Overseas Vietnamese
How to Build a Tech Giant in Vietnam | Minh Le, Founder of VNG
Minh Le is founder and chairman of VNG, one of Vietnam's leading tech companies: Zalo with close to 80 million users, gaming, ZaloPay, and a growing AI and cloud business. He started it as a gaming café with friends in 2004.
We talk about the decision that brought him back to Vietnam, the founding of VNG, luck, making bets, and where AI fits into what VNG builds next.
This conversation goes deep into how one of Vietnam's best-known founders actually thinks.
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0:37 Gamer, optimist, builder, people person
5:14 What do you want in l...
Vietnam Is Ready for the AI Era
Jim Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American serial entrepreneur and payments infrastructure builder who previously built and sold a company to PayPal, led digital business development at PayPal, started PayPal’s crypto team in 2013, and later helped scale OKCoin globally.
Today, he is building Inflow, a new infrastructure layer for AI agents and agentic commerce. His thesis is simple but profound: AI agents will become a new type of buyer, and the internet’s payment systems need to evolve to support them.
In this conversation, we talk about Silicon Valley, startups, PayPal, crypto, stablecoins, AI agents, the futu...
Why Vietnam’s Moment Is Happening Now: Ton Nu Thi Ninh
Madame Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh is one of Vietnam’s most respected diplomats, intellectuals, and public thinkers. Over decades, she represented Vietnam on the global stage and played an important role in shaping the country’s diplomatic voice during its modern era.
In this conversation, we talk about her extraordinary life journey, from growing up between Vietnam and France, to returning during wartime, entering diplomacy, and witnessing Vietnam’s transformation firsthand. We also discuss Vietnam’s identity, the overseas Vietnamese community, and why she believes the country’s next chapter is full of opportunity.
This episode is...
What Built Modern Vietnam – Bui Kien Thanh
Bùi Kiến Thành is one of the most influential economic thinkers behind modern Vietnam. Over decades, he advised governments, institutions, and leaders on how Vietnam could move from scarcity to strength – not through ideology, but through pragmatic economic thinking.
In this conversation, we talk about what actually built modern Vietnam: the shift toward markets, the role of private enterprise, the importance of making people prosperous first, and why long-term national development requires discipline, patience, and clarity of thought.
This episode is essential listening for anyone trying to understand Vietnam beyond headlines – especially overseas...
Will & Tina: How We Became Content Creators in Vietnam
Will & Tina share how they met at an OV event in Saigon — and how a chance connection turned into a relationship, a shared life in Vietnam, and eventually a content-creator journey built on honesty and everyday moments.
Will grew up in Germany and previously worked at Google. Tina spent eight years studying in the U.S. before returning to Vietnam to become a university lecturer. Together, they talk openly about cross-cultural relationships, identity, communication, and what it really takes to build something together — both personally and professionally.
We discuss modern relationships, balancing love and work, choo...
Vietnam Can Build Deeptech: Quoc Luong’s Journey
Quoc Luong grew up scavenging for food on the streets of Saigon – and went on to become one of Vietnam’s most accomplished deep-tech founders. After teaching himself English at 26, he earned scholarships to Cornell and UC Berkeley, built a life in Silicon Valley, and ultimately returned to Vietnam to found Realtime Robotics (RtR): the country’s first high-tech drone company to invent, design, and manufacture world-class UAV systems.
Today RtR drones are used in commercial operations across the U.S. and even by U.S. Army units. Quoc shares how he built a 70-person engineering organization in Sai...
From Harvard MBA to Vietnamese Nail Salons
Truc Nguyen left a high-achieving path — JP Morgan, HP, Deloitte, Harvard MBA — to pursue a very different ambition: buying and operating small businesses. What started as a career reset turned into a deep exploration of Vietnamese-American entrepreneurship and the power of rolling up service businesses the right way.
She shares how she evaluated which industry to pursue, why she focused on Vietnamese-owned nail salons, what people underestimate about SMB acquisitions, and how she rebuilt operations, culture, and processes from scratch. Her story blends corporate discipline with immigrant grit — and shows how business ownership can become a path to aut...
Hardship as Training: Vincent Vu’s Lessons on Grit & Problem-Solving
Vincent Vu’s journey is extraordinary. From escaping Vietnam by boat at age seven and spending six years in a refugee camp, to immigrating to the U.S., rebuilding his life from nothing, and eventually becoming an engineer leading global teams across the world.
After three failed startups, Vincent founded Kinis AI, a movement-intelligence platform using balance, gait, and motion analysis to prevent falls for aging populations. His story is a masterclass in grit, reinvention, and solving real human problems.
