I grew up during Vietnam’s economic reform and was fortunate to witness the country transform from widespread hardship into a middle-income economy. Many people of my generation were raised by parents who were extremely careful with money because they still carried painful memories of poverty and hunger. Yet when it came to my education, my parents never held back. Sending me to RMIT was one of their greatest investments in me—an investment made without demanding any guaranteed return.
These memories have become one of the strongest motivations behind both my personal development and the business I now help lead. In my case, I has been lucky to have a family-in-law alike with my blooded one. Although our two generations grew up under very different material conditions, we share the same values: appreciating life, contributing to society, and recognizing those who have devoted their effort and youth to building Mekong Petrochem over nearly three decades.
One of my greatest challenges arose when I proposed investing heavily in marketing to strengthen the Mekong brand. My family raised many objections, believing it could consume significant resources without creating the practical value traditionally prioritized by our company. I felt almost hopeless. I knew we could not rely only on established management practices while society and customer expectations were rapidly changing.
Instead of forcing the idea through, I spent countless days and nights studying different marketing approaches and gradually building a stronger business case. I first had to earn the leadership team’s confidence that I understood our customers, could sell through new channels, and could demonstrate why customers needed a stronger Mekong brand to support their own business growth. The experience taught me that, in a family business, the hardest challenge is not necessarily convincing your parents; it is earning the support of experienced employees whose knowledge and skills may be greater than your own.
Today, although the results have not yet reached all my expectations, Mekong has begun applying modern marketing and business-management solutions. Our customers choose us because of our consistent quality, approachable brand, and accessible pricing. Delivering that balance requires careful coordination across raw-material sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution by the entire Mekong team.
The RMIT community continues to remind me of my responsibility to my family and society. The professional mindset of my lecturers and the perspectives shared by my classmates shaped me into a different person. Without RMIT, Mekong would not be what it is today—a company that has developed what we believe to be the lubricant industry’s only fully digitized modern distribution system.
These memories have become one of the strongest motivations behind both my personal development and the business I now help lead. In my case, I has been lucky to have a family-in-law alike with my blooded one. Although our two generations grew up under very different material conditions, we share the same values: appreciating life, contributing to society, and recognizing those who have devoted their effort and youth to building Mekong Petrochem over nearly three decades.
One of my greatest challenges arose when I proposed investing heavily in marketing to strengthen the Mekong brand. My family raised many objections, believing it could consume significant resources without creating the practical value traditionally prioritized by our company. I felt almost hopeless. I knew we could not rely only on established management practices while society and customer expectations were rapidly changing.
Instead of forcing the idea through, I spent countless days and nights studying different marketing approaches and gradually building a stronger business case. I first had to earn the leadership team’s confidence that I understood our customers, could sell through new channels, and could demonstrate why customers needed a stronger Mekong brand to support their own business growth. The experience taught me that, in a family business, the hardest challenge is not necessarily convincing your parents; it is earning the support of experienced employees whose knowledge and skills may be greater than your own.
Today, although the results have not yet reached all my expectations, Mekong has begun applying modern marketing and business-management solutions. Our customers choose us because of our consistent quality, approachable brand, and accessible pricing. Delivering that balance requires careful coordination across raw-material sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution by the entire Mekong team.
The RMIT community continues to remind me of my responsibility to my family and society. The professional mindset of my lecturers and the perspectives shared by my classmates shaped me into a different person. Without RMIT, Mekong would not be what it is today—a company that has developed what we believe to be the lubricant industry’s only fully digitized modern distribution system.
