Tran Uyen Phuong

While other businesses were struggling with M&A, spending huge investment for advertising, trade promotion and of course suffering heavy losses in the early period, the billion-dollar girl Tran Uyen Phuong, who most likely will be successor of Tan Hiep Phat, diligently wrote book.

Tan Hiep Phat's products have been exported to nearly 20 countries and territories, including especially difficult markets such as Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Korea, Singapore ... However, the above figure is quite modest compared to the potential and expectation of generations of leaders in this group as well as the founder - entrepreneur Tran Qui Thanh - when the export proportion is just expected to 10% in 2-3 next year (100 million USD, out of 1 billion USD of expected sales in 2023). Tan Hiep Phat has not built a factory or set up any material areas overseas - to ensure the ambition to reach out worldwide in the future.

In the past few years, especially in 2018, Tan Hiep Phat and Tran Uyen Phuong are among Vietnamese names in the field of business that appear the most on international media because of their stories inspiring co-startups as well as millions of consumers around the world.

That Forbes first published the book “Competing with Giants” by a Vietnamese businesswoman has help promote the name of “rich man” Tan Hiep Phat.

Afterwards, in the minds of many consumers, each water bottle is not only a drink but a crystallization of the desire to overcome difficulties and the spirit of entrepreneurship, an organic trend and Vietnam of miraculous stories.

And also from this book uncovered the aspirations of Tan Hiep Phat, as Mr. Hiroshi Otsuka, President and CEO of Musashi Seimitsu said: “An unmissable insight into how and why Vietnamese businesses are quietly growing into global players.”

Shouldering heavy responsibility as the successor of Tan Hiep Phat, Tran Uyen Phuong keeps traveling continuously to many countries around the world, attending talk shows, interviews. She is referred to as the world famous woman from a US$ 5 billion business. However, Uyen Phuong almost never mentioned this but only focused on inspiring entrepreneurship, introducing safe and healthy natural beverages (organic) to consumers. Not only that, every year Tan Hiep Phat welcomes dozens of foreign delegations to visit - including famous names such as former Samsung CEO or other multinational corporations.

Tran Uyen Phuong in a sharing session at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School

That is the story Tan Hiep Phat turned down Coca-Cola’s USUS$2.5 billion buyout offer.

That is the story of a Vietnamese enterprise pioneering to build the best production line in the world. Currently, Tan Hiep Phat is the only company in Vietnam that owns 10 Aseptic technology lines - the most advanced automatic sterile technology.

That is the story of a family of many generations of entrepreneurs - those who are not only enriching the country but also devote voluntary activities to make life better and happier.

Reaching out worldwide is the aspiration of most of the big enterprises in Vietnam. Yet, the bitter lesson of many multinational corporations shows that, if one fails, if it is annexed right at home, the dream will difficultly become reality.

From those lessons, Tran Uyen Phuong said: "How could businesses reach farther? Not only out of Vietnam is the big sea, right at home is. Many large investors and businesses want to enter Vietnam, so domestic enterprises need to improve themselves so that they can continue to exist in the market.”

Tran Uyen Phuong shared that since its establishment, Tan Hiep Phat's mission is to contribute to the prosperity of Vietnam by creating the nation's leading beverage brand. “Our goal is to become one of the pioneering businesses in the food and beverage sector in the Asian market, in parallel with serving global consumers,” she said.

This is also the desire of Tan Hiep Phat’s founder, Mr. Tran Qui Thanh, who has always cherished the desire to positioning Vietnam's beverage industry in the international arena.

Not only writing books, inspiring startups and encouraging safe natural drinks, Tran Uyen Phuong has always become a diplomat and ambassador with many messages.

Dr Thanh herbal tea production line

As honorary consul of Sudan in Vietnam, Tran Uyen Phuong have the opportunity to meet and learn more about culture and international business environment. Such knowledge is particularly important and useful for the Asian development goal that Tan Hiep Phat is striving for. Sudan is also the gateway to the African market, a future plan of this business.

Mr. Fiachra Mac Cana, an investor in Vietnam, when speaking on the BBC once emphasized if Tan Hiep Phat (or some Vietnamese enterprise) wants to boost the export of goods abroad, it should become recognizable brands. "This is a sizable challenge, and will take years," he said.

With the approach of reaching out worldwide with knowledge, with endless inspiration of the spirit of overcoming difficulty, towards natural drinks, Tran Uyen Phuong is helping Tan Hiep Phat brand become attractive, reliable and easy to recognize in the minds of consumers in international markets.

About this, Mr. Tran Qui Thanh affirmed he could do: “Speaking of Toyota, people immediately think of Japan. I hope that when the name Tan Hiep Phat is mentioned in the future, the public will automatically think of Vietnam.

Is this a wise preparation step for global aspirations of Tan Hiep Phat?

Ha Thuong