We talk about hardship as training, why curiosity beats expertise, what barefoot marathons taught him ab...
Vietnam Is Underrated: Stephen Turban on Building Globally From Saigon
Stephen Turban shares why Vietnam became one of the most meaningful chapters of his life – and why he chose Saigon as the base to build Lumiere, an 8-figure global education company.
We talk about the advantages he found in Vietnam, what he learned building globally from Asia, the talent he discovered here and the identity shift that comes from committing to a place far from home.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere, a global education platform that helps thousands of students conduct research with PhDs. He studied at Harvard, worked at McKinsey, learned Vietnamese, pe...
From Cambridge to Saigon: Linh Pham on Building Vietnam’s Uber for Trucks
Linh Pham left a career at Goldman Sachs in London to return to Vietnam and build LOGIVAN, a trucking marketplace often called the “Uber for Trucks.” Her company has raised over $8 million USD and connects more than 20,000 truck drivers and companies nationwide.
We discuss Linh’s journey from Cambridge to Saigon, what she learned building in Vietnam’s opaque logistics market, and how she’s now combining logistics and AI with her new startup, FreightPilot.AI.
Linh Pham is the Founder and CEO of LOGIVAN and FreightPilot.AI, two technology ventures transforming Vietnam’s logistics and supply c...
How Hao Tran Built Vietcetera – Lessons on Starting from Zero in Vietnam
Hao Tran shares his journey from the Bay Area to Saigon – and how being laid off in Silicon Valley led him to co-found Vietcetera, now one of Vietnam’s most influential media companies.
We talk about how Vietnam has changed in the past decade, what it takes for overseas Vietnamese to thrive when they return, and what Hao has learned from building a 70-person media business in a fast-evolving country.
Hao Tran is the Co-founder & CEO of Vietcetera, a leading media network founded in 2016 with the mission to bring Vietnam to the world and the worl...
From Debt to Exit: Francois Le Nguyen on Redefining Success and Returning to Vietnam
Francois “Frankie” Le Nguyen opens up about his unlikely path — from a teenage entrepreneur in debt to building and selling a cybersecurity startup, investing in 50 companies, and ultimately returning home to Vietnam.
We discuss the ambition that drove him, the failures that shaped him, and how success and identity evolve when you reconnect with your roots.
Francois Le Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Canadian founder, investor, and former General Manager at Entrepreneur First in Singapore and Toronto. He has backed and built dozens of startups globally and now calls Saigon home, where he’s helping bridge Vietnam with the w...
Leaving Big Tech for Belonging: Mai Vo’s Journey Creating Podium
Mai Vo left Big Tech to solve a problem she lived: modern women navigating big life and career transitions without a trusted peer group. She founded Podium, a connection platform that brings small, curated circles together in person—so women can find support, clarity, and momentum.
We talk about the reality behind “glorified entrepreneurship,” why she did 65 unscalable events to build a playbook, what community impact actually looks like, and how Vietnamese heritage and operating in Vietnam/Singapore shaped her leadership.
Mai Vo is the Co-founder & CEO of Podium, a platform for modern women (late 20s–40s) t...
Becoming Tech Entrepreneur As Medical Doctor – Kevin Huynh
Kevin Huynh is the co‑founder and CEO of PiKNiK & Company, where he leads the development of boutique cloud computing services built on open‑source storage protocols. With a background in medicine, management consulting, and venture investing, Kevin combines deep technical expertise with strategic insights. Under his leadership, PiKNiK is working to decentralize and democratize data for businesses and individuals worldwide.
In this episode, we dive into his entrepreneurial journey, lessons from consulting to tech entrepreneurship, and what drives him as an overseas Vietnamese founder.
From TikTok to Bank CEO – Khanh P. Ngo
Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals, entrepreneurs & leaders worldwide.
You us at joinov.com
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In OV Career Stories, we share about the lives & careers of our members.
This week, we chatted with Khanh P. Ngo—Chief Executive Officer at Liobank.
In this conversation, Quang interviews Khang about his personal and professional journey, focusing on his experiences in networking, career transitions, and leadership. Khang shares insights on the importance of relationships in Vietnam, the challenges of moving from consulting to roles in tech and banking, an...
From Immigrant to Innovator – Michael Nguyen
Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals, entrepreneurs & leaders worldwide.
You us at joinov.com
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In OV Career Stories, we share about the lives & careers of our members.
This week, we chatted with Michael Nguyen—Co-founder of Opus Match.
