Ten years ago, Hanh, born in 1989, from Dak Nong province, was an office worker at a center belonging to the Dak Nong Construction Department.

Working in the public sector is a dream for many people because the jobs are stable and there is no need to worry about layoffs.

Recalling these days, Hanh said she learned how to schedule her work and become more careful and meticulous in doing everything. However, the low salary and lack of time to take care of her young children made her life difficult.

Hanh tried to earn extra money by working online at night and on weekends. However, as she could not arrange enough time for both work and children, she decided to resign.

“It took me a lot of time to make a decision. I was afraid that when I left the public sector, I would not be able to find another good job,” she recalled.

“Finally, I realized that working in the public sector could bring a stable salary, not a stable job. If you are bad at work, you will still be dismissed,” she said.

After two months of thinking, she decided to quit the job.

Her decision to leave the public sector was not supported by relatives and friends, who could not understand why she gave up a stable job to take such a challenging business.

However, she remained steadfast in her choice. In her cramped rented house, she started making breads every day with a hand mixer and a tiny oven. 

At first, her clients were just members of a chat group of young mothers with small children. Later, she got new clients who were friends of the members and friends of other friends.

After earning little money from the first products, she bought modern equipment for her bakery. Not only making bread, she has also tried making almond bars, cookies, baguettes, dark rye bread; croissants, tarts, pate chaud and panettone.

She succeeded after 10 years of effort. Providing a large variety of products, from sauce, biscuits, jams, candies and dried goods to tea bags, chocolate and coffee, her bakery brings revenue of VND4 billion a year.

“Some people seek my advice about whether they should resign. I always ask what they plan to do after resignation. If they can answer my question, this means they are ready to resign,” she said.

Ha Nguyen