John Tue Nguyen (standing) is working with the province representatives about Hue Spirit Sanctuary Resort.

"Doing something for Hue"

Born in 1970 in Hue, Tue Nguyen now lives with his wife and children in Fountain Valley, Southern California - USA. Recently, he returned to embark on the project of Hue Spirit Sanctuary, a deluxe resort in Huong Ho Ward, Huong Tra Town.

Mr. Phan Thien Dinh, director of the Department of Planning and Investment, says that when completed, Hue Spirit Sanctuary will be an above five-star deluxe resort and one of the resorts that make up the brand name for Hue tourism. This resort aims at rich clients who are willing to spend some hundreds to more than one thousand dollars per night. No other resort can do so in Hue at the moment.

Overcoming the defect to be a normal person is hard, let alone John Tue Nguyen manages and operates a travel agency system which has branches in many countries organizing tours, owning luxurious yachts, many five-star restaurants and art galleries. Right from the beginning, "Trail of Indochina" aimed at high-class clients and tourism.

This model is not new now but it was ten years ago, and Tue Nguyen was the first one who touched upon it. He himself designed tours exploiting the strengths of each area so that visitors could experience the most interesting things of that area. Thanks to that, clients were always satisfied taking his tours.

His company runs well-known names such as Nam Hai Resort in Hoi An, Ocean Villas in Da Nang, An Lam Ninh Van Bay in Khanh Hoa, etc. and is among the companies in Southeast Asia with famous destinations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and China. On average, the Indochina Trail Company has 28,000 tours booked each year.

An expert in economics comments Tue Nguyen is the best of the best and the kindest and most humble man he has ever met.

The director of the Department of Planning and Investment Phan Thien Dinh says he has always been proud of Tue Nguyen, a Hue native who shows a big love for his hometown by investing in a tourist project, not very big, but high-class and very Hueish. He hopes that this project is the beginning for the exploitation of strengths of Hue.

If just for finance, certainly John Tue Nguyen would have many other choices. His decision on Hue Spirit Sanctuary originated from his great love for Hue and his desire of doing something for it. And this is just the beginning. There are still many things for Hue he is cherishing.

Mr. Pham Ba Hung (left) in a meeting about the project.

Going home

Pham Ba Hung left Hue at the age of 22 and now returns as a grey-haired man. However, he returned not to take a rest but to work when his Hera Biopharm Company, which he had cherished for more than ten years, came into being. With the two factories in the North and the South, the one in Tu Ha Industrial Zone (Huong Tra) has a total investment of more than 300 billion VND, with the most modern machinery and equipment. 

During the 20 years living in Ho Chi Minh City and 13 years living in Hanoi with his wife and children, to Pham Ba Hung, Hue was not only a place to miss but also a place to return. Hue is his emotion, his soul, his dearest thing that urge him to return and invest.

Modern machinery at Hera Company

Hera came into being thanks to the tireless efforts of Pham Ba Hung and his team who had been working together for many successive years. He has also tested and planted some medicinal plants in the nursery for his project of the medicinal plant garden in A Luoi.

The owner of the nursery said most of his medicinal plants are from his business trips across many countries especially India. Some are very valuable such as South-American bitter leaves which can be combined with snake plants to treat cancer and many other precious medicinal plants.

Investing in biopharmaceutics requires expertise; engineers and pharmacists must be well trained. "We recruit talented people from all over the world, especially those who study biology, chemistry, and pharmacy with special treatment. With this policy, he has attracted many Hue people, including engineers, pharmacists, etc. in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to return and work in their hometown. 

Story and photos: Tam Hue