The story of the owner of the "Civilized" car brand.
(Baonghean) Mr. Nguyen Dam Van, born in the year of the Dragon (1976) - Director of Van Minh Travel Company, is one of the young and successful entrepreneurs in the passenger transport sector. Few people know that he rose from humble beginnings.
(Baonghean) Mr. Nguyen Dam Van, born in the year of the Dragon (1976) - Director of Van Minh Travel Company, is one of the young and successful entrepreneurs in the passenger transport sector. Few people know that he rose from humble beginnings.
From a duck herder boy...
Despite managing a passenger transport business with over 200 employees, Nguyen Dam Van's demeanor remains simple and down-to-earth, like a farmer with muddy hands and feet. Coming from a family of ten siblings, Van experienced countless hardships from a young age. Under the scorching sun, he would ride his rickety bicycle selling ice cream throughout the village. As he grew older, Van would join his father in herding ducks across the village fields.
In the eighth grade, Van's family went bankrupt, owing up to 20 tons of rice (a huge amount of debt back then). Van had to drop out of school and go live with his older sister in Lai Chau. To help his sister, every morning at 2 or 3 a.m., Van would wake up to boil water, slaughter pigs, take the meat to the market, and then return to school.
After graduating from high school, Nguyen Dam Van had to give up his dream of going to university and went to Germany hoping for a better life. Van confided: "Back then, I went to Germany illegally, so I had to live in hiding, it was incredibly hard. I did all kinds of jobs, from selling cigarettes and phones to selling clothes and various street goods."
After five years struggling in Germany, Van returned to Nghe An in 2003 to start his own business. He borrowed money to establish Van Minh Travel Company, independently seeking contracts to transport and guide tour groups.
To the owner of the "Civilized" car brand.
Over a cup of steaming hot tea, Van confided: "Coming into the passenger transport business was quite unexpected. In early 2007, I had a contract to take tourists on a trip to Ho Chi Minh City, but I couldn't get the luxury sleeper buses from Hoang Long."
I had the idea of buying one of these high-end sleeper buses to try my luck with the business. That was the plan, but buying one wasn't easy (it cost over 2 billion VND). I had to borrow money from friends and family, and get more from the bank, but in the end, I managed to buy it. The bus was painted a shiny yellow and named "Van - Minh" (Van is Nguyen Dam Van and Minh is Nguyen Dam Minh, my younger brother's name).
Nguyen Dam Van - Director of Van Minh Travel Company.
Van recounted: Initially, people were quite unfamiliar with high-class sleeper buses. Passengers were still accustomed to flagging down buses along the road, but Van Minh buses absolutely did not pick up or drop off passengers along the way. In the beginning, some trips had to be empty because passengers were still unaware of the "Van Minh" bus company, while gasoline prices increased dramatically, resulting in heavy losses. It took more than a year before many customers learned about the Van Minh bus company.
From having just one vehicle, Van Minh Travel Company now owns over 20 high-end luxury sleeper buses, averaging 2.8 billion VND per vehicle, operating routes between Vinh City and Hanoi, Cua Lo and Hanoi, and Ha Tinh and Hanoi. The competition in the passenger transport business is extremely fierce among bus companies. However, Van Minh Travel Company has remained strong by upholding its core values of integrity and trustworthiness with its customers.
Therefore, even with many sleeper bus companies operating throughout the day, Van Minh buses always have a full complement of passengers before departure. Currently, for customers in Vinh City and Ha Tinh City, Van Minh offers a convenient door-to-door pick-up service. Van Minh's high-class sleeper buses boast professional service, are always clean, and are well-equipped. Regarding traffic safety regulations, Van Minh strictly adheres to them; all passengers are required to wear seat belts during travel, ensuring the safety of lives and property.
Van Minh buses pick up passengers at Ha Tinh bus station.
During the recent Lunar New Year holiday, according to our observations, the ticket prices of Van Minh Travel Company did not increase like some other bus companies. The price for the Vinh City to Hanoi route remained at 170,000 VND per trip. To avoid passenger competition, the company issued numbered tickets to each person to ensure fair ticket purchase.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, a passenger from Nghi Loc, shared: "Even during the Tet holiday season, we always get our own seats on Van Minh buses, and we feel completely safe, from the ticket prices to the departure times. We don't worry about reckless driving..." To ensure safety, each bus has two drivers and two assistants. While other bus companies usually run quite fast, with trips to and from Hanoi taking 5-6 hours, Van Minh Travel Company stipulates a 7-hour journey, including rest and meal breaks.
Nguyen Dam Van has his own work principle: seriousness in work and fair compensation for the effort put in by his employees. He always considers the foundation of success to be the employees. All employees of Van Minh Travel Company, from ticket counter staff to drivers, assistants, and maintenance workers, are conscientious and responsible when working at the company. Many times, employees of Van Minh Travel Company have found money left behind by customers on buses and have always returned it.
In 2011, the company paid its employees an average salary of 5 million VND per person per month and contributed over 2 billion VND to the state budget. Currently, the company has 30 ticket offices from Ha Tinh - Nghe An - Hanoi. In 2011, Van helped build two charitable houses in his hometown in Son Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, worth over 100 million VND; donated 20 million VND to support the Len Co quarry collapse; and provided lifelong care for Mr. Trach (who is in extremely difficult circumstances)...
Starting from nothing, Nguyen Dam Van rose to become the owner of the Van Minh passenger transport company, serving as an inspiring example of overcoming adversity. In 2010, he was honored as one of 40 people awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union for "Having made initiatives and contributions to programs when the Fatherland needs it"; a Certificate of Merit by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association for "Outstanding achievements in the young entrepreneur movement of Nghe An province 2008-2011"; and three consecutive years of receiving commendations from the People's Committee of Nghe An province.
Van Truong
