Dang Le Nguyen Vu

Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ (born 1971), better known as Chairman Vu, is a Vietnamese entrepreneur and businessman. He is the founder, president and general director of Trung Nguyên Group. He has been described by National Geographic[1] and Forbes as "Zero to Hero", "Vietnam Coffee King" and "Philosopher-King".[2][3][4] He is also an activist and philanthropist.[5]

Chairman Vu beside his Akhal-Teke horse in 2012
Dang Le Nguyen Vu
Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ
Born (1971-02-10) February 10, 1971
Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa, Vietnam
Other namesChairman Vu
OccupationPresident of the Trung Nguyen coffee company

Early life and background

Vũ was born on 10 February 1971 in Nha Trang, Khánh Hoà, into a poor peasant family. In 1979, his family moved to M'Đrăk District, central western Vietnam province of Dak Lak.[6] In 1990, he went to Tay Nguyen University (literally 'Western Highland' University). During the time, he began to study and research coffee. In 1996, he founded the Trung Nguyen Coffee Company in the city of Buon Ma Thuot.[7]

In 1998, Trung Nguyen opened its first coffeehouse space in Phu Nhuan district, Ho Chi Minh City, expanding its business operation under a franchising model that was "revolutionary at the time".[8] Since then, franchise coffeehouses (café or cafeteria) have been launched countrywide.[9][10][11] Since 2003, due to the rapid development of instant coffee brand G7, Trung Nguyen has been leading Vietnam's coffee market.[12] In the year, Trung Nguyen's G7 coffee which's lead by Dang has taken a high position in local market, with a 38 per cent share for 9-years", according to AC Nielsen 2012 survey. G7 won over Nestlé instant product in a 2003 blind test, that's usually cited as "an example of 'David' against 'Goliath'",[13] [14][15][16] in which the participants' votes with high percentage which recorded by the press and observers. Nielsen data showed, the product has becoming the 'top trending brand in the local 3-in-1 coffee market segment in 2003–2012 in terms of market-share, revenue, and sales volume'.[17][18][19]

In August 2012, Forbes called Vu 'Vietnam's Coffee King'.[20] He has afterward been called the 'King of Coffee' by the press.[21][22][23] In October 2012, he was named 'Pioneer of the Year' in a public vote by vnExpress readers.[24][25] In March 2013, he was granted the title of 'Forever worthy of the descendants of Lạc Hồng' in the programme of 'The Divine Root 2014' held by National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education, Club of Patriot Business of Vietnam and Society of Historical Science of Vietnam.[26]

Dang is known as an "idea-generating man" due to his "Doctrine of Coffee"[27] whereby he has developed a semi-secular philosophy and zen named 'Coffeeism' (Coffee Tao or Coffee Ceremony), including 'Coffee Zen'. It's described as an 'all-comprehensive, all-dimensional, all-global', 'holofractal' approach to healing, success, fortune, well-being and enlightenment; in which "Coffee is the 'Treasure of Earth and Heaven', Heritage of Humankind and Solution to the Future".[28]

In late 2014, Dang and his 18 fellow-men went on a 49-day fasting and zen journey.[29]

He has been called "frank but pretty unfriendly" in some speeches on Starbucks coffee.[30]

Honours and awards

On 27 April 2011, the brandname "Trung Nguyen Coffee" appeared in the Financial Times[31] as a major case study on a successful enterprise model in which the company was voted as one of the most prevailing organizations.

In 2012, Dang was honoured as 'Coffee King', officially, by National Geographic.[32]

In August 2012, Forbes magazine portrayed him as 'Vietnam coffee king',[33] and described him as a figure of "Zero to Hero". Since then, local and world press and society has mentioned him as the Coffee King.[34]

In October 2012, he was selected as a 'Pioneer of the Year' in a public vote by VnExpress readers.[35] The vote's introduction reads "Chairman Vu who has been titled as 'Vietnamese Coffee King' has 'belled the cat' in developing franchising model in Vietnam".[36]

  • The Prize of “The Gold Star of the Vietnamese Top Brands in 2003”.[37]
  • ASEAN's young Entrepreneur Award[38][39]

References
  1. "My time with Coffee King of Vietnam". Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  2. "Chairman Vu, Vietnam's Coffee King". Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  3. "Vietnam's coffee plan: the next prestige global brand". Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  4. "Dang Le Nguyen Vu, Zero to Hero". Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  5. "Incredible dream of coffee by Chairman Vu". Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  6. "Reference information about Chairman Vu". Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  7. "Reference information on Chairman Vu". Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  8. "Case study: Trung Nguyên Coffee". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. "Trung Nguyen sets goal: World's largest coffee producer". Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  10. "G7 takes lead in Vietnam instant coffee market". Hanoitimes. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  11. "Chairman Vu, a successful entrepreneur in Doi Moi (Renovation Policy) Period". Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  12. "G7 takes lead the major market". Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  13. "The war between G7 and 100-year-old Nestlé". VietNamNet Bridge. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  14. "Trung Nguyen G7 Instant Coffee celebrates ninth birthday". Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  15. "Why the marketplace winning" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  16. "The little 'David' to mark 9th year" (in Vietnamese). Diễn đàn Doanh nghiệp - Enterprises Forum Newspaper. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  17. "Trung Nguyen's G7 Instant Coffee celebrates 9th birthday". Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  18. "Trung Nguyen obeyed the law for the case". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. "Lawyers unlock the case insight legally". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  20. "Chairman Vu, Vietnam's Coffee King". Forbes. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  21. "Chairman Vu, from Zero to Hero". Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  22. "Depart to Buon Me Thuot, coffee with Dang Le Nguyen Vu". Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  23. "Vietnam's coffee plan: the next prestige global brand" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  24. "VnExpress big vote". vnExpress.vn. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  25. Seven initiatives for the global coffee industry
  27. "Coffee with Coffee King". Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  29. "What did Chairman Vu look for in holofractal Coffee Zen during 49 days on mountain". Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  30. "Vietnam's coffee plan: the next prestige global brand". Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  31. "Case study: Trung Nguyên Coffee". Financial Times. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  32. Katherine Karnow (21 February 2012). "My Time with the Coffee King of Vietnam". Intelligent Travel, National Geographic. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  33. Scott Duke Harris. "Chairman Vu, Vietnam's Coffee King". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  34. "Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ - Vua Cà phê 'zero to hero'" (in Vietnamese). 11 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  35. "Nguoi Tien Phong, Tin nhanh VnExpress" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  36. "Nguoi Tien Phong, Tin nhanh VnExpress". October 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  37. "Vietnam Gold Stars". Baodautu. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  38. "The Best of Asean". Người Lao Động. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 5 Sep 2016.
  39. "Vietnamese Businessman receives ASEAN Award". Vietnam News Agency. 12 October 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
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