The startup story of Bùi Thị Phương, a YUP student, and her English center. Published in Tin Mới.
A ‘PROVINCIAL’ GIRL EARNS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN HANOI
She is young and petite, yet has built a substantial business that not every older person could establish.
“I find joy in the work I do, rather than working to make money,” Bùi Thị Phương replied breezily when asked about her monthly income. With 1 English-language center, 1 Italian restaurant in Hanoi, and 1 fashion shop in Ninh Bình, Phương now earns at least around one hundred million VND a month. She explained her sources of income in more detail: “I used to have 3 fashion shops, but I transferred 2 of them and now have one left in Tam Điệp, Ninh Bình. The English center also brings in several thousand dollars. In months when all the rooms are occupied and business is at its peak, the income is even better.”
However, that is not the only interesting thing about this woman from Hòa Bình.
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Throughout secondary school, despite being a girl, Phương consistently ranked near the top of the specialized physics class at Hoàng Văn Thụ High School for the Gifted in Hòa Bình. Her final math and physics marks were typically remarkable—almost 10. Yet during her first university months, her grades were low. She once caused a ‘scene’ by running out during class and sobbing all the way back to her rented room.
On learning why Phương cried, many may be startled, scornful or admiring. Phương cried because, she said, she was weary of what she was learning in university lectures, or more precisely, “disillusioned” with the idea of a student life immersed in genuine study and recreation.
“I think that when I explain this reason, many people will assume I am showing off or blaming my low grades. But the truth is that I was not interested in what-I-was-studying-at-university. I think many people may feel the same way; they simply accept it, or complain a few times and then decide they cannot change reality, rather than cry.
The first 4 months of my freshman year passed very quickly yet very slowly. Quickly because those 4 months left me with nothing but disappointment; slowly because they were 4 months of listless eating and studying without any enthusiasm. Many said: Why rush when it has only been 4 months? You need to wait until your second or third year to see clearly whether you are learning anything. But when I asked older students what they liked doing and what they would do after graduation, 95% could not answer. They were all studying while waiting for a diploma, and everything they learned was merely to grind out grades for an impressive diploma. Get the diploma, graduate, then figure it out.
I am not like the typical girl who wants a peaceful life with a university degree, a stable job, a good husband, and comfort. That is not a bad hope, but it is a life of waiting for luck. I want to create my own luck and live my youth so that I can look back without regret. I decided to start a business.’
After that bout of crying, Phương decided she had to “do something,” anything, to experience and learn from reality. While friends were still working hard for high grades, she began doing business. She went everywhere to raise every small amount of money she could and searched online, using every skill she had to ask about opening a clothing shop. From 1 fashion shop in a small alley, by university year 3 she had opened 3 shops. For Phương, opening shops was “not to earn money but to build capital” for an enterprise.
Eventually, in her 4th year at university, Phương opened an English center and an Italian pasta restaurant. Many people entering Phương's pasta restaurant feel as though they are walking into a clean, attractive university cafeteria somewhere outside Vietnam.
There is none of the usual commercial bustle. Customers are mainly students who come for noodles and conversations about study and careers. They can freely spread out books and study at the restaurant for hours without worrying about time. The noodles cost only 1/2 the price at other restaurants, even though the cooks are leading chefs from major hotels whom Phương personally approached to arrange hourly cooking contracts.
Friendly Restaurant Staff in Neat Uniforms
What Phương is proudest of in her restaurant is the kitchen, because it is very clean. She is extremely strict about food preparation and hygiene, requiring employees to ensure 100% cleanliness. Besides serving pasta, fast food and coffee to students, her restaurant is a familiar lunch spot for office workers around Chùa Láng–Nguyễn Chí Thanh. Clubs from the universities of Law, Foreign Trade and Diplomacy also regularly hold events there.
As for Phương's English center, she said course fees are only 1/2 the market rate, yet all instructors are foreigners with international certifications, and the facilities and curricula are well organized. Her center also offers free classes to students from poor households. We visited during the 18:00 session. The center occupies an apartment on Nguyễn Chí Thanh Street with 4 lively, modern classrooms. Each room holds 15–20 learners, and all 4 classes are usually full of energy during every session.
Zoom in on a class at the Center
A foreign lecturer poses for a photo with the center's students
At first hearing, it seems the entrepreneurial process Phương's business also seems as effortless as the way she talks about income; however, Phương says:
‘Before starting my business, I heard many experienced people discuss the difficulties they had faced, and I always prepared myself with this thought: difficulties will always arise. If I give up once, it will be much easier to give up again, and I will never accomplish anything. So I have to find every possible way to adapt and develop solutions quickly. Gradually, that became a daily habit, and now I simply smile when difficulties arrive.’
When I first opened the English center, I lost money because the initial investment was large and there were not yet many customers. I accepted the losses, and things only began to stabilize in month 3.”
Over the past three years, she said what she gained most from doing business was experience and the courage to face difficulties. When people say that a woman like Phương who is so passionate about work and so successful might age prematurely, she simply smiles: “If I had accepted an uneventful life and not started a business, I would have aged even more by now out of boredom. Many people say I am obsessed with business, but really I am only ‘obsessed’ with working to have a genuine, meaningful life, without waiting for a man, as many young women today think they should.”
Phương said everything she does aims to create spiritual value for herself and society. Profit is not the top priority, and she always seeks to be different. Her business philosophy is: “Creating 1 good product at a high price is ordinary, but creating premium products at student prices is worth doing.” Looking at Phương, people understand why she says this: she is simply dressed, without elaborate styling, and her phone and vehicle are ordinary, affordable items.
Many people admire Phương, and her family and relatives are very proud of her. But to Phương, what she has done is not great yet, because it is only 1 small part of the career she intends to pursue. Her next plans are to open a preschool, an affordable spa for students, 1 more upscale restaurant chain… and many other projects she is nurturing. Naturally, these will have the most accessible prices. Despite this success, few know that Phương has not yet graduated from university. Her busy business life has kept her from completing all her exams. More surprisingly, if she graduates, her degree will only have an Average classification.
Recently, Phương opened another English center. Although worried about managing both centers, she says 2 is only a small number among the many projects she will launch later. Asked about her earnings, Phương explained that almost all the money she currently earns goes toward developing and expanding her business to make it larger and more professional. Later, when she has more money, 90% of her assets will go to charity and helping the poor. Her final remark sounds like a joke, yet everyone who knows her believes it: “I'm sure I'll be very rich one day, so 10% of my assets will be enough for a good life.”
According to Kênh 14/Tri Thức Trẻ
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