H Mart will usher in new era of prosperity in Haltom City, but at whose expense?
When Haltom City unveiled plans in 2023 for a $100 million retail development anchored by H Mart, the popular Asian grocery giant, city leaders heralded the deal as nothing less than a triumph.
For years, the city of 45,000 on the eastern fringes of Fort Worth has struggled to claw its way out of economic stagnation — largely ignored by developers while the rest of the Metroplex boomed. Haltom City doesn’t have a traditional-format grocery store, let alone a Walmart, Target or other big-box retailer.
With this deal, Haltom City had beaten its wealthier neighbors to land H Mart, the fastest growing grocery chain in America, one that draws a cult following from miles around.
The 50-acre mixed-use development along Loop 820 will include dozens of other stores, restaurants and industries, expected to create hundreds of new jobs when completed in 2026.
“H Mart,” Mayor An Truong said, “will change everything.”
But beneath all the excitement is an undercurrent of worry among some of the Asian markets and eateries long located along East Belknap Street and other aging pockets of the city. Family-run businesses have served the city’s large Vietnamese community for decades. Of particular consternation to some is how the city offered economic incentives to win the H Mart deal — money that could have been invested in helping local businesses thrive.
The rift has already cost the mayor his relationship with a longtime ally who has owned a Vietnamese market for 30 years.
Maybe the arrival of H Mart won’t be so bad. Perhaps it won’t be a repeat of how the first Walmarts squeezed out some local businesses long ago. The way Haltom City’s mayor sees it, competition is healthy, even for mom-and-pop shops.
Some merchants agree with the mayor — or at least have come to accept that there’s nothing they can do at this point.
With H Mart’s opening date only months away, the answer will soon become clear.
A city on ‘life support’
Inside the mayor’s office at Haltom City Hall, a metal sign hangs on the wall behind his desk: “Don’t wake the bear.” Clownfish drift through a fish tank in the corner.
“I’m the guy, when I want to achieve something, I will do the most I can,” Truong said.
When he was elected the first time in 2019, Truong was the city’s first Vietnamese-American mayor. He won his fourth term in May, and plans to run again in two years.
It took more than a year to clinch the deal on the 50-acre development, which includes 653,000 square feet of distribution and logistics centers near the H Mart shopping center. Truong believes the project will be a catalyst to attract more companies; city officials have predicted 5,000 new jobs over the next several years.
Haltom City needs it.
Truong describes the city as a hospital patient that just got out of the intensive care unit — and H Mart is its “life support.”
From his standpoint, complaints from local businesses about competition from H Mart are missing the big picture.
Truong believes shoppers will continue to sustain existing Vietnamese grocers. H Mart will motivate local stores to improve customer service. If their business declines after H Mart opens, owners will have to assess why and improve.
In any case, Truong doesn’t think opposition to H Mart matters any more.
“Go ahead, protest, I don’t think many people will join,” Truong said. “What I’m doing, I feel comfortable, I feel that I can sleep well at night, then I’m not worrying anything else.”
‘H Mart will not vote for you’
Graying hair slicked neatly back, dressed in a charcoal suit, perfectly pleated burgundy pocket square tucked in his jacket, David Dang looks every inch the successful businessman. His phone rings every few minutes with a new call.
Dang opened Nguyen Loi Oriental Supermarket at 5302 E. Belknap St. in 1997. One of the only grocery stores in Haltom City, it offers an array of imported produce and goods. He also owns Ben Thanh Plaza and Central Market, an Arlington landmark with its Vietnamese pagoda towering over East Pioneer Parkway.
These days, he’s afraid H Mart will hurt his business, and force smaller establishments to close for good.
“We worry, we’re afraid. That’s for sure,” Dang said. “How much will we lose business? We don’t know yet. Yes, but it still makes me worry. So many nights sleepless.”
He added, “We’re hardworking, we are the root of Asian business. We are the starter, we are original business owners, we don’t get any help from the government.”
In his mid-60s, Dang hopes to eventually sell and retire. He wonders whether H Mart will force him to sell early, or significantly lower the value of his operation. He would’ve preferred H Mart build a distribution or processing center, which wouldn’t pose a threat to small businesses.
