For Rita Vo's Chairman, Vo Mau Quoc Trien, his greatest trauma was the dormitory toilets from his student days. This experience eventually led him to discover Kohler's high-end sanitary ware. After experiencing the quality firsthand, he proposed a partnership, which ultimately cemented his company's position in Vietnam's construction materials and interiors market.

One day in mid-August, Chairman Vo Mau Quoc Trien reflected on his 24-year journey of building his company. He shared how he failed the entrance exam for the Polytechnic University in his first year before eventually studying finance at the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City.

This path, however, would become a key stepping stone that led him to establish Rita Vo, now one of Vietnam's largest distributors of construction materials and interiors.

Persuading a US Partner with Just a Business Plan

16 years ago, Rita Vo was a young company that successfully convinced Kohler, a leading American kitchen and bath brand, to name it as an official distributor. 

Mr. Trien recalls that at the time, several other domestic interior companies with existing showrooms and experience with foreign brands were also vying for the partnership. Rita Vo was a small, relatively unknown name in the market.

"They asked if I had a showroom, and I said no. They asked if I had a lot of money, and I was honest and said I only had a little," Mr. Trien recalled. "I studied Russian in college and was self-taught in English, so my skills were just enough to get by. I was straightforward with them, telling them about my knowledge and presenting a market research report on Vietnam that I had personally written."

For Mr. Trien, his greatest phobia was the toilets in his student dormitory. After graduating and while working as a manager for a state-owned enterprise, he used his own money to stay at a five-star hotel during an overseas business trip. It was there that he first encountered Kohler's premium sanitary ware.

"I was so impressed by how beautiful and high-quality Kohler's products were. Afterward, I decided to send a fax to them to propose a partnership," he said. "When I presented my case to them, I outlined my plan for developing their brand in Vietnam. Ultimately, Rita Vo was chosen by Kohler to be its exclusive distributor in Vietnam."

This partnership with Kohler became a pivotal moment in Mr. Trien’s entrepreneurial journey. In the 24 years since its founding, Rita Vo's system has grown to include more than 30 centers across 8 different business sectors.

"The Vietnamese market is excellent, which is why many foreign businesses want to enter it. We Vietnamese all want to save up to buy land for our children and build our own dream home," Mr. Trien commented on the potential of Vietnam's construction materials and interiors market.

The Rita Vo Chairman is confident that the company's well-established system and personnel, built over more than two decades, combined with its position as an exclusive distributor for numerous major brands, give it a competitive advantage that foreign companies would find difficult to replicate. 

One thing that makes Mr. Trien particularly proud is that while Kohler has thousands of distribution partners worldwide, many of them have learned from Rita Vo. Mr. Trien says he has always developed his company with "integrity" and "quality" as his guiding principles, rather than imitating anyone else's model.

According to him, a key to Rita Vo’s success has been its ability to persuade partners to produce products that are suitable for Vietnamese consumers. "Being a distributor is like setting up a dinner table," Mr. Trien emphasized. "To succeed, you have to offer dishes that suit the tastes of the Vietnamese people."

New Ambitions

As the leader of a multi-sector company with over 1,500 employees, Mr. Trien says he only goes to the office twice a month. "The people I've trained are now even more skilled than I am," he said. "I have absolute trust in my management team and empower them to make decisions. This allows me time to think of new ideas, set strategic directions for the company, and find more talented people."

Mr. Trien is excited about his plan to enter the real estate sector this year, with clean land already secured in a prime location in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. "Rita Vo will redefine the concept of a luxury apartment. A truly luxury apartment must have high-end materials for every single brick and detail," he stated. Concurrently, Rita Vo is also preparing to break ground on a five-star hotel project in Phu Quoc.

Despite the challenges facing the real estate market, Mr. Trien is confident his projects will succeed because Rita Vo always adheres to its principles of "integrity" and "quality." With nearly 20 years of experience in the mid- to high-end furniture and construction materials business, Mr. Trien notes that the company has millions of high-income customers who are loyal to the brand—an advantage many businesses only dream of.

"I have been nurturing the idea of entering the real estate business for a long time, not just recently. 20 years ago, I told my general director that we would enter real estate once Rita Vo's high-end construction materials and interiors system was strong and well-established," he said.

While admitting his passion for real estate, the founder of Rita Vo stressed that this is only a complementary sector to the core business of construction materials and luxury interiors. He affirmed that he remains highly focused on the main field, with other businesses serving a supportive role to ensure he doesn't get bogged down or his resources spread too thin.

Not content with just distribution, Rita Vo is also exploring opportunities to expand its manufacturing and business in other sectors. Mr. Trien also revealed that he recently acquired a factory that produces Life Window aluminum and plastic doors, renaming it Rita Vo Life Window, with the ambition of taking the company beyond Vietnam’s borders. "We will grow from retail to manufacturing," he asserted.

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