Hoang Huong Giang - The one who creates a new playground for F&B

A key architect behind the success of multiple restaurant chains, Hoang Huong Giang remains as hands-on and passionate as ever. With a background in hospitality, she deeply understands the nuances of customer service. Yet, sustaining an F&B business through economic shifts and global crises requires far more than just understanding diners—it demands a philosophy of patience, a commitment to teamwork, and an appreciation for the cultural subtleties woven into the dining experience.

Origins & Values

What does ‘open-mindedness’ mean to you? Has a piece of tough advice ever changed your perspective?

Open-mindedness is more than just listening—it is listening with sincerity and a genuine desire for growth. In business, this is an essential mindset; it allows us to refine our approach and better serve our customers.

Has there been a moment when tough feedback led to a breakthrough for you?

As the saying goes, ‘Bitter medicine cures illness; the truth is hard to hear.’ Working in F&B is much like being a daughter-in-law to a hundred families—customers are affectionate yet can be demanding. At Dau Homemade, we believe no criticism is too harsh to consider; what matters is how we listen and adapt. I empower my team to handle daily challenges swiftly, trusting them to make decisions based on four key principles: sincerity, speed, honesty, and ensuring the best possible outcome for the customer.

Dau Homemade Bean branch in Thao Dien

Dau Homemade Bean branch in District 1

Spaces at Dau are intricately linked to culture

Spaces at Dau are intricately linked to culture

Can you share an example of a small service tweak that significantly enhanced the dining experience?

From the outset, I focused on two key elements: making dining more accessible for children and designing the most practical takeaway packaging. Many restaurants overlook their youngest guests, but I recognised how challenging it can be for parents to dine out, particularly when enjoying traditional dishes such as vermicelli with fried tofu. From our earliest days as a modest eatery, Dau Homemade has always provided child-friendly seating and small yet thoughtful touches such as balloons, colouring sheets, and fresh cream—simple additions that make family meals more enjoyable.

Equally, we invested in well-designed takeaway packaging to ensure our dishes could be enjoyed at their best, wherever our customers chose to dine.

What core values drive your business? Have you ever made a decision based on something other than profit?

From the very beginning, Dau Homemade was built on three guiding values: creating employment, generating profit, and contributing to society. The first two must be secure before we can fully realise the third. However, during challenging times such as the Covid pandemic or economic downturns, I never hesitated to prioritise job security for my employees over profit. Stability comes first, and with it, the ability to sustain long-term success.

Portrait of CEO Hoang Huong Giang

When it comes to building a team, do you have a particular philosophy—especially in an industry with such a high turnover rate?

I am incredibly proud of my team. Twenty per cent of our core staff have been with us for more than 12 years—a remarkable achievement in this industry. When we started, we never imagined that Dau Homemade would grow from a small restaurant into the chain it is today. Many of the team members from our very first days have since risen to leadership and managerial roles.

While the F&B sector is known for its high job-hopping rate, I believe that with the right management model, clear processes, a structured career path, and a sustainable ethos, retaining employees is entirely possible. From the outset, my only commitment was to journey alongside my team for as long as possible. It was never about the length of time they stayed, but rather, ensuring that however long they were with us, it was meaningful for both sides.

What is the most important quality you look for in a professional companion?

To me, true companionship is an equal relationship—it is not just about me setting standards for others. Instead, I ask: ‘What are your expectations of me as we work together?’ If their response aligns with what I can offer and what we can strive for, then we embark on that journey together.

Some members of my team have grown with us from their student years through to graduation, marriage, and parenthood. Others have climbed from roles such as waitstaff, cashiers, or cleaners to become purchasing directors and executives. I see team-building much like tending a coal fire—it must be fanned evenly. When the wind catches at the right moment, the flames will grow. But just as I ask others to accompany me, I also know that I—and the business—must continue to grow. It is this growth that instils trust, pride, and a shared sense of purpose.

Expanding Horizons – A Cultural Narrative

How do you see the relationship between culture and cuisine? How does your belief in ‘culture as cuisine’ translate into business?

Aiii Restaurant blends culinary artistry with a multi-sensory experience

Aiii Restaurant combines culinary experience with multi-sensory art (Photo: NVCC)

The longer a nation’s history, the more its culture and cuisine evolve in tandem. Food is a reflection of a region’s material, spiritual, and historical life. Take vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste, for example—it is deeply tied to the rice-growing civilisation of Northern Vietnam.

At Dau Homemade, I have always been committed to infusing this cultural essence into our dishes. Later, we introduced water puppetry performances—carried out by my team and myself—on weekends and holidays. This was never intended as a marketing strategy for the restaurant, but rather as a way to share our cultural heritage in an intimate and authentic setting. By bringing water puppetry to Dau, we have reached more children and young people, keeping these traditions alive. Each time I look out from behind the curtain and see more Vietnamese customers engaging with their heritage, I feel a profound sense of fulfilment.

Looking back on 12 years in the industry, what is the greatest value you have gained—something you might have missed had you not chosen F&B?

Without a doubt, it is the people. I do not see myself as ‘the boss’ and my team as ‘employees’—to me, they are colleagues. Our lives intertwine as we work together.

During the Covid pandemic, I personally sourced and distributed hundreds of care packages, ensuring that my team and their families had access to essential medicine. I oversaw each person’s vaccination, and we navigated the ‘three-on-site’ period together—transforming the restaurant into a shared living space and producing whatever we could to sustain ourselves. These experiences forged deep bonds, and in the aftermath, my team created a heartfelt video capturing those moments—a testament to our shared resilience.

Having worked across different market segments—from the accessible Dau Homemade to premium establishments such as SH Garden and the newly launched Aiii—how do you see the evolution of cultural storytelling in Vietnamese cuisine?

A German researcher once analyzed Vietnamese cuisine and concluded that it is the healthiest in the world—offering a perfect balance of flavours and using cooking methods that prioritise well-being.

From the very beginning, I never positioned Dau Homemade as a franchise-driven chain aimed at rapid expansion, nor did I chase fleeting trends. My vision was always to create a dining experience that immersed people in Vietnam’s cultural narrative. This philosophy has carried through to the restaurants I have since co-founded, such as SH Garden and Aiii.

Today, I believe a new mindset in F&B is taking root. Diners are no longer solely drawn to restaurants for exceptional food or innovative concepts. Instead, they seek a deeper connection—a cultural story behind every dish and dining experience. This shift is only going to strengthen in Vietnam, shaping the future of the industry in remarkable ways.

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