and their two daughters (5 and 1 years old) decided to return to Vu Quang to start a business.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao performs the process of making dipping sauce using a specialized pot.
To make a living, Ms. Dao started making a versatile dipping sauce whose recipe she learned from her days working in Thailand, to sell to villagers. "Thanh Mai dipping sauce" consists mainly of plant ingredients such as sesame, chili, garlic, sugar, water... The dipping sauce is processed by Ms. Dao, seasoned to suit Vietnamese taste, then blended, mixed, and steamed at the right temperature, creating a product that looks like soy sauce, which can be used to dip or season everyday dishes.
The product gradually became popular, its reputation spread far and wide, and many customers from other localities also came to buy it. However, at that time, she produced on a small scale, mainly based on pre-orders, so her income was only enough to cover her daily expenses.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao and her husband, Mr. Tran Van Trinh, carry out the packaging process for the production facility's products.
The turning point that helped Ms. Dao improve her product brand to reach the market was thanks to the women's unions at all levels and local authorities. Ms. Dao shared: "At first, I considered making fish sauce to sell to people as temporary, but after being encouraged and supported by women's unions at all levels to build and develop, I thought of a new direction for myself, determined to start a business with this product."
In early 2022, with the encouragement and support of the Women's Union of Vu Quang district, Ms. Dao began attending the association's training courses and participating in the "Women's Startup Ideas 2022" contest. As a result, her startup project "Thanh Mai Dipping Sauce" won first prize in the district and the "Potential Idea" prize at the final round of the "Women's Startup Ideas" contest at the provincial level in 2022.
The main ingredients of Thanh Mai dipping sauce include: sesame, chili, garlic and other spices...
Having won awards and gained knowledge from training courses has helped Ms. Dao confidently invest tens of millions of VND in purchasing specialized machinery and equipment to expand production. At the same time, she has taken steps such as registering trademarks, completing procedures to certify production facilities that meet food safety and hygiene conditions... Thanks to that, the production output of Thanh Mai fish sauce facility has continuously increased. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2023 alone, Ms. Dao has released nearly 30,000 products to the market, earning about 450 million VND, after deducting expenses, the profit is about 150 million VND.
In early 2023, with the encouragement and support of the government and women's associations at all levels, Ms. Dao continued to take steps to develop OCOP products. After the selection rounds, on June 19, 2023, the People's Committee of Vu Quang district issued a decision to recognize Thanh Mai fish sauce products as meeting 3-star OCOP standards.
Ms. Dao's start-up process has always received attention, encouragement and support from women's associations at all levels. In the photo: The Organizing Committee of the "Women's Startup Ideas 2022" contest presented the "Potential Ideas" award to Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao (5th from left) and other contestants.
Ms. Dao said: “Previously, although the product was sought out by many agents in districts and cities in the province for distribution, I was still not completely assured because there was no brand. But now, with the recognition of a 3-star OCOP product, I am more confident and assured to produce as well as promote and consume more widely in the market. My husband and I also determined to stick with our homeland and constantly expand and develop, improving product quality in the future.”
From a life of living away from home in a foreign land, starting a business and successfully building OCOP products has helped Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao and her husband stabilize their lives and stay attached to their homeland.
Supporting women to start businesses, in conjunction with implementing the “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) program in building new rural areas, is an important task of women’s unions at all levels. In recent times, the Vu Quang Women’s Union has always been closely working with the grassroots to propagate and mobilize women to start businesses and start production and business. Up to now, the whole district has had 4/13 OCOP products owned by women. Starting a business and especially successfully building OCOP products has helped many women have a stable life and become rich right in their hometown.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung
Vice President of Women's Union of Vu Quang district
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