According to Soc Trang Tourism, Pia cake is one of the famous specialties of Soc Trang province, however, there are not many standard sales points serving tourists.
Out of over 40 establishments specializing in the production of pia cakes and sausage, only 3 have been recognized as standard shopping points serving tourists, namely Tan Hue Vien Pie and Sausage Food Processing Joint Stock Company, Cong Lap Thanh Private Enterprise, and Quang Tran Private Enterprise.
Among them, Tan Hue Vien is both a production facility and a shopping point on the largest scale in the province. Tan Hue Vien’s shopping area is built on an area of 1,200m2, including a specialty shopping area, a dining and beverage area, a product display area, and an area to visit the miniature pia cake production model.
Currently, Tan Hue Vien’s durian pia cake is being exported to more than 20 countries around the world.
The Lien Hoa Bao Tower project is about to be put into operation
In March 2018, Tan Hue Vien started the construction of the Lien Hoa Bao Tower project, located adjacent to the position of Tan Hue Vien Company with a total area of over 42,000 m2. Recently, according to the General Director, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
Image: Tan Hue Vien
The project has a capital investment of hundreds of billions, including many items. The Lien Hoa Bao tower, in the shape of a lotus flower, is a highlight of the project, with three floors, about 68m high and 99m in diameter. Inside is a statue of the Medicine Master weighing 19 tons and 6.8m high.
When the Lien Hoa Bao tower is completed, visitors will be able to take a tour, then go to the workshop area to witness the pia cake production line, and then will be able to try the pia cake for free.
The project once sparked controversy as to whether it was a project with a religious and spiritual nature, and whether it was a form of spiritual business. There were also questions about whether the project, built on leased land in the industrial park, was in accordance with the law.
Mr. Tuan said that the enterprise’s purpose is to serve tourism and create a unique highlight rather than worship in the style of religion.
However, according to the confirmation of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, the Medicine Master statue, cast in gold-plated copper and placed in the Lien Hoa Bao Tower of Tan Hue Vien Company, is determined to be a religious work.
In terms of the project’s legality, at that time, the representative of the Management Board of the Provincial Industrial Park as well as the People’s Committee of Soc Trang province affirmed that Tan Hue Vien’s land lease to expand production and business activities was in accordance with the Government’s regulations on urban-service industrial parks, in line with the tourist spot recognized by the province.
The startup journey of the “pia cake king”
Tan Hue Vien currently has a charter capital of VND 600 billion, in which Mr. Thai Tuan, founder and General Director of Tan Hue Vien Pie and Sausage Food Processing Joint Stock Company, holds 51% of the company’s capital, and the remaining 49% belongs to Ms. Ly Thuc Chung.
Mr. Thai Tuan, born in 1968, came from a poor family in Soc Trang city. At the age of 12, he had to drop out of school and earn money to support his family by repairing bicycles. Later, Mr. Tuan applied to work for free for a pia cake production facility in Vung Thom (Phu Tam commune, Chau Thanh district, Soc Trang), dozens of kilometers from his home.
Dreaming of opening a pia cake factory, when his brother got married, Mr. Tuan borrowed all the wedding congratulations money from his brother as capital to buy flour, sugar, beans… to produce pia cakes. The cake mold was also made by Mr. Tuan himself.
Mr. Thai Tuan – General Director of Tan Hue Vien Pie and Sausage Food Processing Joint Stock Company
In 1985, Tan Hue Vien Pia Cake Production Facility was established. The early days of the business were very difficult, as it was challenging to figure out how to sell the cakes since trading was not easy at the time. Mr. Thai Tuan had to take the cakes to the market and invite customers to try and sell them individually.
Accepting losses in the initial period, Tan Hue Vien’s efforts gradually paid off. By 1993, Tan Hue Vien had switched from seasonal production to year-round production.
From just a small-scale family production facility, by 1996, Mr. Tuan had expanded production and hired 20 workers to increase output. By 2000, the number of workers had increased to more than 60, not including seasonal workers.
In 2007, the Tan Hue Vien pia cake production facility changed its name to Tan Hue Vien Pie and Sausage Food Processing Joint Stock Company, with a workshop area of over 17,000 m2, and at the same time built a stopover point on an area of 1,200 m2.
