Entrepreneur Do Thanh Thuy “Giving is The Essence of Living, not Just Receiving for Oneself”

Poetry is often considered a reflection of reality and life; and the famous poem composed by poet To Huu several decades ago bears resemblance to the entrepreneurial journey of Ms. Do Thanh Thuy, Director of Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd. She has demonstrated remarkable talent, resourcefulness in business, and a strong commitment to volunteer work. Under her leadership for 16 years, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd has achieved remarkable growth, expanding its operations across multiple industries and continuously increasing its market presence.

The company cares for its employees by creating a safe and friendly work environment, rewarding their performance, providing growth opportunities and supporting their housing and transportation needs

Dynamic multi-industry enterprise

In 2007, she acquired a struggling incense manufacturer in Thanh Hoa province, which later became Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd. She transformed the company by reorganizing its structure, production and business operations. In 2010, with the support of the Hai Duong provincial government, the company relocated to Gia Loc Industrial Park (Gia Loc district).

The company’s business has grown rapidly by responding to market demands. Its main product is incense, which is exported to India, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries. From an initial capital of VND 500 million, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd now has an owner’s equity of up to VND 300 billion and provides stable employment for hundreds of full-time and part-time workers. The company has also established representative offices in six countries and territories in the world: South Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Following the success of its incense products, organic incense, as well as agricultural and forest products, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co. Ltd. has ventured into new fields by investing in and operating some industrial clusters in Hai Duong province. One of the companies Industrial cluster is the Gia Xuyen Industrial Complex, which currently hosts large domestic and foreign companies such as Dien May Xanh, Yody and Ngan Tuong Company. It is also investing in two other industrial complexes: Yet Kieu (70.2 ha) and Bach Dang (75 ha), and implementing five investment projects in different industries in Hai Duong province.

In addition to her talent and resourcefulness in business, Ms. Thuy is also known for her ability to revive loss-making businesses.

In early 2022, she took over the struggling Taiwanese automotive and motorcycle spare parts manufacturer Just Special Material Co., Ltd, which had been operating ineffectively for a long time. Her intervention not only preserved hundreds of employment positions, but also subsequently safeguarded the financial well-being of the employees' families. She turned it into a leading provider of high-quality products at reasonable prices for domestic and export markets. She also acquired Toan Luong Trading and Production Co., Ltd in Hung Yen province and renamed it to DLG Vietnam Co., Ltd. After more than a year of restructuring and investing in new technologies and machinery to boost its business performance, the revenue of both companies increased by more than three times. With its sound investment and market development strategies, Just Special Material’s revenue and market share are expected to grow even stronger in the future. As a result, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd will further consolidate its position as a dynamic multi-industry enterprise.

Integrating business with social responsibility

Besides focusing on business development, Gia Loc also values its employees as the key factor for its survival and growth. The company cares for the material and spiritual well-being of its employees by creating a safe and friendly working environment, implementing employee incentive policies, providing development opportunities and offering support for housing and transportation needs. The company also organizes meaningful activities and rewards for its employees on major public holidays and Tet. It also assists employees who are facing difficulties.

Ms. Thuy is especially active in leading philanthropic activities. Throughout its operations, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd has focused on creating jobs for rural workers, policy-beneficiary families, lonely people and people with disabilities. She also proactively contacts social organizations and social protection and rehabilitation centers to propose production cooperation to generate jobs for policy beneficiaries, the poor, the lonely and the disabled.

In particular, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd has cooperated with re-education camps and vocational training facilities to teach incense-making. The company supplies machines, equipment and materials for the production of said incense sticks and also commits to purchasing the finished product. The company has established good cooperation with prisons such as Hoang Tien (Hai Duong), Vinh Quang (Vinh Phuc) and Hang Son (Quang Ninh) for many years.

“This job-creating and career-counseling solution helps proven wrongdoers to reintegrate into the community quickly. We always want to help people in difficult circumstances and improve their lives, then spread humanity in society,” she added.

Moreover, the company has undertaken various social responsibility initiatives, such as: Providing housing assistance to people who have made significant contributions to the nation, donating a large number of blankets to children in remote areas, constructing houses for policy-benefited people in Thanh Mien district, and delivering relief to flood victims in the central region.

Especially during the COVID-19 outbreak, despite facing numerous challenges, Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd still joined hands to support the pandemic prevention and donate ventilators to nurses and doctors. To support farmers in Cam Giang district against falling prices of agricultural products, the company mobilized all cargo trucks and employees to purchase agricultural products and transport them to marketplaces in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, Hanoi and other localities. As a result, it helped people sell more than 250 tons of agricultural products at an appropriate market price, generating nearly a billion VND in revenue.

Sharing about the company’s future plans, Ms. Thuy said: Gia Loc Production and Trading Co., Ltd will continue to develop its core businesses such as organic incense production, agricultural product export, supporting industries and real estate. Notably, with its “traditional” organic incense as well as agricultural production and trading, the company will enhance its business operations, sustain relationships with domestic and international partners, manage ongoing orders, and seek opportunities in new markets.

Last but not least, the company will also continue to take the lead in community and voluntary activities. “Giving is the essence of living, not just receiving for oneself” is not only a sacred duty filled with humanity but also the heart of a compassionate businesswoman.

By Ngo San, Vietnam Business Forum