From a Refugee Camp to Building an AI Health Startup | Vincent Vu, Kinis AI

Binh Tran co-founded Klout in Silicon Valley and has invested in Vietnamese startups since 2015. Today he is co-founder and General Partner of Ascend Vietnam Ventures (AVV) in Ho Chi Minh City.We go from growing up Vietnamese in California, coding at 13 and making Nintendo 64 games to building and selling Klout. Then why he bet on Vietnam, and what ten years of investing here taught him.He explains where Vietnamese founders can win globally, what they still lack, and what he would tell Overseas Vietnamese who want to build in Vietnam.-0:00 Intro1:37 Growing up Vietnamese in California4:22 Coding at 13 on an IBM XT8:15 Making Nintendo 64 and PlayStation games13:57 A burrito lunch and joining Klout18:32 The backlash against the Klout score23:45 Selling Klout25:30 Why he bet on Vietnam29:03 What 10 years of investing in Vietnam taught him34:12 Boom, bust and the next cycle40:37 Where Vietnamese founders can win globally48:20 What Vietnamese founders still lack53:15 What he looks for in a pitch59:26 Living as a bridge between two worlds1:00:57 Advice for Overseas Vietnamese moving to Vietnam1:08:15 Proving Vietnam can return money https://overseasvietnamese.com

Minh Le founded VinaGame in 2004 at 27, and the company, now VNG, went on to build Zalo, ZaloPay and an AI cloud business. He almost stayed in Australia after a finance scholarship, until one morning meeting changed his mind.He explains what earns the luck behind VNG: the question he asks every founder, the more than 500 products VNG has tried, and his motto "try anything, just don't die". He also walks through VNG's AI bets.For Overseas Vietnamese thinking about a move home, his advice is to trust your heart over the analysis and to answer the question by acting.-0:00 Intro0:30 Gamer, optimist, builder: who Minh Le is4:23 Knowing what you want in life9:27 From Saigon to Melbourne on a scholarship15:00 The morning he decided to go home16:24 Hotmail, and a plan to start a company25:10 VinaGame and its first hit, Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ28:43 Luck: timing, place and people33:24 The question he asks founders41:41 Earning the right to make big bets45:55 "Try anything, just don't die"48:50 Love is a verb53:08 VNG's AI bets1:02:52 VNG's missions, from the internet to the world1:14:19 Advice for Overseas Vietnamese thinking of moving home https://overseasvietnamese.com

Jim Nguyen grew up in Silicon Valley, sold his payments startup Ruby Coins to PayPal and started PayPal's crypto team in 2013. Today he is building InFlow, which he describes as a PayPal for AI agents.He explains why every payment system breaks once you take the person out, what operating at PayPal's scale taught him, and why "why now" is the hardest question for his startup.He also argues that Vietnam today is where China was in 1995, and shares his advice for Vietnamese on AI and for young founders.-0:00 Intro0:46 Who Jim Nguyen is2:50 Ruby Coins: payments inside video games4:44 After PayPal: crypto and OKCoin10:34 Growing up Vietnamese in America17:25 Being acquired by PayPal23:48 A "PayPal mafia" for Vietnamese28:07 Why Vietnam is ready now29:40 Building InFlow's team in Vietnam31:32 Why agents will be the new buyers34:47 Trust: every agent tied to a person43:17 The hardest question: why now51:44 What Vietnam needs to do1:02:17 How to start with AI1:04:23 Advice for young founders https://overseasvietnamese.com

Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh grew up between Huế, Paris and Saigon, taught at the University of Paris and joined the movement against the war. She later became one of Vietnam's best-known diplomats.She explains why she puts national and cultural identity above political differences, and why she sees forgiveness as part of being Vietnamese.Her message to Overseas Vietnamese is practical: Vietnam needs talent now, and when things move here, they move fast.-0:00 Intro0:30 Academic, diplomat, and from Huế3:19 A childhood in Paris9:10 Back to Saigon, and the French name she refused15:35 From Saigon to the École normale supérieure27:19 Joining the anti-war movement29:40 Why she was sent back to Saigon36:59 Reconciliation, and a protest in San Diego42:43 A lesson in forgiveness45:25 Identity above politics50:17 Becoming a diplomat56:58 Vietnam's steady rise in diplomacy1:06:13 How Overseas Vietnamese can help1:11:08 Why the time to act is now1:19:19 Her hopes for Vietnam https://overseasvietnamese.com

