28-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Unique Aberdeen boutique is celebration of skilled Vietnamese craftswomen
When Lan Pham and her family swapped the sunshine of Rio for Aberdeen – her husband's engineering job bringing them to the north-east – she wasn't quite prepared for the 4pm sunsets.
'It was barely afternoon and already dark,' she says, laughing. 'I told my friends I wasn't living in Aberdeen, I was living in Aberdark.'
Eight years later, the city has grown on her. In fact, she now calls it Aberdream. And through her boutique on Rosemount Place, she's helping to bring a little more colour and meaning to the high street.
Lan's shop, M Boutique is calm, plant-filled and full of beautifully made things.
It offers linen clothing, handmade ceramics, quilted bedding, delicate paper mobiles, and embroidered gifts, all handmade in Vietnam.
Every item is created by skilled craftspeople in rural Vietnamese villages, many of whom are women with few other job opportunities.
Lan makes sure they're paid fairly and treated with dignity. Then, she gives away every penny of profit.
'It's a win-win,' she says. 'The women back home have work and pride, and people here get something special – and meaningful – at a good price. And the money goes straight to help others.'
One of the main projects Lan supports is Mai Tam House, an orphanage in Vietnam that looks after children, many of whom are living with HIV.
The centre is run by priests and provides not only shelter and food, but also education, healthcare and care from people who treat the children like family.
'These kids have no one,' Lan says quietly. 'Some were abandoned. Some lost their parents. The priests there are doing good work, and I'm proud the shop can help.'
She also volunteers at her local church in Aberdeen and quietly supports people here too.
For Lan, the boutique is about much more than running a business.
'I don't pay myself from the shop. I don't need to,' she says.
'I just want to do something meaningful with my life. I want my children to see that and to know it's not just about what you have, but what you give.'
Her two children now attend school in Aberdeen, and she says they've adapted well.
Born in a small village in Vietnam without electricity or running water, Lan knows what it means to struggle. Her family lost everything after the war, and several relatives were imprisoned. But she also knows how far determination – and kindness – can go.
'I've been very lucky,' she says. 'I've lived in different countries, met good people. Now I want to use that to help others.'
The shop's calm atmosphere and Lan's friendly nature have made it a local favourite.
Many customers come just for a chat, or a moment of peace.
'Sometimes someone walks in and says 'I didn't need anything, but your shop made me feel better'. That means a lot,' she says.
'Everyone can give something. Time, encouragement, a kind word. That's what I want this shop to be – not just a place to buy things, but a place that makes people feel better.'
With plans to open a second boutique in Edinburgh's Stockbridge and the dream of launching a UK-based M Foundation, Lan says Rosemount is just the start.
