BUSINESSMAN  VO THANH TAN

“HEART and TALENT”

HIGHLIGHTED

Many people told about him as both a famous talented person and a kind-hearted one. His business now becomes a prestigious trademark in which both Heart and and Talent are highlighted. He is Businessman Vo ThanhTan – the General Director of Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City.

His story is neither about a miracle nor a luckiness. His story is about sweats and tears of a man who has a great desire of enriching other people in life…

STAMP OF HIS BUSINESS START

Born and grow up in a multi-member family in a poor land named Nghia Hanh in Quảng Ngai province, Vo Thanh Tan’s childhood was full of hardships. Due to this, the awareness of standing on his well all the dilfficulties, he ditermined to study well because he thought “Only by leanimg can help him to get out of poverty”. Therefore, Tan gave his whole mind to his study in order tobroaden hia knowledge and nourish his ambition of becoming rich.

In 1983, affer having graduated from Hight school in his homeland, Tan went toHo Chi Minh Cityto study hight. After his school time, he did not play like his friends, he worked part-time to earn money for his books. Too many difficulties were heaped on him, a poor student who was diligent and fond of leaning. These hardships trained him to become an energetic person who can overcom all his later challenges and hardships and better himself to establish his position in life and in business.

Then his time in the university elapsed. The whole time of his hard chilhood was left behind, his life turned into a new page and he started to nueture a great ambition. Having some money, he opened a small kiosk selling oid book, schoolbooks, books for university entrance examinations. However, he knew that the road ahead would not be full of roses and laurel wreath was not for impatient people. He kept in his mind and tried his best in any fields….

A LARGE VISION

Being fond of reading books when a studet, Vo Thanh Tan began his dream without anything in his hands but he had the determination and continuous efforts. Thanks to the experiences of his own and leant from others, especaially his own and leanrt from others, especialli his exactjudement that books, cultural products in the years 90s have not been developed, Vo Thanh Tan knew the needs and inevitable development of the cultural products market in Ho Chi Minh City and in the whole coutry. Therefore, in the middle of 1993, Thanh Nghia Bookstore opened, at that time there were only 5 staffs.

Being very decisive and always having along-term stategy, Vo Thanh Tan was satisfied when having chose books and newspapers as his bisiness. He thought that this business was the same as foodstuff that this business, people had to use it everyday, sothe need was always hight and predictable. With the ability of a clear-headed businessman, after 5 years of operation, in 1998, Thanh Nghia marked a great sign in “a high jump” – according to his expression – by the establishment of the biggest bookstore which has 70.000 books and locates at the center ofHo Chi Minh City.

We stll remember his beginning days when his business was just budding, its competitive ability was not high, he was inexperienced,…. But thanks’ to his activeness and flexibility, Vo Thanh Tan confirmed his business’s position by effective business measures. This was show through the success of Thanh Nghia Books Enterprise. The memory that this general director has kept in his maind till now is that “If he wanted to read books, the only way was he had to brorrow from others”. It’s the memory of motivation for him to overcome all difficulties in his life.     

 

To make his business become a nationwide system of bookstores which can compete with other, he must have a good vision. According to him: “I have own my business stategy and competitive measures which my opponent have to take precautions: good customer service, aunited team of staffs and cadres”

The passion or enthusiasm, whaterver is in one’s heat and mind. Vo Thanh Tan has been through many working poritions, many difficult time, and finally he realised that the important things were passion and energy. Without them, we can not be successful!

 

“BILLIONAIRA” FROM BOOKS

Because of being enterprising and clear-headed, Vo Thanh Tan confirmed his prestige. Telling  Vo Thanh Tan confirmed his prestige. Telling about the beginning days of his business, he shared: “I did business while studing and as time has elapsed, books have seeped into my skin, flesh, breath and then become my passion unconsciously”.

