CEO of Muong Thanh Group, Le Thi Hoang Yen: 'Family is the driving force behind success'

(Baonghean) - Young, beautiful, and directly managing 40 leading hotels nationwide, that's what can be said about CEO Le Thi Hoang Yen - General Director of Muong Thanh Group. On the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8th, a reporter from Baonghean Newspaper had a conversation with Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen about her secrets.Balancing family life and work.

"Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners."

PV:It is known that she graduated from university in the UK with a degree in Finance and Monetary Economics. At that time, did she consider joining her family's corporation? And her career beginnings upon returning to Vietnam were as a management internship at the Muong Thanh Hotel (Hanoi). Was this the period when she first became familiar with the hotel management environment?

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen:Before going to school, my family didn't have plans to develop the large Muong Thanh hotel chain as it is today, so I didn't plan to go into the hotel business either. However, upon returning to Vietnam, with the development direction of the Group Chairman - Mr. Le Thanh Than, I boldly ventured into this challenging field.

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen. Photo: PV

I completed my management internship at the Muong Thanh Hanoi Hotel – the Group's first 4-star hotel at the time. In reality, taking over the job presented far more challenges and difficulties than I had imagined. However, thinking about the responsibility of the next generation towards the Group's future motivated me to adapt, manage, and develop a concrete growth strategy.

PV:At the age of 30, she seamlessly took on the role of CEO of Muong Thanh Group. Could you share how you "applied" your management style to achieve such effective results?

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen:In a specialized service industry like the hotel industry, people are the deciding factor in service quality. Therefore, the challenge is to ensure that all staff, from top management to employees at all levels, work with the mindset of working for themselves and their families, not just as employees.

At Muong Thanh Group, if an employee is assigned to a specific task, they are empowered to make decisions, rather than having all authority concentrated in the hands of the General Director. Every year, we place great emphasis on professional training programs for our employees.

Through professional skills and knowledge development, we have provided our employees with opportunities to enhance their capabilities and personal value – a solid foundation for them to maximize their responsibilities and potential in their respective roles.

In addition, for management level, the Group organizes national CEO conferences where executives can meet, exchange ideas, and ask questions to the Group's Board of Directors. All questions must be discussed to arrive at satisfactory answers... This management method both stimulates employee creativity and helps the CEO save time in management, freeing up more time for developing new strategies.

As a member of the younger generation, I also prioritize the application of information technology and many modern management programs in the Group's operations to maximize management efficiency, such as the enterprise resource management system and the internal control system.

CEO Le Thi Hoang Yen and her husband at an event. Photo: Provided by the subjects.

PV:In the context of increasingly fierce competition, international hotel management brands have already established a presence in Vietnam. Could you share the dreams and mission of the leaders of Muong Thanh Group to expand the Muong Thanh hotel chain throughout the country, contributing to the development of Vietnam's tourism industry?

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen:Many people ask me why we don't partner with a foreign corporation to make things easier? Will Muong Thanh sell its hotels after investing, like some domestic private corporations have done? The answer is no. No matter how difficult it is, we persevere in building the Muong Thanh hotel brand. Our desire is to contribute to Vietnam's tourism industry with a domestic brand that can compete with international brands. Furthermore, the mission of creating jobs for Vietnamese people and promoting national identity in the management and operation of our hotel chain are major driving forces behind our progress.

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen at an event. Photo: PV

By the end of 2016, we had essentially completed the reorganization of the Muong Thanh hotel chain into different levels and standards: Luxury (5 stars), Grand (4 stars), Holiday (4 stars), and Muong Thanh (3 stars). As a result, both the Group's internal staff and customers now have a clear brand identity, linked to quality and service appropriate to each segment. This investment is expected to be temporarily completed by early 2018. However, if favorable opportunities arise, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia, and the United States will be the next markets that Muong Thanh will consider when expanding its operations.

We understand very well that establishing a strong brand and continuing to grow is not easy. However, I believe the market prospects are still very promising, because tourism has been prioritized by the Government as a key sector of the economy. Looking at the number of domestic and international tourists in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, Vietnamese tourism is still in its infancy.

Currently, we are focusing our attention on Vietnamese tourists. With a population of over 93 million and a constantly increasing demand for travel, Vietnamese tourists will become a powerful driving force for the development of domestic tourism. They will be the most persistent and patient in demanding innovation and development for the country's tourism industry. This is both the pressure and our aspiration – to become the preferred choice of Vietnamese tourists with a Vietnamese brand.

A candid moment from the life of this small family. Photo: provided by the subject.

PV:With such heavy managerial responsibilities and intense workload, everyone is eager to know CEO Le Thi Hoang Yen's secret to balancing work and family life. Does she have any special principles of her own?

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen:Just as our mothers and grandmothers in the past could manage three responsibilities, modern women today also know how to balance work, family, and personal life. For me personally, having the support of my husband and family is the best thing! I am very fortunate to have a husband and both sides of the family who understand, support, and encourage me in both my work and in raising my children.

In particular, my partner has always loved and supported the path I've chosen. He's also a workaholic and very busy, but we both love and cherish our family. We always try to spend as much time together as possible, with our children, and make those times truly meaningful.

There are no special rules or secrets; for me, family is the driving force that balances everything. Through this article, I would like to express my gratitude to my beloved family, especially my husband.

PV:Thank you for the conversation!

PV(Perform)