On the occasion of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13), a reporter from the Industry and Trade Newspaper spoke with Dang Thi Thanh Huong, Director of Dong Phuong Confectionery Company Limited, about her journey of carrying on a family legacy, her approach to preserving traditional flavors, and her vision for developing a brand amid changing market conditions.
The story of a long-established confectionery brand in Hai Phong offers insights into the importance of continuity, innovation, and the responsibility of maintaining consumer trust.
Dang Thi Thanh Huong: For me, carrying on a brand with more than 75 years of history is a tremendous source of pride, but it also comes with considerable responsibility. Dong Phuong is more than a confectionery production and business establishment. It represents the dedication and hard work of generations of my family, beginning in 1950, when our ancestor, Bach Van Uy, established the confectionery trade on Cau Dat Street in Hai Phong.
I previously worked in banking, a relatively stable profession with its own clear career path. However, a question from my father-in-law made me reflect deeply: “What will you leave behind for your children and grandchildren?”
It was a simple question, but it prompted me to think more deeply about the value of what my family had built. I believe everyone has a mission in life. For me, that mission is to carry on the family business, preserve what previous generations have passed down, and strive to do better every day.
When I decided to return to the confectionery business, I understood that I could not rely solely on the brand’s existing reputation. To preserve the craft, I first had to understand it thoroughly. I therefore started with practical work, learning about every stage of production and drawing on the experience of long-serving artisans, from selecting ingredients and preparing fillings to mastering baking techniques.
The more involved I became, the more I realized that a traditional confection of high quality requires more than a recipe. Behind each product are years of experience, meticulous attention to detail, dedication, and techniques accumulated over time.
What I value most about Dong Phuong is its distinctive flavor, which generations of customers have come to recognize and trust. This is a value that is difficult to establish and cannot be created overnight.
I have always believed that a brand may survive for many years, but preserving its reputation is the real challenge. The credibility built by previous generations provides the foundation, while whether the brand continues to win customers’ trust depends on the responsibility and efforts of the generation carrying it forward today.
To me, preserving the craft does not mean simply maintaining what already exists. It means ensuring that these values remain part of everyday life, continue to be cherished by consumers, and are passed on to future generations.
Dang Thi Thanh Huong: I believe product quality must always come first for a food brand. For a traditional brand like Dong Phuong in particular, customers come to us not merely to buy a confection, but because they appreciate and remember flavors that have been part of their lives for many years.
That is why we make every effort to preserve the distinctive characteristics of our recipes and production methods, particularly in ingredient selection, production control, and food safety and hygiene. These are not only requirements for operating a food business; they are also part of our responsibility for protecting our customers’ health and maintaining their trust.
However, preserving tradition does not mean retaining outdated production methods. As our operations expand and market requirements change, businesses need to proactively adopt technology to improve efficiency and exercise better control over product quality.
At Dong Phuong, we have opted for a semi-manual production model. Machinery is used in selected stages, including molding, shaping, baking, and packaging. Meanwhile, key processes such as cooking fillings, marinating ingredients, kneading dough, and finishing products remain in the hands of experienced artisans.
We maintain this approach because traditional confectionery making has its own distinctive characteristics. Artisans do not simply follow recipes or measurements. They must also judge the dough’s elasticity, the consistency of the filling, and the color and aroma of the confection at each stage of production.
These skills are accumulated over many years and are difficult to replace entirely with machinery.
I believe technology and tradition are not mutually exclusive. What matters is choosing the right technology so that machinery can help increase productivity, consistency, and product quality while preserving the values that define the brand’s identity.
What makes me happiest is that, after all these years, customers still come to Dong Phuong because they recognize and appreciate its familiar flavors. This is deeply meaningful to us, but it also reminds us of our responsibility to every product we make.
Dang Thi Thanh Huong: I believe building and developing a business is a journey that demands great dedication, perseverance, and a strong sense of responsibility from every entrepreneur. For those entrusted with carrying on a traditional brand, however, that responsibility also includes protecting the values that previous generations devoted their lives to establishing.
Since taking over the family business, I have always reminded myself that Dong Phuong’s achievements today are not the result of any single individual or generation. They reflect decades of hard work, experience, reputation, and trust.
A brand may survive for many years, but preserving it is the real challenge.
Markets are constantly changing, and consumers’ needs and expectations continue to rise. Without sustained efforts to improve quality and adapt proactively, even a long-established brand can struggle to maintain its position.
At Dong Phuong, we have always regarded product quality and customer trust as our most important values.
A brand’s reputation may introduce customers to its products, but it is quality that brings them back. Every stage of production, every ingredient selected, and every confection delivered to consumers must therefore reflect a strong sense of responsibility.
I also believe that preserving a traditional brand does not mean looking only to the past. We must cherish the values passed down to us while continuing to learn, innovate, and improve in response to market developments.
For me, the key is not to choose between tradition and modernity, but to find ways for the two to complement each other. Tradition creates identity and distinction, while innovation enables businesses to strengthen their competitiveness and better meet customers’ needs.
I also hope that the experience, craft techniques, and commitment to doing the job well demonstrated by previous generations will continue to be preserved and passed on. A brand can only remain vibrant over the long term when its core values endure and there are people ready to carry them forward.
I believe every entrepreneur, regardless of industry, has a responsibility to the products they make, their customers, and their company’s reputation.
At Dong Phuong, we will continue working to preserve our traditional flavors, maintain a strong focus on quality, and pursue gradual innovation. Our goal is for the brand to remain a favorite not only among long-standing customers but also among future generations of consumers.
I believe the greatest legacy a brand can leave is not simply its name or history, but the trust and affection it has earned from customers over generations.
Thank you for sharing your insights!