Overseas Vietnamese

Quang Do

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A professional network for Vietnamese worldwide.

27 JAN

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 Vietnamese, founders, investors, and leaders thinking about Vietnam’s next chapter. - 00:44 Family background, rural childhood, and early identity 03:21 Following his father and early exposure to medicine, enterprise, and poverty 05:57 Accelerated education and decision to study abroad 07:43 France, the baccalaureate, and choosing economics over engineering 09:52 Studying in the US: St. John’s → Columbia University 13:06 Meeting Ngô Đình Diệm and returning to Vietnam as a young aide 14:08 Building Vietnam’s central banking system and financial independence 16:48 Training across commercial, investment, and central banking in New York 21:20 Leaving government for the private sector and leading AIG Vietnam 25:26 Building one of Vietnam’s first high-tech joint ventures 32:30 Arrest, imprisonment, and a turning point through philosophy and Buddhism 39:48 Exile, clandestine escape, and rebuilding life in France 45:06 Real estate development in Europe and return to global finance 50:20 Advising Hanoi: the core idea behind Đổi Mới (“make the people rich”) 55:04 How Vietnam shifted from state monopoly to market economy 59:35 Resolution 68 and redefining the role of the stat 1:02:33 Vietnam’s geopolitical position and why the future is open 1:07:06 Diaspora as national strength and global Vietnamese talent 1:10:38 Returning after 1991: reconciliation, POW/MIA, and normalization 1:22:10 Sovereignty, international law, and standing up to global powers 1:36:06 Vietnam’s long arc, youth, optimism, and what comes next 1:46:18 Final advice: knowing Vietnam deeply and contributing with purpose - Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 48m
19 JAN

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, choosing authenticity over performance, and why their content resonates with so many people navigating similar questions around belonging, partnership, and life in Vietnam. - 06:26 How they met (and how it turned into something real) 12:50 Starting from zero: first videos, first momentum 19:13 Going public early: attention, pressure, and relationship dynamics 25:43 Why owning distribution matters (and how creators think about leverage) 32:06 Systems behind the scenes: planning, Notion, and how they run production 38:34 What makes content “work”: choosing moments, structure, and consistency 45:00 Navigating feedback, criticism, and staying grounded 51:27 The business side: deals, expectations, and learning through conflict 57:52 Early creator chapters and what changed over time 1:04:20 Identity, background, and why Vietnam became the right place 1:10:46 Turning real life into content (without losing the relationship) 1:17:13 The creator economy in Vietnam: why the market is growing 1:23:36 The myths people have about creators — and the real tradeoffs 1:30:06 Success, direction, and what they’re optimizing for now - Connect with Will & Tina: https://www.instagram.com/itswillandtina/ https://www.tiktok.com/@itswillandtina Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 37m
09/12/2025

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 Saigon, why Vietnamese engineers can compete with the best in the world, and how Vietnam can become a global deep-tech nation through conviction, invention, and doing more with less. We talk about his early life, the discipline forged in hardship, what PhD training taught him about thinking deeply, the long road from copying to inventing, and why he believes Vietnamese talent can build globally dominant hardware companies. - 01:22 Introducing himself & the moment he says “I’m doing drones” 02:12 Family background, father’s reeducation & early life in Vietnam 03:13 Learning English at 26 & meeting his “American mom” 04:15 Winning scholarships to Cornell and UC Berkeley 07:47 First impressions of the U.S. & adapting to academic life 11:23 Early years in America: surviving, catching up & gratitude 15:14 PhD track: learning to think deeply and systematically 20:00 Corporate consulting → discovering drones → original idea 22:42 Realization: they must build their own drones to succeed 24:53 Returning to Vietnam & assembling an engineering team 26:33 From learning → catching up → inventing: the 10-year journey 30:16 Hera drone: designing a world-leading UAV from Vietnam 33:40 Patents, gimbals, multi-camera tech & engineering breakthroughs 35:02 U.S. commercial traction, Army use cases & global expansion 40:05 Why Vietnam can build deeptech: talent, cost advantages, mindset 53:00 Funding gaps, advice for founders & why Vietnamese can build globally 1:01:18 Closing reflections on education, growth & conviction - Connect with Quoc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quoc-luong-3140461a/ Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 2m
05/12/2025

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 autonomy and long-term impact. We discuss search, buying your first company, managing older teams, building systems, learning humility, and how Truc thinks about the next decade of acquisitions, leadership, and eventually returning to Vietnam. - 01:38 Harvard Business School & career reset 02:28 Leaving Deloitte to pursue entrepreneurship & search 04:06 Narrowing the buy-box: choosing Vietnamese-owned nail salons 05:50 Parents’ sacrifice, ambition, and early definitions of success 08:18 Moving to the US at 14: culture shock & rebuilding identity 12:32 Parents’ non-tiger-parent philosophy on career & success 14:02 Quitting corporate, craving ownership & independence 18:43 Big corporate lessons: structure, mentorship, empowering others 23:51 How she approaches mentorship & gets real support 29:40 HBS as platform: exposure, networks & brand opening doors 36:07 Funding & buying the first nail salon (self-funded + SBA loans) 40:35 Reality of running a small business: doing every job & installing systems 52:03 Generational mindset shifts: saving vs investing; competing on experience 58:05 What most people underestimate about SMB acquisitions & search timelines 1:02:47 10-year vision, legacy, return to Vietnam & advice to her younger self - Connect with Truc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/truc-nguyen-9697aa40 https://www.instagram.com/trucish/ Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 7m
26/11/2025

