Our Story

Quang Tran was established in 1950 based on a family recipe that has been passed down for three generations. Our Chinese sausage, also known as Lap Xuong or Lap Cheong, has its roots in China, but was brought to life in Soc Trang, Vietnam. 

Today, Quang Tran operates as a mom and pop shop in Rosemead, CA where each batch of fragrant Chinese sausage is handmade every day and dried over the course of 48 hours.

muoi tran and family friends in front of quang tran's name plate

Chinese Roots

My great-grandpa, Hong Tran, was born and raised in Dongguan, China, but was forced to immigrate to Vietnam during the early 1900s due to the war. After struggling financially in the tobacco and textile industry for many years to provide for our family, he passed away from a disease shortly after the birth of his seventh child.

quang tran storefront in soc trang, vietnam

Our Start in Soc Trang, Vietnam

After my great-grandpa’s passing, our family’s financial condition worsened as no one was willing to help us for fear of contagion from the disease. Luckily, one of my great-grandpa’s close friends eventually stepped in to help. This friend happened to be a Chinese master cook in the meat business, and he taught my grandpa, Muoi Tran, how to make Chinese sausages and a few soy-based products. Based on these teachings, my grandpa developed his own recipes and began to sell products from our home in Soc Trang – thus Quang Tran was born.

quang tran storefront in saigon, vietnam

Expansion to Saigon

Thanks to our family’s hard work, Quang Tran continued to see success and my grandpa expanded his home into a factory and opened a formal retail store on the main street in Soc Trang. In the 1960s, my grandpa expanded Quang Tran to a second retail store in Saigon with the help of his brothers. Like many other families, the Vietnam War took a huge toll on our business. Quang Tran was eventually shut down and in 1978, our family fled to the United States as refugees of the war.

A Fresh Start In America

In 1985, my grandpa reunited with all of his children in Minnesota—a world away from what he knew in Vietnam. Even then, nothing could have prepared my grandpa for the journey of starting his business over in a place where he did not understand the native language, did not have a means of transportation, and did not have materials readily accessible. After a few years of struggling, my grandpa decided to move to Rosemead, California, where there was a larger Asian community.

Quang Tran in Rosemead, CA

After settling in Rosemead, my grandpa created a small kitchen in his garage and made Chinese sausages for the local community in efforts to re-establish his brand and reputation. As the demand for Quang Tran’s sausages grew, my dad, Luong Tran, relocated my family in 1998 from Iowa to help my grandpa. My dad made sausages every day before sunrise while working his day job as a computer engineer at Rockwell Collins. In 2001, when we were finally confident in Quang Tran’s ability to thrive, my dad helped my grandpa open an official storefront at the Vikon plaza (which is still the Quang Tran shop today!). My dad continued to work at Rockwell and Quang Tran for another 2 years while the shop was still getting established. In 2003, he quit his day job to work alongside my grandpa full-time, making sausages together until 2012 when my grandpa passed away.

Mom and Pop

Quang Tran is truly what you would imagine when you think of a “mom and pop” shop. My dad gave up his dream job to continue the family legacy. He made sausages in the kitchen while my mom worked the storefront. They worked 7 days a week, never closing on any major U.S. holidays. Growing up with the understanding that my grandpa and dad gave it their all to maintain the family business, I returned home to help my dad after serving 6 years in the U.S. Army.

Quang Tran Today

Quang Tran today still embodies the values of the original Chinese sausage business that was started in Vietnam. It is a symbol of our family’s tireless work ethic, survival through war and immigration, and perseverance through new beginnings. To this day, each sausage link is still handmade with love and made in small batches with ingredients you would find in your own family kitchen. We would not have succeeded without the support of our community who followed us from Vietnam to the United States, and we will not be able to continue to succeed without the support of our new and loyal customers. We appreciate you all for bringing Quang Tran into your home.

With Love,

Nhan Tran