Overseas Vietnamese

Quang Do
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A professional network for Vietnamese worldwide.

  1. Vietnam Is Ready for the AI Era

    3 DAYS AGO

    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 future of commerce, and why Jim believes Vietnam is uniquely positioned to benefit from the next major platform shift in technology. We also explore entrepreneurship, building through uncertainty, operating at scale, and what Vietnam needs to do to become a true AI and innovation hub. - 00:40 Jim’s background and early career in Silicon Valley 01:41 Starting as an engineer and building data centers 02:28 Building a gaming payments startup and selling to PayPal 04:38 Joining OKCoin and going deeper into crypto 06:14 Stablecoins and global payment infrastructure 07:24 Why Inflow exists and the friction in AI workflows 08:29 Solving problems through tinkering and building 10:35 Growing up Vietnamese in America 13:01 Lessons from building startups and staying close to customers 17:17 The PayPal acquisition experience 20:57 What PayPal taught him about scale and networks 23:30 Building something like the “PayPal Mafia” for Vietnamese 25:11 Why Vietnam is well-positioned for the AI shift 29:32 Building Inflow and expanding into Vietnam 31:42 The core thesis behind agentic commerce 34:39 Trust, identity, and payments for AI agents 36:29 Launching Inflow and finding early customers 43:19 Timing, adoption, and the future of AI agents 46:50 Who adopts agentic commerce first 50:53 The long-term vision for Inflow 51:28 What Vietnam needs to do to win the AI era 54:42 AI use cases for Vietnam 57:58 Why Vietnam matters strategically 1:00:42 Why Vietnam should aggressively adopt AI 1:02:08 Advice for Vietnamese people on embracing AI 1:04:25 Advice for young Vietnamese entrepreneurs - Join OV: joinov.com

    1hr 6min
  2. Why Vietnam’s Moment Is Happening Now: Ton Nu Thi Ninh

    16 APR

    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 essential listening for anyone trying to understand Vietnam beyond headlines, especially overseas Vietnamese, founders, investors, and leaders thinking about Vietnam’s future. - 00:30 Introduction to Madame Ninh 03:19 Growing up in Huế and moving to Paris 09:10 Returning to Vietnam as a teenager 15:35 Education and studying in France 27:14 Anti-war activism in Paris 29:40 Returning to Saigon during wartime 34:42 Working secretly in Saigon 36:59 Reflections on reconciliation after war 45:25 Vietnam’s national identity and unity 50:19 Becoming a diplomat 54:51 Why Hanoi recruited her 56:58 Vietnam’s diplomatic rise 1:03:36 What makes Vietnam unique 1:06:13 Advice for overseas Vietnamese 1:11:08 Why the time to act is now 1:19:19 Her hopes for Vietnam’s future - Join OV: https://joinov.com

    1hr 25min
  3. What Built Modern Vietnam – Bui Kien Thanh

    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

    1hr 48min
  4. Will & Tina: How We Became Content Creators in Vietnam

    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

    1hr 37min
  5. Vietnam Can Build Deeptech: Quoc Luong’s Journey

    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

    1hr 2min
  6. From Harvard MBA to Vietnamese Nail Salons

    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

    1hr 7min
  7. Hardship as Training: Vincent Vu’s Lessons on Grit & Problem-Solving

    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

    1hr 9min
  8. Vietnam Is Underrated: Stephen Turban on Building Globally From Saigon

    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

    1hr 16min
See All (21)

About

A professional network for Vietnamese worldwide.

Information

  • Creator
    Quang Do
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Overseas Vietnamese
  • Show Website
    Overseas Vietnamese

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