Residence Saigonese Other names Chairman Vu Occupation President Era 21st century Other name Chairman Vu | Nationality Vietnamese Education Medical School Home town Quang Nam Province | |
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Similar Mai Kieu Lien, Doan Nguyen Duc, Pham Nhat Vuong, Le Phuoc Vu, Truong Gia Binh | ||
Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ ([tə̂ŋ] (born 1971), better known as Chairman Vu, is a Vietnamese entrepreneur and businessman. He is the founder, president and general director of Trung Nguyên Group. He has been described by journals National Geographic and Forbes as 'Zero to Hero', 'Vietnam Coffee King' and a 'Philosopher-King'. He is also an activist and philanthropist.
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Early life and background
Đặng (in Pīnjīn: Deng) was born on 10 February 1971 in Nha Trang, Khánh Hoà into a poor peasant family. In 1979, his family moved to M'Đrăk District central western Vietnam province of Dak Lak. In 1990, he went to Tay Nguyen University (literally 'Western Highland' University). During the time, he began to study and research coffee. In 1996, he founded Trung Nguyen Cofee Firm in the city of Buon Ma Thuot.
In 1998, Trung Nguyen opened its first coffeehouse space at 587 Nguyen Kiem street, Phu Nhuan district, Ho Chi Minh City, expanding its business operation under a franchising model which was 'revolutionary at the time'. Since then, franchise coffeehouses (café or cafeteria) have been launched countrywide. Since 2003, due to the rapid development of instant coffee brand G7, Trung Nguyen has been leading Vietnam's coffee market.
In August 2012, Forbes called Vu 'Vietnam's Coffee King'. He has afterward been called the 'King of Coffee' by the press. In October 2012, he was named 'Pioneer of the Year' in a public vote by vnExpress readers. In March 2013, he was granted the title of 'Forever worthy of the descendants of Lạc Hồng' in the programme of 'The Divine Root 2014' held by National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education, Club of Patriot Business of Vietnam and Society of Historical Science of Vietnam.
Deng is known as an 'idea-generating man' due to his 'Doctrine of Coffee' whereby he has developed a secular philosophy named 'Coffeeism' (Coffee Tao or Coffee Ceremony), including 'Coffee Zen'. It's described as an 'all-comprehensive, all-dimensional, all-global', 'holofractal' approach to healing, success, fortune, well-being and enlightenment; in which "Coffee is the 'Treasure of Earth and Heaven', Heritage of Humankind and spot-on Solution to the Future".
In late 2014, Vu and his 18 fellow-men went on a 49-day fasting and zen journey which's unprecedented recorded in Vietnam.
He has been called 'frank but pretty unfriendly' in speeches on Starbucks coffee.
Deng has a target to see Trung Nguyen Group as the world's greatest coffee business entity and the largest producer in all marketplace segments.
Community activities
Dang has opened gala banquets, debated with world-class elite leaders in economics - politics - culture - philosophy - religions, as well as Nobel prize winners, large-prize winning scientists and other greatly influential figures from all over the world. He has participated in many talks with local and international students, designed to incubate as well as inspire the spirit of creativity and aspiration to growing rich, a more meaningful life, success, health and well-being.
Deng played a decisive part in the event series of "Viet Aspiration Journey" and "Viet Aspiration Festival" and has been playing a pioneering role in implementing projects in order to turn into reality the doctrine he has been pursuing, including the project of building a global coffee trust, an inter-connecting large project (Complex Mega Project) to help create a world-minded coffee capital in the western province of Đắk Lắk, Vietnam, and a pioneering project of coffee in the United States in order to promote and profilerate the values of 'Responsible Creativity'.
Honours and awards
On 27 April 2011, the brandname "Trung Nguyen Coffee" appeared in the Financial Times as a major case study on a successful enterprise model in which the company was voted as one of the most prevailing organizations.
In 2012, Vu was honoured as 'Coffee King', officially, by National Geographic.
In August 2012, Forbes magazine portrayed him as 'Vietnam coffee king', and described him as a figure of "Zero to Hero". Since then, local and world press and society has mentioned him as the Coffee King.
In October 2012, he was selected as a 'Pioneer of the Year' in a public vote by VnExpress readers. The vote's introduction reads "Chairman Vu who has been titled as 'Vietnamese Coffee King' has 'belled the cat' in developing franchising model in Vietnam".