Vietnamese woman’s journey of resilience makes her owner of 3 businesses in Australia

The story began in 2009 when Christopher Rawsthorne, a 25-year-old car mechanic from Trundle, New South Wales State, decided to leave his monotonous life behind. Tired of the routine, he quit his job, sold his belongings, and set off backpacking through Southeast Asia.

In Vietnam, he stayed in a budget hostel in Hue, where he met 19-year-old receptionist Le Thi Trang. Their conversations drew them closer, but Trang, who was from a poor family in the town of Thuan An in the central city of Hue, doubted her worthiness to dream of a future with him.

The eldest of four siblings, she had to drop out of school after seventh grade to collect scrap, work as a housemaid and sell food on Thuan An beach to support her family financially. Later she moved to Hue and worked as a cleaner before becoming a receptionist.

Her story and sincere nature touched Christopher and sparked his affection for her. He extended his stay in Vietnam to be with her, turning what was meant to be a trip of three months into six and eventually nine.

Trang and the Christopher during a visit to her family in 2010. Photo courtesy of the couple

In mid-2010 he visited her family home. Their house had a leaking roof and no bathroom or furniture. Sitting cross-legged on the tiled floor, he shared a simple meal of vegetables and fish sauce with her family. Before leaving he spent his remaining travel money on a new fridge and a pack of yogurt and some bread for her family. Overcome with emotion, she said "I’ll wait for you" before bursting into tears.

In 2011 he returned to Vietnam, and the couple became engaged. They relocated to Australia in early 2012. Early in their relationship he had warned her about his modest life as a mechanic in Australia.

However, when she arrived in Australia, reality hit hard as she saw he was unemployed, had no savings, house or car and had spent all his money on traveling. "I had nothing in Vietnam either, so I was used to hardship and believed I could rebuild from scratch," she says.

The couple stayed with Christopher’s sister in Sydney for two weeks before renting an old car to move to Trundle and live with his father. They had just AUD500 (US$322) left. But Trundle, a small town with only some 100 residents, offered no job opportunities for immigrants like her. The couple relocated to Orange, 150 km away, to find work.

He borrowed AUD2,000 from his sister to secure a rental home. His father lent them household essentials like a fridge, chairs and a bed. Two weeks later he got a job repairing cranes, and she found work as a waitress for AUD13 an hour.

Since they only had one car, which he needed for his longer commute to work, she had to walk 45 minutes to work every day. After a few months of saving she bought herself a bicycle. "I admire her frugality and resilience," he says.

When their finances stabilized somewhat, she convinced him to buy a house, believing it was the foundation for building their future. The couple began a period of extreme saving, cutting costs until they could afford a deposit on a 617-sq.m AUD-400,000 house in November 2013.

She began selling dried beef jerky at the Orange market to earn a little extra to help pay off their mortgage.

Trang and her husband Christopher beside their food truck in Orange, Australia, in October 2024. Photo courtesy of the couple

In mid-2014 she stumbled upon a video about food trucks in the U.S., and it sparked off the idea of selling Vietnamese banh mi from a food truck.

The same day she contacted suppliers and received a quote of AUD130,000 for a fully equipped truck. Christopher dismissed the idea as "crazy," saying the cost was far beyond their financial means. Heated arguments ensued, nearly leading to a divorce."I knew it was a gamble, but I could not live with the regret of not trying," she says.

Unable to borrow money in Australia, she called her mother in Vietnam and asked her to mortgage their family home. Over the next few months he watched her tirelessly plan every detail of the venture. Eventually he agreed to join her in the business.

Her grilled pork banh mi, infused with Hue-style flavors, became an instant hit. Office workers lined up 50–60 deep every morning at the food truck. Australians seemed to love the spicy sauce, tender meat and crusty banh mi.

After five months, just as they were about to break even, nearby residents filed complaints against the couple for parking the truck in a residential area, forcing them to relocate.

She spent weeks searching for a new spot before securing a location near a train station. While business boomed, she struggled to find staff. The natives were reluctant to work as eatery help while the immigrant population in Orange was too small.

Exhausted from doing everything herself - from preparing sauces and marinating meat to grilling and chopping vegetables - she brought her parents from Vietnam to help. She expanded the menu to include grilled meat noodles, spring rolls, caramelized pork with shrimp, and steamed buns. In July 2017 the couple opened a Vietnamese restaurant, their second venture.

In 2019 they added a stall in a food court, coinciding with her third pregnancy. Even the day before delivery, she stayed up late making sauces for her mother to marinate meat. She then thought premade sauce bottles could streamline their food preparation process and began researching the idea during her postpartum recovery.

In the summer of 2023 she launched her third business: a factory producing sauces and seasonings for Vietnamese dishes, including stir-fries, braises and salads. But working from 4 a.m. to midnight nearly pushed her to exhaustion. She decided to close the restaurant to focus on the factory and spend more time with her three children.

Her sauces and spices have been well received and are now sold in 30 stores and supermarkets across Australia. The food truck continues to generate a steady income of AUD15,000 a month. In mid-November Trang and Christopher realized they were close to paying off their AUD400,000 mortgage, something he had never thought possible. "My life is what it is today thanks to her."