“Without us, Vietnamese and Asians, Haltom City doesn’t have a good name. You still need us,” Dang said.
Dang said he runs his business like a family, an attitude that makes it a friendlier environment for customers and workers. He employs about 22 people at his Haltom City store and 27 people in Arlington.
He expects the size of his operation will allow him to weather a downturn, but that may not be the case for others. Dang said he’s surprised by what he considers Haltom City turning its back on local businesses.
“H Mart will not vote for you as City Council. H Mart will not vote for you as mayor,” Dang said. “We are local people, we vote for you.”
Dang was a friend and staunch supporter of Mayor Truong. “We needed someone who could represent us and speak our language,” Dang told the Star-Telegram after Truong was elected in 2019. “An Truong is one of the best.”
Their discord over H Mart has fractured their relationship, and they no longer speak.
‘There’s a whole lot more to come’
Based in New Jersey, H Mart’s first store opened in 1982. The family-owned business now has over 97 locations across the country, including Carrollton and Plano. Though it specializes in Korean goods, H Mart sells products from Japan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. About 30% of its shoppers are not Asian, H Mart told The New York Times last year.
The company did not respond to the Star-Telegram’s interview requests.
Space in the Haltom City shopping center around H Mart is almost entirely rented out. At least 33 confirmed tenants include 20 bakeries, cafes and restaurants, the majority of which specialize in Asian cuisines (there will also be a McDonald’s).
Like all municipalities, Haltom City uses economic incentives to lure companies and create jobs. H Mart could receive up to $3.5 million from Haltom City, if it meets all deadlines for the project. H Mart is expected to employ about 100 workers.
City manager Rex Phelps says the unfinished store is already attracting interest from other developers for land near Loop 820.
“There’s a whole lot more to come,” Phelps said. “It’s been a good time for Haltom. This city, you know, we’re pretty proud of Haltom, we love Haltom, Haltom’s got a rich history, but this is a truly a comeback story for this city.”
Though most new development is near 820, Haltom City has created a tax increment reinvestment zone to support projects along East Belknap. The first such project is a new Nails Plus, a beauty supply store that plans to move into a former Wells Fargo later this year.
Phelps said good city leadership has been the catalyst for economic development.
“Nobody on the council, for example, has any personal agendas,” Phelps said. “Every one of those people, all they want to do is just do what’s best for the future of this city. We want this to be a city where families flourish and businesses prosper. That’s our whole goal.”
‘Maybe it will hurt me more’
Dang is proud of his success — he built his business himself, without financial support from the city. He said his Ben Thanh Plaza in Arlington was admired by Haltom City officials, who asked him several years ago to build a similar project around Nguyen Loi Oriental Supermarket on East Belknap.
Dang agreed and drafted up plans for a smaller plaza. He got the property rezoned to accommodate the development, and spent thousands of dollars renovating the grocery store. Dang asked AutoZone, a longtime tenant in his shopping center, to leave the property so he could redevelop it.
Dang pictured his shopping center as a hub for Asian businesses. But the city dragged its feet with the plans — then COVID hit. In 2023, H Mart announced plans to build in Haltom City.
Local officials are no longer pushing for Dang’s project, and his plans to expand have stalled. His renderings and blueprints collect dust in a storage area near the checkout at Nguyen Loi.
Phelps, who became city manager in February 2020, said the proposed expansion of the Nguyen Loi plaza was part of the Haltom City’s “Vision Belknap” initiative aimed at revitalizing the corridor. He said the necessary private financing for the project never materialized.
Dang’s fortunes haven’t completely turned for the worse. He has been welcomed by the city of Arlington, where he serves on the mayor’s Asian Advisory Council and sits on the board of Arlington’s International Corridor Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.
Arlington’s economic development corporation agreed in April to reimburse up to $1.65 million for improvements to Ben Thanh Plaza. Plans include an outdoor plaza for food trucks, better landscaping and building upgrades. over the next 21 months.
Dang said he still hasn’t seen the H Mart.
He avoids driving past the construction site, even if it means taking the long way. And he doesn’t plan to shop there, either. For him, the store is the embodiment of Haltom City’s betrayal— a wound that still stings.
“When I see it for real, maybe it will hurt me more,” Dang said.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
