Interview: Pandasia.
AnhDu Long Vu transitioned from web designer to entrepreneur when he launched Pandasia in November 2019, an online shop for Asian food. When the pandemic hit, the business experienced explosive growth, driven by AnhDu’s determination and dedication.
Content
- From Office Life to Vietnamese Food Culture
- When Denmark Shut Down, Pandasia Took Off
- Making Authentic Asian Cooking Accessible
- An Asian Culinary Universe in the Heart of Denmark
- Balancing Growth and Ambition: The Solo Founder's Journey
- Three Tips from AnhDu: Choosing the Right Payment Solution
- The Partnership with pensopay: A Key to Effortless Payments
Just months before Denmark went into lockdown, AnhDu brought his dream to life by launching Pandasia. His goal was to make authentic Asian cooking easy and approachable for everyone.
From Office Life to Vietnamese Food Culture
Before founding Pandasia, AnhDu worked as a web designer. Though he was skilled in his field, his passion for Asian cuisine ran deeper. Influenced by his family’s Vietnamese culinary traditions and supported by his digital background, AnhDu laid the foundation for his own company.
With encouragement from his wife, he took the leap—quitting his job and fully committing to Pandasia. There was no plan B. The business began humbly, with a small stockroom in a child’s bedroom—but the ambition was big from the start.
When Denmark Shut Down, Pandasia Took Off
In the early months, progress was steady but slow. AnhDu was still figuring things out and even questioned at times whether the business could be sustainable. But soon he received enough orders to justify expanding storage with a shipping container in the backyard.
And then came the lockdown.
Suddenly, people had time to take on new projects—like cooking elaborate meals. One of those projects? Asian food. Dishes that would normally take hours to prepare now fit perfectly into people’s stay-at-home routines. AnhDu vividly remembers that first night after the prime minister announced the lockdown. Orders started flooding in the moment the press conference ended—and they didn’t stop. Canned goods, dry ingredients, and long-shelf-life items disappeared from his virtual shelves.
“It was like watching the news—people rushed in and bought everything they could. All my instant noodles were gone!”
- AnhDu Long Vu, Pandasia.
He worked close to 80 hours a week, barely pausing to sleep or eat, just to keep up with demand and keep customers coming back.
"Sometimes things move so fast you just have to act—execute first, and figure it out later." AnhDu Long Vu, Pandasia.
The pandemic may have sparked Pandasia’s growth, but it’s AnhDu’s relentless effort that has sustained it. He adapted on the fly, learning as he went. While some phases followed a clear path, others required pure instinct and determination.
Making Authentic Asian Cooking Accessible
From day one, Pandasia´s mission has been clear: inspire Danes to embrace authentic Asian cooking. AnhDu focused on building an intuitive website, translating all product descriptions to make ingredients easy to understand. The platform is designed so that customers can easily pair items with recipes.
To make things even easier, AnhDu created a series of instructional videos that walk customers through the cooking process from start to finish. These videos help people learn the techniques behind the dishes, making authentic cooking achievable at home. He also implemented a live chat feature, allowing users to ask questions about recipes or ingredients in real time—ensuring no one feels lost in the kitchen.
An Asian Culinary Universe in the Heart of Denmark
AnhDu has bold plans for Pandasia. His dream is to build a comprehensive platform where people can not only buy ingredients, but also learn about Asian food history and traditions. In the future, he hopes to travel across Asia to document how iconic dishes are made in their countries of origin—creating a video series that brings culinary heritage to life.
Meanwhile, Pandasia is growing rapidly on home soil. The company has expanded its warehouse four times in just two years and is forming partnerships with Asian restaurants across Denmark. AnhDu aims to become a trusted supplier for these businesses and plans to produce behind-the-scenes content and interviews with chefs to inspire even more people to explore Asian cuisine.
Balancing Growth and Ambition: The Solo Founder’s Journey
As a solo founder, AnhDu has often struggled to balance work and personal life. During peak periods, he’s clocked more than 80 hours a week. On top of that, the pandemic brought logistical challenges—from delayed deliveries to rising transport costs—all of which he’s had to tackle alone.
Despite these hurdles, Pandasia has grown to the point where AnhDu expects to hire five full-time employees within the next year. Until now, he’s relied mostly on part-time help, but the pace of growth calls for a bigger team. He’s also planning to expand the product range to bring even more Asian goods to Danish consumers.
Three Tips from AnhDu: Choosing the Right Payment Solution
Here are three essential tips from AnhDu for entrepreneurs choosing a payment provider for their webshop:
Choose a solution with strong support.
When you’re just starting out, quick help is crucial. Go with a provider that offers reliable phone and email support.
Look for automation.
Once your system is up and running, it should work smoothly without your daily involvement—so you can focus on growing your business.
Prioritize quality
Check customer reviews to understand how the provider performs in real-world scenarios. It can say more than any sales pitch.
The Partnership with pensopay: A Key to Effortless Payments
Since day one, AnhDu has relied on pensopay as Pandasia's payment partner. He chose it because it’s an all-in-one platform, combining both gateway and acquirer services in one place. He explored other options, but what convinced him was the communication. After several good conversations with Pierre, pensopay's CEO, the decision was clear.
pensopay made handling payments smooth and stress-free. "Everything’s systemized—there are clear guides, and if you have a question, just call or email," AnhDu Long Vu, Pandasia. For a webshop owner like AnhDu, it’s essential to have a solution that runs on autopilot, freeing him up to focus on growing the business.
pensopay's excellent customer service is a big plus. "At pensopay, there are no stupid questions," AnhDu Long Vu, Pandasia. That kind of support is critical, especially for a young business. And when minor technical issues have popped up—like a rare system outage—AnhDu appreciated the transparency. pensopay maintains a real-time status page so webshop owners can track any issues and get updates on resolutions. "Even a small update makes a huge difference when you run an online store," AnhDu Long Vu, Pandasia.
A huge thank you to AnhDu for sharing his journey with us. We’re proud to call you a partner—and we can’t wait to see where the road leads next.
Team pensopay.
Read about more great entrepreneurial advice from our customers.
Why Choose Pensopay?
Accept payments on your webshop with an all-in-one solution: payment gateway and merchant agreement in one package.
Over 9,000 have already chosen us!
Free setup and no binding period!
Accept Visa, MasterCard, MobilePay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay in under 30 minutes.
Apply in minutes and start processing transactions today.
The best support in the payment industry: Response time under 3 minutes on the phone.