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 about mindset, and what returning overseas Vietnamese need to know about building in Vietnam. - We discuss: 02:10 Growing up in a refugee camp 05:40 Coming to the U.S. and rebuilding from zero 10:20 Learning English, identity, and early hardship 14:00 Studying architecture and getting laid off 18:30 Becoming an engineer and leading global teams 22:30 Starting Kinis Barefoot with no experience 27:00 Manufacturing challenges and the early failures 31:40 Pivoting to Kinis AI after discovering the fall-prevention problem 36:10 Movement intelligence: balance, gait, and “movement age” 40:50 Why mindset matters more than talent 48:20 Returning to Vietnam after decades abroad 52:10 Lessons for overseas Vietnamese thinking about moving back 56:40 Building a mission-driven company 1:03:00 Purpose, integrity, and teaching the next generation 1:06:30 Closing reflections - Connect with Vincent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentvuai/ Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 9m
17/11/2025

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, performs stand-up comedy in Saigon and has spent years building and living in Vietnam. - We discuss: 04:45 Failing 40 interviews and “no one cares about you” 09:30 Harvard, McKinsey and entering the working world 14:15 First time in Vietnam and the Fulbright chapter 19:00 How Saigon “ruined” his PhD (in a good way) 23:45 Choosing Vietnam over the traditional academic path 28:30 Starting Lumiere and building globally from Asia 33:15 Bootstrapping Lumiere toward low 8-figure revenue 38:00 Hiring and building teams from Vietnam, India, China 42:45 Side-door careers and avoiding front-door competition 47:30 Experiments, learning, reading and truth-seeking 52:15 Learning Vietnamese and doing stand-up comedy in Saigon 57:00 Identity, belonging and becoming “half OV” 1:01:45 Why Vietnam is underrated for builders 1:06:30 Advice for people thinking about building from Vietnam 1:11:15 Closing thoughts and where to find Stephen & Lumiere - Connect with Stephen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenturban/ https://www.instagram.com/stephenturban/ Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 16m
12/11/2025

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 chain. A Cambridge graduate and former Goldman Sachs analyst, Linh returned home to build where few dared — in Vietnam’s most traditional and challenging industry. - We discuss: 02:00 Why she left Goldman Sachs for Vietnam 05:00 Family business vs. forging her own path 07:20 Moving back home: fear, motivation, and opportunity 10:40 Discovering her passion for entrepreneurship 15:00 Finding the idea for LOGIVAN and validating logistics 19:00 Why logistics is a massive but broken market in Vietnam 21:00 The hard truths about building a startup here 24:00 Navigating Vietnam’s “gray zone” business culture 26:00 Relationships, trust, and doing business the Vietnamese way 31:00 Gender, age, and establishing authority as a young female founder 36:00 Lessons from building and leading teams in Vietnam 41:00 COVID, layoffs, and resilience in tough times 45:00 From LOGIVAN to FreightPilot.AI — the next chapter 49:00 How AI can fix logistics inefficiencies 56:00 Rethinking ambition, success, and the long game 1:00:00 Her vision for Vietnam’s tech and global software exports - Connect with Linh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linh-cantab/ https://www.instagram.com/linhcantab/ Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com

1h 11m
04/11/2025

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 world to Vietnam. Hao is also an angel investor and advisor to businesses and family offices across Southeast Asia. - We discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:00 Growing up Vietnamese-American in the Bay Area 05:00 Getting laid off and discovering Vietnam 10:40 First impressions and deciding to stay 13:00 How Vietnam has evolved in the past decade 14:20 What Vietnam taught him about leadership and humility 18:10 Early mistakes and lessons from building Vietcetera 20:45 How overseas Vietnamese can create value when returning 25:30 Advice for moving to Vietnam and building a career 33:00 Networking and landing opportunities in Vietnam 38:20 Starting Vietcetera and the chaos of early years 41:20 Going from blog to multi-platform media company 46:00 Conviction, monetization, and growing pains 49:40 Leading a Vietnamese team as a Vietnamese-American 55:10 Selling and doing business in Vietnam 1:01:40 Leadership, relationships, and management style 1:03:50 Defining success and staying disciplined in Vietnam 1:08:00 Reflections, lessons, and advice for overseas Vietnamese - Connect with Hao: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haontran/ https://www.instagram.com/haontran Connect with Quang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ https://www.instagram.com/quang Join OV: https://joinov.com About OV: https://overseasvietnamese.com

1h 15m

A professional network for Vietnamese worldwide.

Creator

Quang Do
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

19
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2025 Overseas Vietnamese
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Overseas Vietnamese