Laundry and dishwashing detergent made by a student from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City has been sold to several groceries in some Mekong Delta provinces, Ho Chi Minh City, and Binh Dinh Province in south-central Vietnam.

After making laundry detergent for his family and relatives, the junior was determined to start up its commercialization.

Ngo Tran Bao Viet, who majors in chemical engineering technology, recounted that he had initially faced multiple difficulties studying the detergent products.

It took him much time to learn about ingredients at home and abroad.

Undergoing failure several times, Viet built a perfect formula for laundry and dishwashing detergent products.

According to Viet, to help his mother reduce expenditure on laundry detergent, he decided to create detergent products by himself.

Viet said that in early 2024, he worked out a perfect formula, designed a logo for his products, selected suitable containers, and began mass production.

“My aunt owns a grocery, so I sent my laundry and dishwashing detergent to her for sale, while asking my family members for help to market the products.

“Besides, I introduced these products to my neighbors for use, and they eagerly supported me,” he shared.

The laundry detergent contains surfactants, which are safe and effective at removing dirt from clothes, along with a pleasant fragrance. Viet ensures his products have skin-friendly pH levels.

“My product is capable of cleaning dirt and maintaining scent," he elaborated.

“I have sold 600 bottles of detergent products to groceries in the Mekong Delta region, Ho Chi Minh City, and Binh Dinh Province.”

Viet is selling lemon-scented dishwashing detergent and flower-scented laundry detergent contained in bottles with different volumes ranging from 750 ml to 3.8 liters.

Each bottle of laundry detergent is priced from VND99,000 (US$3.9) to VND110,000 ($4.3), while each bottle of dishwashing detergent sells for VND20,000 ($0.8).

Viet said that he applied his knowledge and skills learned from various subjects such as economics, chemical engineering, cosmetic chemistry, and manufacturing administration to the process of creating detergent products.

“I chose to sell products, but I did not pay much attention to profits,” he stressed.

“My monthly revenue standing at some VND7-8 million [$275-314] is used to pay my tuition and for daily expenses.

“I hope that customers will favor my products."

Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Quan at the Ho Chi Minh University of Technology said that Viet’s products have multiple strengths.

“Viet successfully applied his knowledge to his production,” he said.

Associate Prof. Dr. Quan expects universities and lecturers to offer incentives to students who challenge themselves to create their own products as Viet, apart from supporting them in research.

Viet’s products were deemed safe for use by his teachers and lecturers.

In addition, he aims to copyright his products. 

He divulged that he would improve the quality of his products and diversify them to serve customers in the future.

Tran Thi Nga, who runs a grocery store in Binh Dinh, said that she has been Viet’s loyal customer since he launched his products.

She said that she was introduced to his products by one of her acquaintances.

"Initially, I bought a small amount of his detergent to sell, but his products are fragrant, effectively clean dirty clothes, and, most importantly, are affordable," Nga said.

"Therefore, I decided to purchase more for sale. "Every five to ten days, I ask Viet to send me two to four boxes of detergent bottles to Binh Dinh."

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