{"id":9551,"date":"2021-10-25T16:22:10","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T08:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9551"},"modified":"2021-10-25T16:39:02","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T08:39:02","slug":"vi-huong-to-tran-thanh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/vi-huong-to-tran-thanh\/","title":{"rendered":"Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh: The Inventor Of V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1 Seasoning Powder, A Homegrown Brand That Beat Ajinomoto In Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh, a Saigon entrepreneur with a Midas touch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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If you ask any local millennials which umami <\/em>seasoning brand reigns the roost in Vietnam, the answer, off the top of their head, would usually be either Ajinomoto from Japan or Vedan from Taiwan.<\/span><\/p>\n

But for Saigon residents living in the 60s and 70s, the most sought-after umami <\/em>seasoning powder back in the day was a homegrown brand called <\/span>V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This seasoning powder was invented by <\/span>Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh<\/b>, an entrepreneur from Saigon-Cholon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh<\/strong> immigrated to Saigon-Cholon from China<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span>Doanh Nghi\u1ec7p H\u1ed9i Nh\u1eadp – VTV<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh was born into a Teochew family which migrated from China for <\/span>Cholon<\/span> circa World War II.<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up in poverty and without a proper education in his new homeland, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh had struggled to find a job that earned him a stable income.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing that Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh was a hardworking man who wouldn\u2019t mind doing grunt work, Mr Tr\u1ecbnh, the owner of an oil company, hired him to clean oil barrels. Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh\u2019s efficiency and loyalty impressed his boss, who then entrusted him with more important duties such as procuring ingredients from farmers and managing a factory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Possessing strong business acumen, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh helped his boss gain tremendous profits and expand his business from Saigon to the entirety of southern Vietnam and even Cambodia.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nSaigon-Cholon <\/span>in the 20th century<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Pinterest\/Richard Nguyen<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After acquiring considerable knowledge and connections in the oil manufacturing industry, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh left Mr Tr\u1ecbnh\u2019s company, established his own business, and became a key supplier to his former boss\u2019 factory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a short amount of time, he became the sole supplier of raw materials for many manufacturers in the city. In the late 1950s, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh was one of the most admired Vietnamese-Chinese businessmen in the region and the chief of the Teochew clan in Cholon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Determined to expand his empire, he travelled to Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore to learn new ways of doing business. His trips all over the world broadened his horizons and inspired him to manufacture cooking ingredients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The invention of V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1 and other made-in-Vietnam products<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span>Nh\u1ea1c X\u01b0a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In 1960, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh invented a <\/span>umami<\/em> <\/span>seasoning powder called V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1, made using manufacturing equipment from Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n

To usher in a homegrown seasoning brand into a market that had been dominated by Ajinomoto and Vedan for over a decade was a daunting task.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to its lower prices compared to imported brands, V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1 gained a lot of attention after its release. Aside from guerilla advertising campaigns, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh also focused on launching promotions to draw customers, such as giving buyers complimentary bowls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: Ph\u1ee5 N\u1eef Online<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Within a few years\u2019 time, V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1 emerged as one of the market leaders and a household name in many local kitchens. Its popularity soared to such a point where the quantity demanded by local cooks was greater than the supply. During its heyday, it had gained 80% market share and totally outperformed Ajinomoto and Vedan. Rumor has it that many grocery shoppers only resorted to Ajinomoto or Vedan if they couldn\u2019t find V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike cosmetics or clothing, it\u2019s hard to compare the quality between seasoning powders of the same category. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste and not all buyers can discern the subtlest differences of flavors among them. Plus, thanks to the then-South Vietnam\u2019s tariffs on imported goods, Ajinomoto and Vedan products were more costly than the locally made V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1. Therefore, it\u2019s understandable why V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1 was a big success.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Riding on this resounding success, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh expanded his product line to include instant noodles, vegetarian noodles, and Chinese soy sauce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nV\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng instant noodles<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span><\/em>Brands Vietnam<\/span><\/em>
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All of the products that he manufactured gained success in the local market and were exported to neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and even Singapore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the mid-1960s, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh\u2019s business empire was in its prime. The self-made millionaire ventured into real estate and hospitality investments in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where he also reaped hefty profits.<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, anyone must have thought that Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh was gifted with an uncanny knack of striking gold wherever he turned. However, his Midas touch seemed to have lost its power when he started to fall in love. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The decline of Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh’s empire<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nTaiwanese actress and singer Thang Lan Hoa<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Famous Fix<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If the gorgeous Bathsheba turned the righteous King David into a murderer and Delilah destroyed Samson\u2019s God-given strength with her tears, Thang Lan Hoa (or Lan-Hua Tang in the Chinese language) was considered the one who made Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh go broke.<\/span><\/p>\n

Legend has it that Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh had been an exceptionally driven and focused businessman who never succumbed to temptations or recreations of any sort. Well, that was before he met the woman of his dreams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once, he was invited to a party in Cholon, where an enchanting Taiwanese artist named Thang Lan Hoa was performing. Her beauty and talents captured his heart instantly, and he became a different man after that fateful encounter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From a financially -savvy and austere man, he started chasing Thang Lan Hoa fervently and lavished expensive gifts on her lap. From Rolex watches to diamond rings to extravagant gifts on her birthdays and Valentine\u2019s dates, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh went out of his way to win Thang Lan Hoa\u2019s heart like a moth attracted to a flame. His tireless and costly courtship of the Taiwanese beauty amazed the entire Chinese community in Cholon back then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After many giddy courting trips across Saigon and Taiwan, the pair broke up and a large amount of Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh\u2019s wealth was also reduced significantly. According to age-old rumors, it was around this time that his business started to decline significantly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Listal<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It remained unclear whether he continued dating anyone else after that, but his whirlwind romance with Thang Lan Hoa, which was rumored to have cost him his hard-built career, is often cited as an unforgettable dating lesson among local businessmen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After 1975, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh left Vietnam and his manufacturing business was taken over by a government-regulated company called Thi\u00ean H\u01b0\u01a1ng Food. Today, you can still buy V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng instant noodles, a brand invented by Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh, at retail outlets run by Thi\u00ean H\u01b0\u01a1ng Food.<\/span><\/p>\n

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V\u1ecb H\u01b0\u01a1ng T\u1ed1’s Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh – a great example of entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Ambitious and hard-working, Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh is a prime example of how a young man from an underprivileged background can rise above his circumstances, build a successful career, and contribute to society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hopefully, the story about local businessman Tr\u1ea7n Th\u00e0nh will kindle a sense of pride in made-in-Vietnam products and motivate those of us looking to make and promote homegrown products.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check out:<\/span><\/p>\n