The portrait of the founder of the dishwashing liquid brand My Hao was resonant.

DNHN - My Hao dishwashing liquid was introduced to the market in the early 1990s and quickly attracted consumers. Unilever was unsuccessful in its repeated attempts to acquire My Hao for tens of millions of dollars.

The narrative begins

Mr. Luong Van Vinh, the founder of the renowned My Hao brand of dishwashing liquid, was born and raised in a family of Chinese descent in Cho Lon and endured a troubled youth. Mr. Vinh began learning how to make incense at the age of 10 to carry on a family tradition. Mr. Vinh made money at the age of 16 by selling bicycle parts on Thuan Kieu Street. The following year, at the age of 17, he decided to change careers and began a grocery business outside the Binh Tay market area in District 6.

In the early 1980s, Mr. Vinh embarked on a serious endeavour to produce handmade soaps for market sale. Initially, Mr. Vinh only sold a few dozen kilogrammes, but he gradually increased sales to 500 kilogrammes, opened more production facilities, and hired more employees to assist him.

In 1989, Mr. Vinh owned several hundred tonnes of raw materials but was unable to use them all for soap production, so he came up with the innovative concept of researching and producing more dishwashing liquid.

In the early 1990s, almost all households washed their dishes with soap, while only a few wealthy families used specialised dishwashing liquid due to its high price. My Hao dishwashing liquid was introduced to the market for just over 2,000 VND for a 600ml bottle, a price that was readily accepted by consumers given the economic climate at the time.

This brand of dishwashing liquid gradually becomes an integral part of every family's daily life, becoming a kitchen essential. The 7x - 8x generation associates the image of a round, yellow dishwashing liquid with a blue cap and a simple design with the brand My Hao.

My Hao has deftly penetrated every segment of the market with its superior product quality and competitive pricing. During that time, there was not a single consumer unaware of the brand My Hao, which commanded more than 80 per cent of the dishwashing liquid market.

One soul to preserve the Vietnamese brand

Multinational corporations began to enter the Vietnamese market between 1997 and 1998. Unilever, a British multinational corporation, has repeatedly offered to purchase My Hao from Mr. Vinh. Mr. Vinh is adamant about retaining his brand, even though the proposed price of this group is 10 million USD, to be increased to 30 million USD over time.

After the failed acquisition of My Hao, Unilever introduced Sunlight products to directly compete with My Hao. This group has aggressively promoted the product, attracted the attention of customers, and risen to the top of the "village" of dishwashing liquid.

To persuade dealers to rebuild the distribution system, Mr. Vinh was required to personally visit every province, from the North to the South, and present them with enticing discount policies.

Instead of investing in aggressive media campaigns, My Hao has prioritised sales and production line improvements. They now offer soap bars, shower gels, perfumes, shampoos, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and floor cleaners, among other products.

In addition to expanding on the domestic market, My Hao expanded its export operations to numerous Asian nations, including Korea, Mongolia, Iraq, Laos, and Cambodia... In addition, market exploitation is a factor. My Hao promotes the United States with the same vigour as he does Australia.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is remarkable that My Hao's gel and hand sanitizer products have been certified by the US Food and Drug Administration and are imported by this country.

Mr. Luong Van Vinh stated, "Until now, I still believe I will never regret refusing 30 million USD. Because I want to build the My Hao brand for and by Vietnamese people.

H.C (t/h)