The Journey From Hardship to Success

Hoa Cuc Vang Japanese Restaurant is not only a culinary brand, but also an inspiring story about the determination, passion and perseverance of its founder – Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc. From a young man who started as a kitchen assistant without formal training, he became a pioneer in building a famous Japanese restaurant chain. This journey is a profound lesson about strong will and relentless perseverance.

The First Steps

Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc started his journey to learn Japanese cooking in 1998, without formal training but only as an apprentice at the Japanese restaurant Sai Gon Sakura (17B Trang Thi, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). After that, he continued his career in Saigon, working at the Japanese restaurant Hana Yuki. With his tireless efforts, he was promoted to the position of head chef in 2003.
In May 2007, he decided to open his first store – Yakiniku Kiku on Chua Lang Street, Hanoi. The early days of starting a business were extremely difficult, but thanks to his perseverance, dedication and enthusiasm, he overcame the challenges. In 2009, he opened another store on Mai Hac De Street. However, due to the lack of a systematic operating process and the impact of the global economic recession in 2010, the expansion failed. He had to sell the first store to focus on maintaining and managing the remaining facility.

Challenges and Lessons for Growth

Although he had a stable customer base, he still faced many difficulties when the landlord at Mai Hac De broke the contract, forcing him to move to 338B Ba Trieu in 2011. In 2012, the explosion of the buffet model in Vietnam brought a new challenge. Not giving up, he continued to expand the market, experimenting and innovating with many new models to find a sustainable direction.
In 2013, he opened a branch of Yakiniku Kiku in Hai Phong (87 Van Cao), with some friends contributing capital. Business was more favorable, and in 2014, he opened a restaurant in Nghi Son economic zone to serve foreign experts. Success after success, in 2015, he opened a new model Sushiya Kiku at 67 Dien Bien Phu, Hai Phong, specializing in serving sushi.

Expansion and Overcoming Challenges

From 2017 to 2019, the restaurant system continued to grow strongly:

• 2017: Opened Yakiniku Kiku in Lao Cai city.
• 2018: Opened Yakiniku Kiku in Vinh Yen, Vinh Phuc.
• End of 2019: Closed the branch in Nghi Son, Thanh Hoa and opened Sushiya Kiku in Times City urban area, Hanoi.

The biggest turning point came in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. This was the most difficult and challenging period in his career, when all stores had to temporarily close. However, thanks to a backup financial plan and the solidarity and unity of the staff, he persevered and maintained the entire system without having to close any branches.

Restructuring and Looking to the Future

From 2020 to 2025, he decided not to expand further but to focus on internal consolidation, building standard operating procedures, improving management capacity and developing the team. Valuable lessons from rapid expansions without a solid foundation have helped him better understand the long-term development path.
He has faced many difficulties, from changing locations to fierce competition. However, it is impossible not to mention the extremely dedicated support from his colleagues. They, with their passion and commitment to Kiku, have contributed significantly to helping him overcome each storm. From sharing difficulties at work to accompanying him in every important decision, they have proven that success does not come from just one individual but from the solidarity and consensus of an entire group. Thanks to the constant support of the team, the restaurant system continues to grow strongly.

Message to Employees

The story of Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc is a clear proof that success is not the result of luck, but of perseverance, learning and constant effort. To build the Kiku restaurant system as it is today, he had to go through countless difficulties, even failures that seemed impossible to overcome. Thanks to these challenges, he learned valuable lessons and built a professional and strong system.
He hopes that every employee at Kiku is imbued with this spirit – always ready to face difficulties, constantly learn, develop themselves and work with passion and dedication. Success does not come from just one individual, but from the solidarity and joint efforts of the whole group. Let’s continue to write the story of Kiku, bringing the Hoa Cuc Vang brand further and further!