Many visitors going to the backpackers’ area of Ho Chi Minh City often see a tall, big Western guy selling sausage and bread on the pavement. He usually wears a red-framed eyeglasses and a white T-shirt, and stands behind a cart all night every day.

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He is Michael Semling, 48, from a small town near Frankfurt, Germany. Though he is not the only foreigner running a business in the area, many people may be surprised by his business philosophy.

Sending staff on overseas training course

“He sent me on a six-month bread baking training course in Malaysia. It cost more than VND200 million (roughly US$10,000). He paid half and my family paid half” – Kim Ngan said about her boss.

The Tien Giang-born woman, 26, who got an international bread baking certificate, expressed her gratitude to her boss and said that she dreams of opening her own western bakery in the future.

Regarding the investment, Michael said he has no demands of Ngan. “Of course, I thought a lot about what she will do for me later. But (above all), I still want her to study how to make western cakes so that she will do my job as I do something else in the future,” he said.  

When asked if the investment is risky or not, Michael responded: “If you want to make profit, you have to invest first. If you don’t invest in your staff, how can they improve their skills?”

Michael told Tuoi Tre that he is lucky to have hired two resourceful Vietnamese staffers, Ngan and Kim, thanks to the recommendation of his friends. The German admits that it is difficult to find good employees, and it is even more difficult for foreigners like him.

Michael shared that he has earned profits from the shop after running it for three months. “Nothing is for free in Vietnam. You can invest in your shop in one, two, or three months. But if you do not make profit, it does not make sense to continue your business,” he said.

Michael promotes his shop in a very simple way. He, Ngan and Kim wear white T-shirts with the German national flag, Brezel (a type of German traditional bread), and a phone number for delivery printed on them. He puts the price list, with prices ranging from VND10,000 to VND28,000 per item, in front of his bakery.

Introducing German cuisine

Michael first came to Vietnam as a tourist in 1998. The backpackers’ area at that time was not very busy or crowded like it is today. In 2009, he left Germany to settle in Vietnam. During his first years here he opened a coffee shop with several friends, but it was not a success. This past May he opened his first sausage shop in the backpackers’ area, since he has been a professional baker for the past 30 years.

He rented a small area in front of an art gallery on Bui Vien Street near roadside stalls selling Vietnamese fresh, brewed beer, which he pays around USD$200 a month for. “I encountered many difficulties at first because there were many things to do, such as finding a right location, and dealing with the owner over the renting price. It was not easy!”, Michael recalled.

Michael said he has to get up early to prepare bread and sausage for the shop. “Some ingredients I buy here but some ingredients I have to import from my hometown to ensure the quality of my food.”

He decided to open his bakery in the backpackers’ area because there are many potential customers from many countries. But Michael said his target customers are Vietnamese and expatriates living in HCMC.

“The tourists come and go. I have to find new costumers every day. So far, 50 percent of my customers are Vietnamese who want to taste German sausage,” he said.

Quang, a regular local customer, said Michael is nice and always takes care of his food. Quang added that he learns a lot from Michael because the German runs a business and leads a happy life in Vietnam even though he cannot speak local language.  

To his Vietnamese staff, Michael is a strict but kind boss. “He treats us very well. He gives us bonuses and treats us to a feast at the end of every month,” Ngan said.

Michael said he hopes to open a bigger bakery in District 2 to provide locals with more types of German bread. “I would like to introduce German cuisine and culture to Vietnamese people,” he shared.

At around 1 am, when most of us are sleeping, Michael drank a bottle of Saigon Red Label beer. He cleaned his bakery and then pushed the cart towards his small rented room where, he is living with a dream of opening more bakeries in Vietnam.