Alumna Mai Thi Duong – Success from First Prize in the University-Level Start-up Competition.

Director – Mai Thi Duong, a former student of Cohort 16. She was born and raised in Binh Thuan and was a student of class 16LU111, majoring in Economic Law at Lac Hong University. She established Mai Duong Seafood Store in 2018 while still studying at the University. Specializing in: live crabs, crabs, fish, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, egg squid, etc. Currently, there are 02 branches in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai. Branch 1: Tan Hiep Small Market; Branch 2: K3 - Tan Binh Hamlet - Buu Hoa - Bien Hoa - Dong Nai. It is known that the monthly revenue ranges from 700 million to 900 million VND. She currently has 15 employees and previously won First Prize in the Start-up Competition with Lac Hong University students.

Although she started as a student of the Economic Law major, she developed an affinity for business. With her sharpness, intelligence, and ability to recognize market demand and practical conditions in Bien Hoa City, she opened her first store at Tan Hiep Small Market more than three years ago when she was a second-year university student. Previously, in order to support her family, after class she worked part-time at restaurants, earning enough income to cover all expenses while studying away from home. However, noticing that in Bien Hoa, seafood was not as fresh as seafood in her hometown (La Gi Town, Binh Thuan Province) and was much more expensive, she came up with the idea of purchasing seafood from her hometown to resell. This business was favorable because her mother had many years of experience selling seafood at La Gi Market. From the age of eight, she followed her mother to the sea to buy fish directly from boats and bring them to the market to sell. It is known that her father was once a deep-sea diver and suffered a stroke after a deep dive, leaving him bedridden. Her mother had to single-handedly support the entire family. Although she started her business at a very young age, she realized that she had achieved more than what her mother had done over several decades. Meanwhile, her mother, despite having decades of experience, mainly relied on existing contacts at traditional markets.

Her family played an especially important role in helping her succeed and advance further in her business career. In addition, with the assistance and support from the University and lecturers of the Faculty of Business Administration - International Economics, she has become increasingly successful and self-improved. Along with her success from the second year, studying became easier in terms of expenses, living costs, and travel, all of which she covered herself, while her family and lecturers always cared for, encouraged, and guided her toward the best path. Perhaps Lac Hong University and the Start-up Competition helped her reveal her inherent business talent. Through the competition, many partners and customers became aware of her brand, and thanks to product quality, her business operations have continued to grow.

She would like to express her gratitude to the lecturers of the Faculty of Business Administration - International Economics for their dedicated teaching and support throughout her studies. The affection that the lecturers have given her will always be kept in her heart and never forgotten. She respectfully wishes the lecturers and the University leadership good health.