Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ

"Vietnam's Coffee King" — the man who brought Vietnamese coffee to 60+ countries

Notable Quotes

“You must have a warrior spirit. Think big. Even with the smallest product, you must think about selling it globally.”
Source: Doanh Nhân Sài Gòn

“If Vietnamese businesses don't dare to venture into the open sea, facing the fierce waves, they'll forever be swimming in a small pond.”
Source: Tiền Phong

“Fix where you fail — fix the strategy if the strategy is wrong, fix the execution if execution is wrong.”
Source: Doanh Nhân Sài Gòn

Advice

Think big from the smallest product

Whether you sell phở, coffee, or bánh mì — think about how your product can serve the whole world.

Fix where you fail, never quit

Wrong strategy? Fix the strategy. Wrong execution? Fix the execution. The only way to truly fail is to stop.

No money? Then have grit

For entrepreneurs, willpower and hard work are your first capital. Money comes after you've proven you can deliver.

Key Highlights

✓Founded Trung Nguyên (1996) from Buôn Ma Thuột; G7 held 38% instant coffee market share for 9 years
✓Forbes Asia & National Geographic named him "Vietnam's Coffee King" (2012)
✓Present in 60+ countries with thousands of franchise stores nationwide
✓Invested 500+ billion VND in "Creative for Vietnamese Aspirations" — donating books to youth

Biography

Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ was born on February 10, 1971 in Ninh Hòa, Khánh Hòa to a poor farming family. In 1979, his family moved to M'Drắk, a mountainous district of Đắk Lắk. He enrolled in Medical School at Tây Nguyên University in 1992 but soon dropped out to pursue his passion for coffee. In 1996, he founded Trung Nguyên Coffee in Buôn Ma Thuột — Vietnam's coffee capital. By 1998, the first store opened in Ho Chi Minh City and rapidly expanded through franchising, becoming Vietnam's largest coffee chain. From 2003, the G7 instant coffee brand led the domestic market with 38% share for 9 consecutive years. Trung Nguyên now exports to over 60 countries. In 2012, Forbes Asia named him "Vietnam's Coffee King" for his "Zero to Hero" journey. He pursues the philosophy of "Coffee Philosophy" — elevating coffee from commerce to a life philosophy, with the ambition of making Vietnam a "global coffee mecca."