The story of Vietnamese rice snacks

Young entrepreneur Tran Thi Thuy Ha at the 2026 Outstanding Young Startup Entrepreneurs Awards ceremony

Understanding the product inside out

Petite and soft-spoken, Ha nevertheless radiates energy when talking about the path she chose to start her business. Tran Thi Thuy Ha does not begin her story with the awards she has received, but with the days she spent returning to Luu Bao craft village (now Huong Ho Residential Area, Kim Long Ward). In this long-established rice paper village, she met local women who had practiced the craft for years and learned everything from selecting rice and grinding and fermenting the batter to drying and grilling the rice paper.

Before that, Ha had worked for product distribution companies. Her market trips taught her that a good product alone is not enough to enter modern retail channels. Consumers also care about packaging, convenience, origin, and consistent quality. Meanwhile, rice paper from many producers around Hue was still mainly packed in simple plastic bags and sold within a limited market.

Seeing that gap, Ha came up with the idea of producing rice paper in a more professional way. Rather than rushing to invest in a large production line, she chose to go back to the basics and understand the product thoroughly.

“This craft is really hard work,” local makers had frankly told her. Ha understood what they meant. Behind every thin sheet of rice paper are many stages that depend heavily on experience, manual labor, and the weather. Yet it was precisely those difficulties that led her to think about using machinery to support production, improve consistency, and help the product reach wider markets.

From there, Ha and her team began with small batches, making them by hand to understand the characteristics of each ingredient. Even choosing the right rice required repeated trials. Fresh rice or rice that was too sticky made it difficult to achieve the desired chewiness and crispness, while drier rice that had been stored for some time worked better. Some recipes produced good results by hand, but once transferred to machines, the texture and color changed.

After months of testing, batches that met the required standards were gradually introduced to the market, reaching consumers and opening up new sales channels.

According to Tran Thi Thuy Ha, starting a business does not mean making a profit right away. It requires accepting the cost of failed trials, patiently refining the product, and being prepared for setbacks in the market. For that reason, every investment decision is carefully weighed against the company’s actual capacity.

VN Flex’s rice paper and rice snack products

Giving rice products a new look

Once the recipe had become more stable, Ha began introducing machinery into individual stages of production. Sun-drying was replaced by drying rooms, while charcoal grilling was replaced by automatic grilling machines to control temperature, prevent uneven cooking, and maintain consistent crispness. 

Ha said that switching to machine grilling may reduce some of the distinctive flavor associated with charcoal grilling. In return, technology allows the company to take greater control of production, standardize quality, and reduce dependence on the weather. This also provides a foundation for the products to meet the requirements of a wider range of markets.

Her experience in distribution taught Ha that a product that tastes good at the factory may still struggle to travel far. Grilled rice paper breaks easily during transport. The company therefore had to use vacuum-sealed bags and protective packaging, while reducing the number of rice papers in each pack to around two pieces. This packaging method minimizes damage and is better suited to retail and e-commerce channels.

Once the traditional rice paper line had become more established, Ha began thinking about a product that could appeal to younger consumers. Looking at the market, she noticed that most popular snacks were made from wheat flour, potatoes, and other ingredients, while rice-based snacks remained relatively uncommon.

“Rice is one of Vietnam’s strengths, so why not develop a rice snack that can appeal to young consumers?” Ha recalled the question that prompted her and her team to explore a new direction.

Using the existing rice paper base, the company began developing ready-to-eat snacks. Turning a traditional rice paper product into something new meant reconsidering everything from thickness and crispness to shape, flavor, shelf life, and consistency in mass production.

The idea was initiated by Ha and further developed by the company’s research and development team. From traditional rice paper varieties such as black sesame, white sesame, and lotus rice paper, VN Flex gradually expanded into rice-based snacks in different flavors, shapes, and sizes aimed at younger consumers. The change was not only in the products themselves, but also in how the company approached the market, moving from serving households and restaurants to meeting more convenient and modern consumption needs.

From the very beginning, Ha decided not to pursue rapid expansion. Instead, she focused on refining the products, complying with legal requirements, and ensuring food safety. “Only when our production foundation is relatively solid do we gradually expand the distribution network, with the aim of building a modern Vietnamese snack brand that has its own identity and is competitive in the market,” Ha shared.

VN Flex products are now available in Hue and several provinces and cities across Central Vietnam through retail outlets and agents, while also reaching consumers nationwide through e-commerce channels. The company is also completing procedures to bring its products into supermarkets, studying relevant standards, and connecting with partners as it gradually works toward export markets.

In 2025, the project ‘VN Flex Rice Paper Snacks - Elevating Vietnamese Specialties’ received an award from the Chairman of the Hue City People’s Committee at the city’s Innovation Startup Competition. In 2026, Ha was nominated by the Hue Young Entrepreneurs Association to take part in the nationwide Outstanding Young Startup Entrepreneur selection program.

For Ha, the ambition to go further begins with practical steps: mastering the production process, creating products that can compete in the market, and raising the value of Vietnamese rice. From the familiar rice paper, the young entrepreneur is gradually bringing a traditional product into modern life through knowledge, technology, and confidence in the value of local ingredients.