Le Thi My Hanh receives products from Nestle's programme of "Overcoming challenges, grasping opportunities". — Photo Courtesy of Nestle
Le Thi My Hanh, reopened her noodle soup restaurant in HCM City after the social distancing period, but the number of customers was a third of her usual numbers.
Like most small restaurants and food courts in the country, Hanh has lost much of her business in the more than three months since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
The losses grew due to a decrease in purchasing power as well as social distancing in April when individual and small businesses were reported as the most vulnerable in the private sector. Some of whom have been struggling and even halted business.
Hanh, who owns the noodle chain Hu Tieu Bo Vien Chu Tu Gia, said: "During social distancing, orders dropped to one-third of the 500-600 orders a day we had before the pandemic."
For Hanh's and about 22,000 small food courts, school canteens and restaurants' partners, Nestle and La Vie have run a programme of "Overcoming challenges, grasping opportunities" to help them overcome difficulties.
In the programme, Nestle has handed over a donation of Milo products to small business partners. Nestle and La Vie, a member of Nestle Group, have handed out 1.8 million products of Milo, Maggi, Nescafe and Nestea to the mentioned 22,000 partners.
According to the firm, the total value of this initiative is estimated at VND22 billion ($956,500).
The programme is one of Nestle's series of activities aiming to accompany the Government's fight against COVID-19.
Binu Jacob, general director of Nestle Vietnam, stated that small restaurants, food courts, and school canteens are essential parts of the community and are suffering a substantial impact from COVID-19. Nestle promised to accompany these small businesses and help overcome difficulties after reopening. “We believe that we can overcome challenges, grasp chances, and restart stronger than ever,” he said.
Additionally, with school starting again, Nestle aspires to energise children by donating two million cartons of the ready-to-drink products of Milo. — VNS