In celebration of Vietnam Entrepreneurs' Day (October 13), the “Vietnamese entrepreneurs – the aspiration to build a nation" series on VietNamNet portrays individuals who dare to think, act, and transcend their limits to contribute to the country through their professions and beliefs.

From An Nhien’s vision of taking Vietnamese rice to the world, to Nguyen Canh Binh’s enduring journey of “trading knowledge in the market era,” and the energy at the ViPEL Forum where the Party's reform mindset meets entrepreneurial spirit - each story captures the essence of Vietnamese ambition in a new era: entrepreneurship not just for wealth, but to shape the nation’s future.

Part 1: Vietnam’s entrepreneurs find new momentum in policy reform

 An Nhien’s story of transformation - from steel workshops to rice-based bakeries - is more than a tale of personal resilience. It’s a powerful vision: bringing Vietnamese rice into the global value chain and affirming Vietnam’s place in the global green economy.

A truth born from illness

Some startups don’t begin in labs or with venture capital - but on a hospital bed. For An Nhien, the path to plant-based food was forged through a battle for survival.

She struggled for years with a terminal illness: dozens of blood transfusions, red blood cells plummeting to 3–4, and her heart stopped for seven minutes. Doctors advised surgery and eating meat again to regain strength. But her body rejected meat.

Guided in part by her husband - a long-time plant-based eater - she stayed on a plant-based diet. Then, something miraculous happened: her health recovered, tumors vanished, and her blood returned to normal.

“Years ago, I read a line of poetry: ‘the sun of truth blazed through my heart.’ I never quite understood what truth was - until now,” she said. “Illness turned out to be a gift from the universe to awaken me.”

That truth led her to leave a stable career in steel and embrace a new path: plant-based foods rooted in Vietnam’s clean rice. It wasn’t just a business; it was a mission to elevate Vietnamese agriculture through innovation and green technology.

From steel to sustainability

Before embracing plant-based foods, An Nhien was a seasoned entrepreneur in the heavy industry sector, helping introduce modern steel technologies and standards to Vietnam - even supplying materials for defense projects.

But the deeper she went, the clearer one paradox became: no matter how much was invested, Vietnam still relied on imported materials.

“From the steel industry, I learned a hard truth: whoever controls the raw materials holds the power. And Vietnam is always buying,” she said.

That inner conflict persisted until her plant-based diet saved her life. She realized Vietnam has no shortage of raw materials - we’re sitting on a treasure trove of agricultural products, especially rice. If we could increase its value, a whole new industry could be born - one good for health, the environment, and the nation.

Plant-based is not simply vegetarianism. For nearly a decade now, the world has redefined it - from veganism to a high-tech transformation of plants into premium products. This includes rice milk, plant-based cheese, vegan meat from pea protein, and even leather from fruit peels. Behind this lies an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, now seen as a major driver of global green transformation.

From wooden food carts to rice-based bread

Starting a business in her 40s, An Nhien had no major investment, no high-tech factory. She only had a few wooden food carts - designed by her husband - to sell imported plant-based meat sandwiches at local markets. Customers were impressed, shocked to learn they were eating plant-based products.

But she didn’t stop there.

One day, she wondered: why does Vietnam always export raw rice while the world eats bread? The answer became clear - Vietnam had to make bread from its own rice flour.

Years of research followed, filled with failure. European-imported flours produced hard, dry loaves. Mixed flours lacked structure or flavor. Many times, she wanted to quit. But the image of struggling farmers kept her going.

The breakthrough came when she and her husband developed their own flour blends using brown rice, red rice, and whole grain black rice. The bread rose beautifully, had a natural sweetness, and retained its fiber and nutrients. Lab tests confirmed the nutritional value. At last, they had created a product that could rival any bread in the world.

From rice bread to international shelves

From frozen rice bread, An Nhien and her team expanded into pastries, drinks, and other dishes - all 100% plant-based. She opened F&B stores not just to sell, but to let customers experience the products.

The domestic response was surprising. At trade fairs, the O Plant-based booths were always crowded. Customers tried the products and immediately wanted more.

Typically, getting into supermarket chains takes years, but her rice bread made it onto shelves in just one year - a record. From one chain, it spread to many others. Online retailers came knocking. Sales steadily climbed.

