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When he was a student of Economic Law Faculty, Hanoi Law University, Duong Van Quan worked for a number of law offices providing consultancy services for foreign investors. Thus, he had many opportunities to access to different business models. 

Duong Van Quan (L) checks the products on the store shelves of Q-Mart, Chu town.

After he graduated in 2008, he and some friends operated a company producing and exporting bamboo tables and chairs luring a number of customers from Europe and Australia. 

However, everything seemed to be not easy. Two containers of their products were eaten by termites within nearly one month waiting at Hai Phong Port due to poor technical processing. A lot of their shipments could not reach the costumers causing a big loss for the company. As a result, it had to shut down.

I think if you want to start up, you should have real determination. You should not cheat yourself by doing it as a duty but you must do it for your own dream. You should not think for yourself but you must care for the community and your homeland Duong Van Quan

On his visits to the local markets at some communes of Luc Ngan district, Quan realized despite the big demands for goods exchange of local people, they had not been satisfied. Besides, there was not any convenience store in the district at that time. As seeking the answer to the question, “when will the local people have an opportunity to use authentic and qualified products?”, he generated the idea to launch Q-Mart.

In 2012, he spent all of his savings and borrowed money to rent the location and import goods. The store gradually yielded profits. Thus, he opened two more Q-Mart stores at Kep town, Hong Giang commune and Lim town, Giap Son commune in Luc Ngan district. Currently, these three stores sell about 6,000 products including food, drinks and household stuff serving local people and creating jobs for 9 laborers with incomes ranging from 4.5 to 5 million VND (193- 214 USD) per month.

Although he has gained stable income from the chain of Q-Mart stores, Quan decided to establish Viet Lai Phat company specializing in exporting agricultural produce (mainly lychee and orange) because he has seen the lychee growers fall into the condition of “bumper crops but lower prices” for many years. Annually, the company exports about 1,000 tons of lychee to China and adjacent provinces creating temporary jobs for some 100 laborers in rural areas.

Especially in each lychee season, the Company organizes lychee festivals in some crowded places in Hanoi like Quan Ngua stadium, My Dinh stadium, Gia Lam bus station, Hanoi Youth Academy. This activity contributed to boosting lychee promotion and consumption. In 2016, he was awarded the certificate of merit by Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee for his outstanding achievements in lychee consumption.

Duong Van Quan (second from left) introduces lychee products in Hanoi.

Currently, Quan is a member of the Executive Board of the Youth Union of Luc Ngan district. Apart from developing his business, Quan has raised many initiatives to help needy students and children in remote communes of the district. In 2013, he established 8X Luc Ngan football club. The club opens annual football courses reducing the fee for children and teenagers. Besides, the club collaborates with other organizations to hold football tournaments to raise fund for poor children.

Since 2014, the football tournaments have given 130 sets of gifts, each worth 500,000 VND (21.5 USD) to needy students and children. Thanks for his dramatic contributions, he was taken consideration by Vietnam’s Youth Union to be awarded Luong Dinh Cua prize in 2018.

Tuyet Mai