W.Minh Tuan

In the American film Full Metal Jaket, made in 1987 about the Vietnam War in 1967, there is a scene with two American soldiers sitting on a Saigon sidewalk, talking to a prostitute. The scene behind these three characters is a busy Saigon street, with a billboard advertising Hynos toothpaste, a picture of a dark-skinned person – Mr. Cha Va – Java, revealing shiny white teeth thanks to brushing with Hynos toothpaste.

In fact, Hynos toothpaste before 1975 was very famous in the South Vietnam, and not just in South Vietnam. Hynos toothpaste is also exported to Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, etc., beating toothpaste from those countries.

If Hynos had not been nationalized, renovated after 1975, it is likely that Hynos toothpaste would now be famous in the world market, making a name for Vietnamese businessmen, and being able to compete with the powers of the Five continents, such as Ho Chi Minh wished.

Before 1960, the owner of the Hynos toothpaste company in Saigon was an Israeli-American who married a Vietnamese woman. The young man Vuong Dao Nghia was then just over 20 years old, working in this toothpaste company. Then this boss’s ill-fated wife passed away, causing him to sadly quit his business, return to America, and give the toothpaste factory to Mr. Vuong Dao Nghia to own and run himself.

From then on, every day, the owner Vuong Dao Nghia and the workers diligently worked, ate, and slept right at the factory, overcame extremely hardship. After making toothpaste, Mr. Nghia drove his own car to sell the products at markets, delivering first and receiving payment later.

With the qualities of diligence, hard work, and simplicity, loving fellow workers, careful management, and not drinking beer, alcohol too much, Hynos gradually gained a quite solid position in the market. But at that time, Hynos was still far behind the toothpaste products Perlon, Leyna of Vietnam, Colgate of the US, and C’est-il of France in right Southern Vietnam market.

Mr. Nghia designed three types of toothpaste, one as small as a finger for tourists, one medium for singles, and one large for families. Mr. Nghia also designed an image printed on the outside of the packaging, which is a picture of Mr. Cha Va with dark skin, smiling brightly showing off his shiny white teeth.

He also boldly invested in importing a modern Japanese machine line, producing aluminum toothpaste packaging, and importing flavorings from Hong Kong.

(But now new studying found that aluminum is harmful to human health, so recently in the world, toothpaste aluminum packaging is replaced by plastic)

The quality of Hynos toothpaste has skyrocketed since then.

And Mr. Nghia focuses on advertising. Hynos billboards fill every place where there are many people passing by. During Tet, he hired female students to sell toothpaste at Ben Thanh market, Binh Thanh market,,,,,.

He also hired movie actors to act in commercials for Hynos toothpaste. For example, in a Hong Kong martial arts-style movie, there is a group of men and horses carrying boxes of goods through a mountainous area, and are attacked by robbers who steal the boxes. The fighting between guards and robbers were broke out, robbers were routed, and the boxes were opened.

Viewers of this commercial are eagerly waiting to see what kind of rare goods are inside the looted boxes.

The boxes were opened, and inside, there was Hynos toothpaste. Viewers burst out laughing, and people had sympathy for Hynos toothpaste, and bought Hynos toothpaste in droves.

By the early 1970s, in the South Vietnam, Hynos toothpaste occupied the leading position in the southern Vietnamese market, beating competitors such as Perlon, Leyna, and Colgate toothpaste from the US, C’est-il of France.

Foreign toothpastes must cede market share to Hynos Made in Vietnam toothpaste.

Mr. Vuong Dao Nghia also exported Hynos toothpaste to Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan,,,.

The quality of Hynos toothpaste is not inferior to Japanese, French, or American toothpastes, and the price is much cheaper. Compared to products from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore, Hynos toothpaste is superior.

Then South Vietnam was “liberated” and Mr. Vuong Dao Nghia’s Hynos company was reformed and brought into state ownership.

Hynos toothpaste disappeared, replaced by P/S toothpaste. At first, P/S was quite famous, then P/S was taken over by Unilever.

If Mr. Vuong Dao Nghia is allowed to lead P/S-Hynos, it will not be Unilever annexing Hynos-P/S, but Hynos P/S annexing Unilever.

After 1975, Mr. Vuong Dao Nghia was also re-educated, then he went abroad.

Once glorious, Hynos was the pride of Vietnamese businessmen. Now it is just a memory, giving way to interest groups to build golf courses, restaurants, hotels, luxury apartments, and offices for rent./ //