Customers called her personally to praise the taste and encourage her. “Those calls gave me the strength to keep going,” she said.

A global opportunity

The product’s uniqueness quickly captured international attention. Major companies from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, and Australia reached out. Some had tried for years to make rice bread and failed. They called her innovation “world-class,” and proposed strategic, even exclusive, partnerships.

One customer said her rice bread was exactly what Michelin-starred restaurants had been seeking.

In Singapore - where USD 72 billion has been invested into plant-based R&D - they still import raw rice from Vietnam. If Vietnam can export value-added products instead, it can move from being just a raw material supplier to becoming the plant-based hub of the Asia-Pacific.

Selling everything to keep the dream alive

Starting a plant-based business in Vietnam isn’t easy. Banks were uninterested - procedures were complex, properties undervalued, and disbursements slow.

“My house was valued at 10 billion VND (about USD 410,000), but they would only lend 70–75%, and even then, in small installments. But I needed cash immediately to move the project forward,” she explained.

Her only choice: sell everything. House, land, assets - everything she had saved was sold. Sometimes, during market slumps, she accepted lower prices just to secure the cash flow needed for production and research.

“Money wasn’t about how much - it was about having it in time,” she said.

COVID-19 made things worse. But she and her husband remained committed: they sold it all for the chance to elevate Vietnamese rice.

The quiet partner

At every turn, her husband was there. Not just a life partner, but her lead research collaborator.

He’s been on a plant-based diet for decades, with deep knowledge of the field. He handcrafted wooden carts, sold sandwiches with her at markets, and developed flour formulas.

Once, feeling discouraged, she asked him, “Do I seem like a moth to a flame?” He replied, “And where do moths fly? Toward the light.”

She smiled and realized - whether alive or dead, the soul always seeks light. Why wait until death to follow the truth? She chose to walk that path now.

Policy gaps and the fight for sovereignty

Capital wasn’t the only challenge - policy was another.

Foreign investors wanted exclusivity, to control ideas, and eventually, to control the supply chain. If Vietnam followed the old model, she feared, locals would forever be laborers on their own land - while foreign firms owned everything: materials, patents, R&D, profits.

Meanwhile, countries like South Korea and Japan directly subsidize rice flour and rice bread, encouraging consumption and reducing wheat imports, thereby strengthening food security. Vietnam has yet to do the same.

“It hurts to export raw products and import finished goods at high prices,” she said.

That’s why she hopes the government will fund a Plant-based Innovation Hub in Vietnam - a center to gather scientists, entrepreneurs, and researchers from around the world, to build collective momentum.

Business philosophy: Building value systems, not just products

For her, success isn’t measured by loaves sold, but by building a sustainable value chain.

That starts with agriculture - so rice escapes the cycle of "raw export – processed import" and becomes a high-value product. It extends to public health - plant-based foods encourage healthy eating and disease prevention. And at the highest level, it's a national value - helping Vietnam align with the global green economy and attract international capital.

“Bread is just the beginning. I want to build an ecosystem where a single grain of rice can elevate Vietnam to a global power,” she said.

From a grain of rice to a great power dream

Her vision goes far beyond business. She believes that if the world eats rice-based bread, Vietnam could truly become a powerful nation.

Unlike steel or shipbuilding - industries Vietnam pursued but still depends on imported materials - agriculture, especially rice, is Vietnam’s unrivaled advantage.

To make this real, she’s campaigning to build a Plant-based Innovation Hub in Vietnam: a center for R&D and production, bringing together local and international minds to make Vietnamese crops the cornerstone of the global plant-based industry. From one grain of rice, we can make bread, pizza, burgers, cosmetics, supplements...

“It’s a grand dream, but it starts with a tiny grain of rice,” she said.

To her, the illness that nearly killed her became a blessing - a truth revealed: through agriculture, Vietnam can enter the global value chain, serve public health, protect the environment, and pursue a national dream.

“People call me crazy, like a moth to the flame. But moths fly toward the light, not the dark. And that light - I call it truth,” she smiled.

For her, entrepreneurship isn’t about getting rich. It’s about creating a new value system - for farmers, for public health, for national dignity.

It’s a hard road, often mocked - but also a rare moment where the stars align. A chance for Vietnam to turn a humble grain of rice into global green power.

Lan Anh