Starting a business abroad: The story of brothers Duy and Tâm appeared in Japan's Chunichi newspaper as inspiration for young people considering entrepreneurship.
People say Japanese society is aging increasingly. In 2014, 1/4 of Japan’s total population of 127 million was aged 65 or over. By 2060, this share is estimated to reach 40%. Despite being one of Asia’s most modern countries and the world’s 3rd-largest economy (some sources rank it 4th after India’s GDP overtook Japan’s), Japan retains a strictly hierarchical culture. It adheres to tradition and gives older people number-1 priority.
In the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2012 rankings (a survey ranking entrepreneurial activity in 24 developed countries), Japan ranked last for its business environment for startup founders.
Starting a business is already extremely difficult for young Japanese people in their own country, so how can Vietnamese people do business and launch ventures there?
Starting a business abroad: Journalist Lại Văn Sâm met the owner of the ‘Xin chào’ bánh mì shop in Japan
Bùi Thanh Duy (1986) and Bùi Thanh Tâm (1991) are two brothers whose initial venture has been quite successful with their Vietnamese bánh mì shop, “Xin Chào,” on Waseda Dori Street in the Takadanobaba area.
Duy and Tâm were international students who have studied and worked in Japan for over 10 years. One day, noticing that Turkish doner kebab was very popular in Japan while Vietnamese bánh mì was also delicious and had even entered the Oxford dictionary, younger brother Bùi Thanh Duy wondered: why not introduce Vietnamese bánh mì to Japanese people and sell it in Japan?
Many Vietnamese people live in Thanh Tâm’s neighborhood. “When Japanese people see someone who looks Vietnamese, they often instinctively greet them with ‘Xin chào,’” Tâm said. And so Duy Tâm’s bánh mì shop was born with the distinctly Vietnamese name Xin Chào.
The idea of starting a business abroad with “Xin chào” bánh mì came from younger brother Bùi Thanh Tâm
At the beginning, the 2 brothers faced countless difficulties. To raise enough capital to open the shop, the elder brother, Bùi Thanh Duy, used the family's wedding gift money. The brothers also raised funds from their family and received a contribution from the Vietnamese community in Japan. But that was not all: opening a business in Japan required overcoming many other difficulties involving legal procedures and inspections to obtain certification from the Japan Food Hygiene Association.
A meal at ‘Xin chào,’ prepared by the 2 Vietnamese owners themselves
Each bánh mì sandwich at Xin Chào costs around 100,000 dong. According to its two young owners, Xin Chào sells about 100–200 sandwiches a day, excluding drinks. Its customers include not only the Vietnamese community in Japan and Japanese people living nearby, but also foreign tourists.
The story of brothers Duy and Tâm starting a business abroad appeared in Chunichi
The story of brothers Duy and Tâm appeared in Chunichi as a source of motivation for young Japanese people considering entrepreneurship.
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