I do not remember one dramatic moment when I decided to join my family business. I remember something quieter: watching my mother run it. Founded by her in 2003, our gas and kitchenware distribution business in Dong Thap grew from her determination into one of the leading businesses in the province.
As a girl, I watched her negotiate, make difficult decisions, earn people’s trust, and keep going when things were uncertain. She never told me that women could lead. She showed me.
When I eventually stepped into the business as Growth Strategy Lead, I realised I was not simply joining a company; I was inheriting a story. My question was no longer whether I could continue what my mother had built, but how I could help it grow for the next generation.
That question became real when our approaches collided. My mother trusted relationships, experience, and ways of working that had served the business for more than two decades. I wanted to introduce more structured processes, data-driven decision-making, digital tools, and new approaches to growth. At times, what I saw as necessary innovation felt to her like changing something that already worked.
Instead of choosing between “old” and “new,” we chose to learn from each other. I learned that her experience was also a form of data, built through years of knowing customers, suppliers, and our community. She became more open to experimenting with my ideas when I learned to introduce change gradually and prove its value.
We found our middle ground: preserving the trust and values that built the business while making room for innovation.
This experience changed my definition of growth. Growth is not simply about becoming bigger; it is about knowing what must never be lost while having the courage to change what can be better.
I hope our family business can become a small but meaningful example of what Vietnamese businesses can achieve: locally rooted, professionally managed, adaptable, and ambitious enough to look beyond traditional boundaries.
Most importantly, I want our story to challenge the assumptions that still surround women in business. My mother’s business proved something to me long before I had the words for it: girls can lead well. Now, I want to help build a future where they do not have to prove it quite so hard.
As a girl, I watched her negotiate, make difficult decisions, earn people’s trust, and keep going when things were uncertain. She never told me that women could lead. She showed me.
When I eventually stepped into the business as Growth Strategy Lead, I realised I was not simply joining a company; I was inheriting a story. My question was no longer whether I could continue what my mother had built, but how I could help it grow for the next generation.
That question became real when our approaches collided. My mother trusted relationships, experience, and ways of working that had served the business for more than two decades. I wanted to introduce more structured processes, data-driven decision-making, digital tools, and new approaches to growth. At times, what I saw as necessary innovation felt to her like changing something that already worked.
Instead of choosing between “old” and “new,” we chose to learn from each other. I learned that her experience was also a form of data, built through years of knowing customers, suppliers, and our community. She became more open to experimenting with my ideas when I learned to introduce change gradually and prove its value.
We found our middle ground: preserving the trust and values that built the business while making room for innovation.
This experience changed my definition of growth. Growth is not simply about becoming bigger; it is about knowing what must never be lost while having the courage to change what can be better.
I hope our family business can become a small but meaningful example of what Vietnamese businesses can achieve: locally rooted, professionally managed, adaptable, and ambitious enough to look beyond traditional boundaries.
Most importantly, I want our story to challenge the assumptions that still surround women in business. My mother’s business proved something to me long before I had the words for it: girls can lead well. Now, I want to help build a future where they do not have to prove it quite so hard.