In this conversation, Michael shares his journey from being the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants to becoming an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. He discusses the cultural expectations placed on him by his parents, his passion for computer science sparked by video games, and the challenges he fa...
Journey To BCG: A Personal Story – Kieu My Dang
Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals, entrepreneurs & leaders worldwide.
You us at joinov.com
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In OV Career Stories, we share about the lives and careers of our members.
This week, we chatted with Kieu My Dang—Consultant at Boston Consulting Group.
In this conversation, Kieu-My shares her multicultural background, navigating her identity as a Vietnamese immigrant in Switzerland and France. She discusses the challenges of transitioning between cultures, the influence of her parents on her education and career choices, and her journey into the co...
Viet American entrepreneur building in Saigon – Tuan Le
Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals worldwide.
You us at joinov.com
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In the OV Career Stories podcast series, we share about the lives of some of our remarkable members.
This week, we chatted with Tuan Le—Co-founder & CEO of The Lab Saigon.
In this conversation, Tuan shares his journey across cultures—from Vietnam to the US, Dubai, and back—highlighting his artistic development, entrepreneurial ventures, and family influences. He discusses reconnecting with his roots, the challenges of launching a co-working cafe and design studio...
From Surviving War to Building Leaders – Sandy Dang
Sandy Dang is the Co-founder of CoInnovate Consulting—leadership coaching and training institute. She came to the U.S. as refugee and has worked her way up to eventually study at the Harvard Kennedy School and starting and leading various non-profit organizations.
In our conversation, we cover:
• Her childhood and life experiences
• How those have shaped her career and character
• And more!
Podcast is brought to you by Overseas Vietnamese—the global community for Vietnamese professionals: joinov.com
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Connect with Sandy Dang:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyhoadang/
Connect wi...
From Harvard, BCG to Vietnam CEO – Lan Doan
Lan Doan is the Founder of Asla. She grew up in Vietnam, went to the U.S. to study—including completing her MBA at Harvard Business School—returned to Vietnam to work as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, and eventually became the Chief Executive Officer of Taptap, one of Vietnam’s leading engagement and loyalty platforms.
In our conversation, we cover:
• Her experience moving from Vietnam to the U.S. and back
• Her approach to navigating life challenges and transitions
• And more!
Podcast is brought to you by Overseas Vietnamese (OV) – the gl...
From Hanoi to Big Tech Singapore – Alice Nguyen
Alice Nguyen is an Account Manager at Meta. Alice grew up in Vietnam, studied in the US, and now lives in Singapore. She has also been leading the OV Singapore chapter.
In our conversation, we cover:
• Her experience moving to the US from Vietnam
• Her way to joining Meta today
• And more!
Podcast is brought to you by Overseas Vietnamese (OV) – the global community for Vietnamese professionals.
Join our community: ovfellow.com
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Connect with Alice Nguyen:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alicenguyen2712
• Instagram: instagram.com/its.alicehere
From Viet Adoptee to Top of Wall Street – Mark Erickson
Mark Erickson is a Vietnamese adoptee, currently Managing Partner at BlackRock, formerly at Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions, and holds a BA from Harvard University.
In our conversation, we cover:
• His long and successful career finance and Wall Street
• What he has learned along the way
• And more!
Podcast is brought to you by Overseas Vietnamese (OV) – the global community for Vietnamese professionals.
Join our community: ovfellow.com
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Connect with Mark Erickson:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-f-erickson
Connect with Quang Do:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in...
From Vietnam to Ivy League, Goldman & Silicon Valley – Nhat Nguyen
Nhat Nguyen is Chief of Staff at Convai, an AI startup. Nhat grew up in Vietnam, moved to the US for college, holds a dual master degree from Harvard and MIT and has worked in finance for Goldman Sachs before moving to the Bay Area and into tech.
In our conversation, we cover:
• What coming to the US as a Vietnamese immigrant was like
• Tips on how to think about and design your career
• And more!
Podcast is brought to you by Overseas Vietnamese (OV) – the global community for Vietnamese professionals.
Join our...
From Harvard Business School to Vietnam Startup – Robert Huynh
Robert Huynh is the co-founder & CEO of Reforge Labs based out of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Robert grew up in the US, worked for Microsoft and Google, and dropped out of Harvard Business School to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams in Vietnam.
In our conversation, we cover:
• Why he left his prestigious jobs to become a Vietnam-based founder
• The emotional rollercoaster of his journey
• And much more!
Podcast is brought to you by Overseas Vietnamese (OV) – the global community for Vietnamese professionals.
Join our community: ovfellow.com
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Connect wi...
