Born and raised in a modest working-class family in the Thanh Cong residential complex (Hanoi), Ms. Nguyen Phuong, 44 years old, currently living in Thinh Hao 1 alley, O Cho Dua ward, has gone through a long and arduous journey but also full of determination to obtain the current management position at The Hanoi Cafe. Her life is a living testament to the persistent spirit, steadfast will and constant efforts of a modern Hanoi woman, daring to overcome difficulties, daring to start again and daring to pursue her passion to the end.
Childhood is associated with trips to the market and worries about food and clothing
Ms. Phuong was born into a family where her father was a farmer and her mother was a construction worker. A poor life made her grow up earlier than her peers. When she was 10 years old, every afternoon after school, little Phuong would rush with her mother to the gate of Giang Vo Exhibition to sell baked rice cakes.
The following months were spent traveling with my mother from Thanh Cong market to sell beef, then following my mother to Dong Xuan and Bac Qua markets to pick up goods to sell at retail markets. It was a difficult childhood but it forged in her the will to strive, resourcefulness and especially the spirit of serious work from a very early age.
Due to her family’s limited circumstances, she only finished high school and then started working. Thanks to the introduction of an acquaintance, her first job was as a housekeeper at a small hotel on Luong Ngoc Quyen street, Hanoi’s Old Quarter area. It was here that her journey with the hotel and restaurant industry officially began.
Fall in love with the kitchen profession, the foundation that creates passion
After three months of working as a housekeeper, she was given the opportunity to study kitchen assistant, housekeeping, laundry… The work was hard, but those days helped her understand the profession more deeply, love it, and gain her first skills.
Thanks to her hard work and progressive spirit, she gradually became the main chef. The passion began to grow from batches of hot food, from the joy of serving customers and from the desire to prove yourself with your own hands.
Turning point in life: From employee to hotel owner
The year 2007 marked an important turning point in her life. With recklessness, determination and the desire to change her life, Ms. Phuong started a business with a 30% stake in Camellia Hotel 6. With diligence, constant effort and increasingly improved management ability, after 5 years, she officially owned 100% of her hotel.
However, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic struck and the tourism industry froze. After more than a decade of building, she was forced to face the heartbreaking reality: returning with empty hands.
Not surrendering to fate, standing up again from the beginning
“Wherever you fall, stand up”, that’s what Ms. Phuong always told herself. To find stability, she took a job as a public affairs officer at a pharmaceutical company. The job is stable, the environment is good, but when the tourism and service industry gradually recovered, the “professional fire” in her flared up again. And at the age of 40, she decided to once again challenge herself by moving into the restaurant industry – F
Her entry into the profession is 25 years of experience in the service and hotel industry, along with a burning love for the profession. Fate helped her stick with The Hanoi Café, where she was assigned the responsibility of coordinating operations, managing the team and expanding partner relationships, aiming to strongly develop the tourist and local customer segments.
Management of The Hanoi Café: responsibility, prestige and dedication
Currently, in the role of restaurant manager, Ms. Phuong is in charge of operations, coordinating human resources, building working processes, and connecting with customers, partners and travel companies. With her sense of responsibility and professionalism, she is always highly appreciated by customers and colleagues.
Two years of working here have helped her make a mark with her reputation, dedication and serious professional attitude. For her, it is both a reward and a pressure to constantly improve herself.
Future aspirations: Building a restaurant chain with the soul of Hanoi
Not stopping at the present, Ms. Phuong has a big ambition: to build and own a restaurant chain with Hanoi’s cultural identity, spreading the culinary beauty and spirit of Trang An people to international friends. That is not only her career dream, but also her way of expressing gratitude to the land that raised her.
“Hanoi for me is not only the place where I was born and grew up, but also the inspiration and motivation for me to do my job, to live kindly and contribute,”she confided.
Life motto is full of humanity
Ms. Phuong always believes that she must live kindly, sincerely and do her best in everything. She does her job with all her heart, seriousness and passion. With colleagues, she is always ready to help, share and support to grow and develop together. That is what makes Nguyen Phuong sincere, persistent, constantly rising, a beautiful example of energy and love for her profession in the heart of Hanoi.
Her journey of more than two decades in the profession is a beautiful story of strength, perseverance and desire to rise. And that journey is still continuing, with love for the profession, love for people and deep love for Hanoi.
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