By promoting the warrior quality of resolve to withstand hardships, Mr Nguyen Ngoc Minh, Director of Dai An Co., Ltd, has led his business to pass through challenges to success. If his way to set up his career is compared to a long journey of wartime Vietnamese soldiers trailing along the majestic Truong Son Mountain Range, his martial arts career is crystallised by an enduring process of practice and perfection. For him, practicing martial arts is not only for physical health, but is also for faith-finding.
Leader quality
When he revealed his business plan, Nguyen Ngoc Minh faced strong protest from relatives and friends because he was a well-performing official with an easy path to promotion ahead of him at that time. But, with his entrepreneurial personality, he insisted on giving up officialdom to test his strength in a new field.
He was born and brought up in Dong Ky village, a very well-known producer of wooden furniture, he found that his village had difficulty sourcing inputs for fine-arts handicraft production. He thus chose to trade timbers and he was very successful with this.
After he bought timber from Cambodia to sell in Vietnam, in 1996, he began cooperating with Vietnamese companies operating in Laos like Nghe An Forestry Products Company, Bac Quang Binh Forestry and Agriculture Company, and Binh Tri Thien Mountainous Forestry Products Company. Together with that, he gradually established relationships with authorities and the business community in Laos. To do business more easily, he set up Dai An Co Ltd in 2000.
With steady and enterprising steps from the leader, Dai An has now become a leading forest manager and exploiter in Laos. His company’s efforts have significantly supported wood processing operations in Vietnam, specifically in his homeland Dong Ky village, where Dai An holds 70 - 80 percent of the market.
Learning martial arts is finding faith
Visiting the head office of Dai An Co., Ltd in Doc Sat Industrial Complex (Tu Son district, Bac Ninh province), all are surprised to see the most beautiful dojo in Vietnam. And, it is more amazing to know that Nguyen Ngoc Minh is the owner of this dojo.
He said he was previously very hot-tempered. He used to clash with others when he traded timber. One time, he ran into an old friend who introduced him to a new martial art in Vietnam - Japanese Aikido. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." After some time of practice, he was inclined to this martial art because he could use it to defend himself while also protecting his attackers from injury.
Despite being a busy business leader, he still spares time for his leisure pursuit. In 2009, he went to Japan to compete and received an award.
In an attempt to strengthen solidarity and fitness for his employees and martial arts lovers, he decided to open a dojo right at his company’s head office. After a hard working day, they can gather in the dojo to practice martial arts. Dai An Dojo’s operations are funded by the company’s welfare fund, including clothes and drinking water.
He said: "Thanks to Aikido practice, my character is no longer hot-tempered. Martial arts can help people with good health, bravery, confidence and especially chivalry, which have great influence on daily life and business life.”
Tran Tung
Vietnamese
