Nguyen Thi Kim Lien, Director of An Dien General Trading Co., Ltd: Businesswoman of Heart and Mind

As a former teacher, Nguyen Thi Kim Lien hardly had any knowledge or experience in business. She changed her career because of a big family incident. She took over An Dien Company when it was in the most difficult time because of capital and personal shortages, substantial debts and unsellable goods. She recalled, “I cried when I held tax reports because I did not understand anything about business. I did not know how to run it. There is no reason why I turned down all fruit of my husband and family. Then, I decided to learn one by one.” She learnt business on her own and from colleagues, friends, family members and rivals as well. She enrolled all short-term, part-time courses on business administration, accounting and business. Then, she registered to join the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the Small and Medium Enterprises Association, the Danang Young Business Association, the Women Entrepreneurs Club, the Danang Economic Science Society and others to study. With inquisitive, sincere and enthusiastic nature, she was supported by many businesspeople, particularly business methods and market penetration. And, she gradually came to understand the business, established business directions, sought new markets and made a profit. With her dynamism, responsiveness and innovativeness, she led her company through the tough time and asserted its position on the market.

An Dien Company provides automobile components like tires, batteries, wheels, oil, toys and gadgets imported from Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and other nations. The company impresses customers not only with its good products but also its considerate, thoughtful, creative customer care services. To serve its development demand, An Dien has invested in modern equipment and machinery like steering angle calibrators, wheel balancers and nitrogen gas pumps. It also pays attention to human resources development and builds up a trusted professional customer service force. Recently, Michelin - a world-leading tyre producer - named An Dien as an MSC-certified (Michelin Service Centre) agent. The company completed building the standard Michelin tourism tyre service centre which is equipped with modern technology and equipment to provide best car care services for customers. To date, after 18 years of operation and development, An Dien has become a leading distributor of domestic tyre brands like DRC and Casumina, car parts, lubricants, office equipment and auto services. The company’s market has expanded from central and highland regions to nationwide, driven by annual revenue growth of 30-40 percent.

Ms Lien is not only known for being an excellent executive, but also for being a philanthropist. Businesspeople and the community give her loving nicknames like “Belief builder", "Salient Maecenas" or "Businesswoman of heart and mind." She helps people with disabilities and disadvantages in the community without any request for recognition in exchange. Her unconditional assistance to others sometimes brings lucks to her as the gratitude of life. A customer came to An Dien to establish business relations because he admired Ms Lien’s benevolent acts, particularly after she won Brec Blue Ribbon Awards, which honour disabled workers and enterprises for disabled workers. For Lien, helping people with disabilities to have good employment is not just an act of empathy but also a social responsibility of a company.

 

Her bright heart is seen in her employment policies for people with disabilities. At present, An Dien has 18 employees, six of whom are disabled and the rest have difficult circumstances. Employing the disabled must start from a kind heart because they often suffer from poor health, psychological instability and inferiority complex. To help them work confidently and lead a normal life, she has acted as their mother to encourage consulate and share with them. She patiently teaches them to work even when the workflow is slower than scheduled. Her effort and dedication has been offset by their working progress. All strives with the best because they understand that if the company develops, opportunities will open up to more ill-fated people.

 

She said: "We will continue to uphold the spirit of mutual support among our staff and strive to create more stable jobs for unlucky and disabled people. My greatest desire is to mobilise as many businesses and philanthropists to join hands to help unlucky people to have better life and confidence." That is her way of doing charity. Instead of giving money and material, she helps them work, live and assert themselves in the society.

 

Apart from creating jobs for people with disabilities, she together with other donors usually presents gifts to the poor and the disabled, builds houses for the poor, grants scholarships to poor students, and pays hospital fees for poor patients.

 

In the coming time, An Dien will expand and develop the truck tyre service centre to provide best services for customers and focus on staff training for opening a new centre in Lien Chieu District, Danang City. This centre will create more jobs for people with disabilities and its profit will be used for helping people with disabilities in society.

 

Because of her continuous humane contributions, she is worthily nominated for the Golden Rose Award 2013 - a much-desired award for typical Vietnamese women entrepreneurs.