Member of creative tourism project group (Tourism Faculty, Hue University) guiding guests to play experience games
Story of 24-year-old female director
At the end of 2018, I had the opportunity to meet Pham Thi An again (who was born in 1994), an alumna of the University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, being the executive director of a company valued at up to 9 billion VND in Lam Dong province, which has 7 distributors in the country. Seeing the surprise on my face, An smiled: "The start-up movement in Hue with the support of experts helps me change my mind, turn the unbelievable thing into reality".
In 2016, while being a student at University of Agriculture and Forestry, Pham Thi An registered to participate in the contest "Creative start-up in Hue". Her initial capital was only a bit of professional experience at the school and the desire to challenge herself. However, her thorough investment in the research project helped the female students convince the judges to win the second prize with the idea of "Developing and expanding bio-pesticides from herbs".
Stepping out of the competition, An also renewed her thinking about choosing plan for future. At that time, the start-up movement in Hue was not strong; An's friends also thought that after graduating from university, they would apply for a job, or they joined in a start-up competition to “make-up” their résumé in the recruiters’ eyes.
“At that time, I was also afraid of doing start-up, but I thought that the knowledge I acquired was not used to be hired, it must be used to produce my own products and to create jobs for others. If you don't try it, it certainly won't work,” said Pham Thi An.
Pham Thi An, the Executive Director of Hong An Trading Production Co. Ltd. (left cover) signed the cooperation contract
Only 4 months after leaving the university, An managed to have a small amount of capital to open Hong An Clean Agricultural Science Application Joint Stock Company, producing and distributing herbal products right in Hue. Her first start-up project was not really successful as the number of approached customers were low.
More than half a year later, the owner of the second prize in the contest "Creative start-up in Hue" turned to find a market in Da Lat city. Here, she has succeeded in calling on investors (with VND 250 million of capital) in the new direction with Gaco Linh Chi mushroom wine product. It was the source to form Hong An Trading Production Co. Ltd., and, the company has quickly attracted customers.
At this meeting, An also informed me good news. At the end of November 2018, Gaco Linh Chi mushroom wine start-up project is the selected product line among the 100 start-up ideas in 2018 of Lam Dong Provincial Youth Union. At the forum of connecting businesses and start-up ideas, the girl who came out of Hue "training kiln" added an important milestone when signing cooperation contract with enterprises from Korea, opening prospects for export in the future.
Still more potential
If saying that Pham Thi An is one of the typical faces of Hue students to find a new direction as she changed her mindset from looking for a job to starting her own start-up business, then, until the end of 2018 - the year when Hue University pushed up the movement of innovation and creation start-up, there have been many sweet fruits from the breakthrough thinking.
Leafpic - Pro project students exchange directions in the start-up project
Only in 2018, Hue University had a series of ideas and start-up projects winning prizes, such as Leafpic-Pro software for smartphones project, which identified the lack or exceed of nitrogen on plants (the second prize of the provincial innovation and creation start-up contest); Vietnam specialty map - VNSpecial (B prize in the provincial innovation and creation start-up contest and the 3rd prize of "Finding innovation and creation start-up talents in the Central Coast and Central Highlands” contest), applying IT to rehabilitation (Start-up! Ideas of French Universities organization), Bridge of indigenous cultural experience with artisans ("Innovation and creation start-up ideas” contest of Hue University), etc.
Compared to the previous period, the good news is that, owners of start-up projects and ideas have pursued and entered early into the start-up road and most of projects are being operated according to the roadmap. For example, the Leafpic-Pro project has gone through the stage of farmers testing the product, and now it prepares to launch the complete version to the market, or the project Experience travel tour has been able to sell its product.
Tran Thi Phuong Nhung, a second-year student, Faculty of Tourism, Hue University, said: "Most of the group members are second-year and third-year students, but we have been able to earn money from doing tours through start-up projects. We no longer have to think of finding a job when we graduate.”
The rapid step forward in the start-up movement in Hue University students was estimated not to be inferior to major cities in the country by Mr. Truong Thanh Hung, an innovation and creation start-up consultant - Founder of FiNNO, who used to be a judge and who supports start-up movement of many localities. After Pham Thi An (guided by Mr. Hung himself), there are many other promising faces, and the thinking of students with start-up is gradually changing. This is consistent with the start-up policy that the Government is interested in, especially the project to support students to start-up to 2025 by the Ministry of Education and Training.
It’s better that Hue University is ready with a common workspace, germinating and supporting start-up projects. Certainly in the new year, a series of valuable creative start-up ideas and projects will be born and on the Vietnamese business map, some new brand names will appear. They are very young but rich in potential.
Story and photos: HUU PHUC