I have met many entrepreneurs who started with nothing. But few stories have moved me as deeply as that of Nguyễn Đình Kiên. Here is a man who arrived in Laos as a teenager with no capital, no experience, and no connections. He spent his early years riding a battered motorcycle through Vientiane, knocking on doors to sell pots and pans. Today, he owns the largest mattress and furniture distribution network in Laos, with nearly 10,000 square meters of warehouse space and over 1,000 dealers across the country.

But what makes his story truly remarkable is not where he ended up. It is what he survived along the way. Between selling kitchenware on dusty streets and becoming the undisputed king of mattresses in Laos, he faced a crisis that would have destroyed most businesses. He lost tens of billions of Vietnamese dong to customers who took his products and vanished. And instead of giving up, he got on his motorcycle and collected every debt, one small payment at a time.

The Humble Beginning on Foreign Soil

After finishing high school, Nguyễn Đình Kiên followed his parents to Laos, joining the stream of Vietnamese families seeking better opportunities abroad. His family had little money. He had no business experience. All he possessed was the willingness to work harder than anyone else.

His first job was selling household goods door to door. Every morning, he loaded pots, pans, bowls, and dishes onto his old motorcycle and rode through Vientiane neighborhoods. He knocked on countless doors. He heard countless rejections. He endured the humiliation that comes with being a street vendor in a foreign country.

Most young men would have given up after a few months. But he carried a philosophy that sustained him through the hardest days. He often said that without suffering, we cannot know happiness, and without difficulty, we cannot truly appreciate success.

The Discovery That Changed Everything

Day after day, as he traveled through Vientiane selling his wares, Nguyễn Đình Kiên began noticing something important. The people of Laos had a growing appetite for quality mattresses and furniture. Families were building new homes. The middle class was expanding. People wanted comfortable beds and beautiful furniture, but supply could not meet demand.

This observation became his turning point. Instead of continuing to sell small household items with tiny margins, he pivoted entirely. He started importing mattresses in small quantities. He rented a tiny warehouse. He began building relationships with retailers who needed reliable supply. With each passing month, his vision became clearer. Mattresses and furniture would be his future.

When Success Became a Trap

By the early 2010s, the business was growing rapidly. He had established himself as a trusted distributor, and orders were pouring in from Vietnamese entrepreneurs across Laos. To keep up with demand, he extended credit to his customers.

This decision nearly destroyed everything.

Between 2010 and 2017, customers took products on credit and never paid. Some made excuses. Some simply disappeared. The debts accumulated until Nguyễn Đình Kiên found himself staring at losses totaling tens of billions of Vietnamese dong. His business stood on the edge of collapse.

The Long Road Back

What happened next reveals his true character. A lesser man might have declared bankruptcy and walked away. Instead, he got back on his motorcycle.

Day after day, he rode through the streets and alleys of Laos, tracking down every person who owed him money. He knocked on doors just as he had done years earlier when selling pots. But this time, he was collecting debts. Some days, after hours of riding, he collected only a few hundred thousand dong. But he kept going.

Through persistence, clever negotiation, and sheer force of will, Nguyễn Đình Kiên recovered enough debt to stabilize his company. The crisis that should have ended his career instead forged him into a more resilient entrepreneur.

The Foundation of Family

In early 2014, amid his business struggles, Nguyễn Đình Kiên married. His wife became his partner in both life and business. Together, they created a home filled with love, eventually welcoming two sons and a daughter.

He speaks about his family with tenderness. He has said that whenever difficulties arise, he only needs to see the smiles of his wife and children to feel his strength renewed. They are his motivation to keep pushing forward and the reason he wants the business to grow even larger.

This is a pattern I have seen among successful entrepreneurs. Behind the public achievements, there is almost always a private foundation of family support. For him, his wife and children transformed his ambition into something larger, a legacy for generations.

Building the Sengvilay Empire

After surviving the debt crisis, Nguyễn Đình Kiên did not retreat into caution. He expanded with even greater ambition. In 2019, he purchased land and built his first proper business facility. In 2021, he opened a second location. Then in 2023, he completed his massive headquarters spanning nearly 10,000 square meters, the largest facility of its kind in Laos.

Today, Sengvilay supplies products from Thailand and Vietnam to more than a thousand dealers across Laos. But Nguyễn Đình Kiên is not finished. He is developing Sengvilay Group into a comprehensive ecosystem covering distribution, design, installation, and after-sales service. His vision extends beyond selling products to creating complete living spaces for customers.

What This Journey Teaches Entrepreneurs

Reflecting on this remarkable story, several lessons emerge for anyone building a business.

First, the skills you develop in humble work transfer to larger ventures. Those years selling pots door to door taught him how to read customers, handle rejection, and persist. When he later needed to collect billions in bad debts, he used the exact same skills.

Second, crisis can catalyze transformation. The debt disaster forced him to develop better systems and build a more sustainable business model. Many entrepreneurs discover that their worst moments contain the seeds of their greatest growth.

Third, expansion requires foundation. He did not try to build an empire while operating from rented spaces with uncertain financing. He waited until he had recovered, then systematically acquired land and expanded his network. Patience combined with ambition creates lasting success.

Giving Back to Two Nations

Today, Nguyễn Đình Kiên plays an active role in the Vietnamese business community in Laos. He serves in BNI chapters, participates in AVILA (the Association of Vietnamese Enterprises in Laos), and continues his education through business training programs.

His contributions extend beyond networking. He dedicates himself to charitable work, supporting poor students, building infrastructure, and providing healthcare assistance. He believes his success exists because the people of Laos embraced him. Therefore, he feels obligated to give back to the country that made his achievements possible.

The Measure of True Success

When I consider this story, I am struck by how completely he embodies the entrepreneurial spirit at its best. He started with nothing but determination. He faced disasters that would have justified surrender. He built not just a business but a family, a community, and a legacy of generosity.

For entrepreneurs reading this, his journey offers both inspiration and practical wisdom. Success rarely follows a straight line. The setbacks that seem catastrophic often become the experiences that prepare us for greater achievements.

Nguyễn Đình Kiên arrived in Laos as a teenager with empty pockets and borrowed dreams. Today, he stands as proof that determination, resilience, and gratitude can transform any beginning into an extraordinary destination. The mattress king of Laos built his throne not on luck but on thousands of small choices to keep going when stopping would have been easier.

If you are in the early days of your own journey, take heart from his example. The door-to-door salesman became an empire builder. And he did it one step, one sale, and one collected debt at a time.

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Le Duc Anh CEO of OceanLabs – Founder of QVID