Nguyen Ngoc Lam – artist entrepreneur
Many talk of him as an artist entrepreneur who grew up from an orphan life and is in pursuit of rich business after graduation from Ho Chi Minh City Technology University. He is Nguyen Ngoc Lam, born in 1972, owner of Vuon Xanh restaurant in Thu Dau Mot town.
In his stories, he talked about his childhood without a father since he was three years old. His father was from Quang Nam while his mother was from Hue. After their marriage, his mother went to Quang Nam and took along with her cone-hat making. He, then, knew how to stitch the cone hats like any skillful girls.
He went to school 3 years later than his peers because of poverty and his mother’s heart disease.
It was his dream coming true when he went to school and studied at his best. He was constantly hungry with stuffed rice meals but he was cared by his mother.
His stories also told of his memory when he cheated his mother and ate only rice for dinner. “Four bowls of cassava-stuffed cooked rice will be equal to one bowl of cooked rice,” he counted in his mind at the time. However, he was taught a lesson after being discovered of his concealed cassava. “Meals are precious. You should not bother they are delicious or not while others do not even have cassava to eat and you did spit it out,” said his mother’s teachings to him.
Being a very good school student, he was chosen to attend talent students contest at provincial level where he attended with a home-prepared breakfast with cooked rice and salt that he concealed for being afraid of teasing.
His teacher has taken him to eat Quang style noodle – the most memorable dish in his life. Passing entrance examination to Ho Chi Minh City’s Technology University brought enormous joy to him and his mother but he promised himself to be rich and to offer his mother a happy life. He rushed to his study as an end for his life.
He was determined not to be a burden to his mother and decided to work whatever he could to support his study from builder supporting to collecting scraps.
After graduation, he chose Binh Duong to start his business. After having enough money, he invested to restaurants and eco-tourism sector. In Chanh Nghia residential area of Thu Dau Mot town, he built up Vuon Xanh restaurant with the wish to offer diners with the feeling of eating in a garden.
He also devoted to Xanh eco-tourism resort in Binh Co, Binh My, Tan Uyen, servicing fishing, cafeterias, karaoke and well-equipped guess rooms.
After his success in designing Xanh resort, which came into operation in November 2009, he now accepted another designing project for a resort in Tuyen Lam Lake, Da Lat City.
His innermost feelings were that he could reciprocate his mother who has passed away.
Being an owner but he can share with his customers songs with self-playing guitar. He is a left-handed self-studied guitarist who has shown much affection to the song “Que minh” (My home land) composed from poem of Ta Nghi Le about life and people in the middle land of the country.
Reported by Quynh Nhu – Translated by Vi Bao
