Trương Nguyễn Thiên Kim
"The quiet F&B powerhouse" — the woman behind the billion-dollar empire of Katinat, Phê La, D1 Concepts
Who is Trương Nguyễn Thiên Kim?
Truong Nguyen Thien Kim (born 28/11/1976 in Da Lat) is Chairwoman of D1 Concepts and the force behind Vietnam's trillion-dong F&B empire. She owns 84.21% of Katinat Saigon Kafe (70+ premium locations) and 51% of Phe La — the brand behind the viral "morning coffee" TikTok trend of 2024. Together with her husband To Hai (CEO of Vietcap Securities), the couple's estimated wealth is close to 6 trillion VND, making her one of the most powerful female F&B entrepreneurs in Vietnam.
Notable Quotes
“Katinat chose HCMC as its primary market, while Phê La opened its first store in Hanoi — a strategy of dividing markets to avoid internal competition.”
Advice
Build a diversified portfolio
Don't depend on one brand. Simultaneously operate fine dining, casual, and mass market concepts.
Divide markets to avoid self-competition
Katinat focuses on HCMC, Phê La targets Hanoi first. Each brand gets its own playground.
Leverage social media power
Phê La exploded thanks to the "dawn coffee" trend on TikTok — understanding and creating trends is the key.
Key Highlights
- ✓Owns Katinat (84.21%), Phê La (51%), chairs D1 Concepts
- ✓Katinat became the leading premium coffee chain in HCMC
- ✓Phê La created the "dawn coffee" phenomenon — most viral F&B brand on social media (2024)
- ✓Combined assets of 6,000 billion VND (~$240M) with husband (Tô Hải, Vietcap Chairman)
Biography
Trương Nguyễn Thiên Kim was born on November 28, 1976 in Đà Lạt and holds a Master's in Finance from the University of Economics HCMC. She began her career in securities (Bảo Việt, Đông Á) and served as Head of Supervisory Board at PNJ. With D1 Concepts (est. 2012), she built an impressive F&B portfolio: San Fu Lou, Sorae, Dì Mai. The real breakout came from Katinat Saigon Kafe — a premium "made in Saigon" coffee chain — and Phê La, which created the viral "dawn coffee" phenomenon on social media. Together with her husband Tô Hải (CEO of Vietcap Securities), they hold assets of nearly 6,000 billion VND (~$240M). She is an extremely private entrepreneur — rarely gives interviews.
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Articles & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
›Who is Truong Nguyen Thien Kim?
Truong Nguyen Thien Kim (born 28/11/1976 in Da Lat) is Chairwoman of D1 Concepts and the force behind Vietnam's trillion-dong F&B empire, including Katinat Saigon Kafe and Phe La. She holds a Master of Finance from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.
›Does Truong Nguyen Thien Kim own Katinat?
Yes. Truong Nguyen Thien Kim owns 84.21% of Katinat Saigon Kafe — a premium Saigon-made coffee chain with 70+ locations. Katinat is currently one of the fastest-growing Vietnamese coffee brands in the premium segment.
›Does Truong Nguyen Thien Kim own Phe La?
Yes. She owns 51% of Phe La — the brand behind the viral "morning coffee" TikTok trend of 2024. Phe La is famous for its distinctive Da Lat oolong and became one of the top social-media coffee trends of 2024.
›Who is Truong Nguyen Thien Kim's husband?
Her husband is To Hai — CEO of Vietcap Securities. Together, the couple holds estimated wealth close to 6 trillion VND, ranking among Vietnam's most powerful F&B and finance entrepreneur families.
›Why is Truong Nguyen Thien Kim so private?
She is an extremely private entrepreneur and rarely gives interviews. She focuses on operational execution and letting the brands (Katinat, Phe La) speak for themselves, avoiding personal media exposure.
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Serial entrepreneur — from Urban Station to The Coffee House, M Village, and Every Half
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