Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month kicks off with new grocery store

V-Mart had its official grand opening in late March of 2024. The grocery store is located on Airline Road and has special ties to Asian culture.
Its owners Yang "Cici" Zhai Wang and Zoey Tran, are both from different Asian countries and are using their business to share their culture.

KRIS 6 NEWS

Unlike other grocery stores, V-mart carries a variety of from different food from different Asian cultures.

But the idea of the store goes beyond its endless ingredients and food.

"When customers walk in saying, "Oh my gosh, that candy is the taste of my childhood. Oh wow! You have that ice cream from China! Things like that make me proud," Cici Wang said.

Cici Wang, the co-founder of V-Mart loves sharing her culture through her store. She says connecting with others is part of what drives her every day.

KRIS 6 NEWS

Zoey Tran, also co-owner of V-mart, comes from Vietnam and loves to make food for people to enjoy.

"Making dishes from Vietnam is my passion. Making my own food for customers, especially for Corpus Christi," Tran said.

KRIS 6 NEWS

Using their personal experiences growing up and working at several Asian restaurants, the two women saw an opportunity to bring something new and fresh to the Corpus Christi community.

"We ate Asian foods when we were growing up and we see the benefits of how healthy Asian food is for everybody. We get ingredients from out of town, Dallas area, Houston and Austin," Cici Wang said.

KRIS 6 NEWS

They gave KRIS 6 News a tour of some of the stores and showed us their noodle aisle.

"This a dramatic popular TikTok trend. Everyone is crazy about Budak. Budak means spicy chicken in Korea, "Tran said.

KRIS 6 NEWS

While they appreciate the support during AAPI month, they have one message for Corpus Christi.

"Our consumers will be you. Everyone. It won't be just Chinese, just Vietnamese, or just any specific Asian country. It's everybody," Cici Wang said.

For the latest local news updates, click here , or download the KRIS 6 News App.