To meet diversified, higher and higher needs of the cultural products market, Vo Thanh Tan decided to enlarge his business and professionalise it. The model of a book supermarket was the nest step of Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise in which cultural product would be diversified, yet  books were still the main product to be developed. In 1998, he established Nguyen Van Cu Book Supermarket 1. In 2000, the enterprise its position in the book market when Nguyen Van Cu Book Supermarket 2 was opened. Furthermore, it was enlarged nationwide. This proved that whenever Vo Thanh Tan made a decicion of changing or enlarging the business, he showed his flexibility and good judgement on the market.

17 years after he opened a small kiosk selling old books and school books, Nguyen Van Cu Books Store has become a trademark of Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise and had branches in many regions:Ha Noi, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Dong Nai, Phu Yen, Dong Thap, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Ninh Thuan, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tay Ninh,….and 18 branches in Ho Chi Minh City. Especially, Thanh Nghia is the only book enterprice in our coutry which has its own library, “Van Ba library”, at no.9,Nguyen Tat Thanh street, Ward 4, Dist.5 HCMC. This place is used to celebrate seminars of introducing President Ho Chi Minh’s biography and thoughts and history of Viet Nam Comumnist Party. This library also hold book exhibitions about nationl heroes which were highly evaluated by researchers and readers’

Addition to that, this captain has many contributions to printing and publishing industry, especcially publishing books directly to readers through distribution network in the whole country. Every year, Vo Thanh Tan invests more than 50 billionsViet Namdong in the business development, therefore till now Thanh Nghia Book Enterpire has 40 bookstore, big supermarkets in many.

He is not only an excellent director but also a journalist, an operating director, the chief representative of “Vietnamese cultture magazine” in Ho Chi Minh city, “the impresario” of Thanh Nghia – Quang Ngai fooball team, and the Chairman of 4 printing companies in Ben Tre, Phu Yen, Gia Lai, Duc Nghia.

Provinces from Northto South, becomes one of the biggest distribution channels in the country and provides hundreds of thousands of books to readers everyday.

BUSINESS-TO SERVE THE SOCIETY

His success was not got occasionlly, he had to work hard and make many efforts to strengthen his business and get current success. He is very happy when Thanh Nghia book Enterpire has been enlarged and always focused on product quality and service quality. Beside diverrsifying subiects, the enterprise invests in exploiting the spiritual value of literary works, especially culture research programmes and books on national culture.

According to the General Director Vo Thanh Tan, the success of an enterprise is not only by a good ability in business but also by the conception: “the solidarity of the company staffs is the strongest power leading to success”. This captain a good example of solidarity, he always gives conditions to his fellow-coutrymen to work in “the same house” – Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise. This is a spiritual help which means: “I worked with all my heart to serve my motherland”.

Beside his business, he has held many charity activities, shows, sport activities. Every year, his enterprise contributes billions of Vietnam dong to help people in Middle region in disasters, support poor people in some regions, give free eyes surgeries to them, build gratitude houses, raise scholarship funds named Vo Thanh Chau supporting young talents and give scholarship.

The trademark Thanh Nghia, Nguyen Van Cu bookstore and  TLS Van Ba library has been awarded many prizes and Tradamark Gold Cup for many years in succession. Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise was honourly awarded the prize “Vietnam Gold Star” with high quality products meeting international standards. The General Director Vo Thanh Tan was chosen as one of the nine most excellent businessmen of Ho Chi Minh City in 2006.

To poor students. Furthermore, Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise is the main sponsor of Thanh Nghia-Quảng Ngai football team.

As a businessman who has many contribution to the society, the Genelral Director of Thanh Nghia Book Enterprise does business not only to have revenue but also to help the poor, to work for the commuty and to develop our coutry.

At the age of over 40, Vo Thanh Tan realised that it was time for him to concentrate his energy, passion and knowledge on the new chapter of his life with great ambitions. TO him, books give us endless knowledle. “I will try to become the coordinator between readers and knowledge. It is consident as my effor to contribute to the construction and development of the economy and the integration of the coutry.

It seems that he devotes the whole life to “books of life”….