Today, I have the opportunity to have an interview with a young French entrepreneur in Vietnam..
Hello, could you first introduce yourself quickly please?
Hello, my name is Francois, I’m 23 years old and I’m the owner/manager of the restaurant Un jour à Paris-Saigon in District 9. I have been passionate about good cuisine and cooking in general since my childhood. At the age of 7, I was already featured in a cooking recipe book. The latter was also produced by the CEO of RelocationVietnam, Stephanie Ralu! My family is not particularly passionate about cooking, however I had the pleasure to taste this thanks to my father's close friends, some of whom were renowned chefs. I am greedy for good food by nature. Since childhood I’ve had the chance to eat at very good tables around the world.
In order to flourish in this professional environment, I left for Switzerland in Lausanne to study at EHL after spending the first eighteen years of my life in Vietnam. I’ve also had internships with renowned chefs.
I returned to Vietnam in January 2022, following the COVID period to found two French restaurants / grocery stores / bakeries in district 3 and district 9 of Ho-Chi-Minh-City. This complex period made me decide to close my business in district 3 to focus on Un jour à Paris. I immediately understood the potential. The location of this restaurant is very interesting. As you can see, the frame is perfect! It is the only location with grass and nature in Ho Chi Minh and we are placed next to the golf course and the LakeView Villas compound, bringing us a loyal clientele.
Thank you ! So could you share your best dishes with us, please?
I'm not going to lie to you, the most popular dish is couscous! Indeed, it is a killer and people even come from Thao Dien to eat it! Then, of course, we have the burger, which is very popular. Indeed very surprising for a French restaurant. Nevertheless, we change the menu every month to satisfy our loyal customers as well as newcomers who take advantage of this landscape while passing through here.
Great. After talking about you and your best dishes, I would now like to address a totally different point: that of your settling in Ho-Chi-Minh. Could you explain why you chose this city and how you did please?
Of course, no problem! As I mentioned earlier, I lived in Vietnam for the first eighteen years of my life. It therefore seemed obvious to me to develop a business in the country where I grew up! As for how I set up my business, it is also very simple. I had the opportunity to have a very special investor: my father, my first fan. He has been a resident for almost thirty years in Vietnam and therefore decided to give me a chance. I consider this a major opportunity! Having your own business at 23 is something exceptional, especially in a country like Vietnam. Having a business like this helps me plan for the future.
What are your future professional projects? Would you like to grow internationally?
Thank you for your question. Yes, I have lots of projects. Several things come to mind… To be honest, I would like to develop a business in Singapore as an ice cream parlor. The geographical proximity would allow me to make the link between the two countries. The pleasure of being able to develop one's skills in two such different cities would be immeasurable. Dual experience is always an advantage for development. It is also possible that I’ll continue to develop my business in Ho-Chi-Minh by establishing myself in other districts. For the moment, I’ll continue to develop my restaurant in District 9 then we will see later! I will keep you informed according to what my different projects may lead to!
Thank you very much for this first approach that you gave us at your restaurant.
To come and try, the address: Hoàng Hữu Nam, Street, Quận 9, Hồ Chí Minh Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam
Hopefully having introduced you to a nice and new place in Ho-Chi-Minh
Personally, I tested the pasta with lobster, a killer dish!