Bùi Kiến Thành was 94 when we recorded, and his life runs through most of modern Vietnam's history. He studied in France and at Columbia, helped set up the National Bank of Vietnam and later advised Hanoi on how to rebuild the economy.He explains the idea he gave a delegation from Hanoi around 1980, make the people rich, and why Resolution 68 now hands the economy to people and enterprises.His message to Overseas Vietnamese: Vietnam belongs to all of them, so visit, go to the countryside and see the country to love it.-0:00 Intro0:30 A village childhood in Quảng Nam5:46 Six years of school in two, then France8:44 From London to Minnesota to Columbia12:17 Assistant to Ngô Đình Diệm14:08 Building the National Bank of Vietnam20:43 Into business: AIU and a battery factory32:24 Sixteen months in jail, and Buddhism39:05 The pagoda, and a hidden passage to Marseille49:50 A delegation from Hanoi asks for advice52:13 "Make the people rich"59:28 Resolution 681:02:28 Vietnam's place in the world today1:10:29 Coming home in 1991: freeing detained officers1:23:29 A letter to Washington and Vietnam's sovereignty1:42:54 A message for Overseas Vietnamese https://overseasvietnamese.com

Will left Vietnam for Germany at seven and built a career in finance and tech before moving back in 2021. Tina studied in the US for eight to nine years, then lectured at Văn Lang University before leaving to build something of her own.They met at an OV event in Saigon, and one of Will's first TikTok videos got about 2 million views. They explain how they reached almost 600 posts without missing a day, and how they handle brand deals and weeks with no views.They also talk about being a cross-cultural couple, why Vietnam is a good market for creators, and where they hope to be in five years.-0:00 Intro0:43 Who Will is3:21 Who Tina is5:24 How they met10:09 How the content started13:46 The first viral video15:19 Choosing couple content17:46 Tina joins, first in a mask31:35 Behind the scenes: the Notion system37:51 Content pillars46:59 The first brand deals54:07 Advice for Overseas Vietnamese creators58:46 Cross-cultural differences1:13:04 Vietnam's creator economy1:22:33 Should you become a creator?1:31:11 Five years from now https://overseasvietnamese.com

Quoc Luong grew up hungry in Saigon, learned English at 26 and won scholarships to Cornell and UC Berkeley. After years in the US, he came back to build Realtime Robotics, which designs and manufactures drones in Vietnam.He explains how RtR went from taking drones apart to inventing its own, and how the company does more with less on about 15 million US dollars.He also argues that Vietnam has to drop the belief that it cannot compete, and shares his grandmother's words that only education can change your life.-0:00 Intro0:39 Who Quoc Luong is1:19 Growing up hungry in Saigon2:59 Learning English at 26 and an American mom4:06 Scholarships to Cornell and UC Berkeley14:48 A PhD designed to humble you19:34 Picking the right problem20:46 From consulting to drones24:37 Learn, catch up, invent30:16 Hera34:48 Why Vietnam: engineering talent41:21 Do more with less45:26 Testing Hera in Alaska49:51 What Vietnam needs to build deep tech55:44 Advice to young Vietnamese58:35 His grandmother's words https://overseasvietnamese.com

Truc Nguyen moved from Ho Chi Minh City to Texas at 14, then worked at JP Morgan, HP and Deloitte and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School. She left it all to buy small businesses, and now owns two nail salons in Austin.She explains why she chose nail salons, how she won over technicians older than her, and why owners must pay themselves.She also shares what HBS gave her, how long search takes, and her plan to come back to Vietnam one day.-0:00 Intro0:32 Who Truc Nguyen is2:14 How search works3:41 Why nail salons6:12 Her parents' baby shoe company8:12 Moving to Texas at 1412:25 Redefining success18:29 Lessons from corporate23:45 How to get mentors26:44 What HBS gave her34:33 Quitting and moving back home at 3239:42 One year in: doing every job43:28 Winning over an older team46:44 Pay yourself52:29 Competing on quality, not price1:02:47 Legacy and coming back to Vietnam https://overseasvietnamese.com

Vincent Vu left Vietnam by boat at seven and spent six years in Galang refugee camp before his family settled in Iowa. He went on to lead engineering teams across four countries.After a running injury, he started a barefoot shoe company with no footwear experience, then turned it into Kinis AI, which screens balance and gait to predict falls.He explains why inexperience can be a strength, why your purpose has to be bigger than your problems, and why he is building a team in Vietnam.-0:00 Intro0:38 Leaving Vietnam by boat at seven4:16 Six years in Galang refugee camp5:33 Back to Vietnam, then Iowa12:24 Watching his mother sell on the street13:20 Architecture and a 2009 layoff17:05 An MBA at night19:43 A running injury and Born to Run21:29 Starting a shoe company with no experience30:08 Why Kinis turned to falls36:27 A barefoot marathon in six weeks43:19 Coming back to Vietnam46:02 Inexperience is a power53:18 Medicine 3.0: from treatment to prevention54:49 Why it is a good time to be in Vietnam1:04:51 Advice to his younger self https://overseasvietnamese.com

Stephen Turban quit McKinsey for Saigon and, while doing a Harvard Business School PhD online during COVID, started Lumiere Education. It grew from 12 students into a company of about 80 people with low eight-figure revenue and no outside investment.He explains his side door approach, why he was cut from 40 of the 42 companies he interviewed with, and why he puts a price of $3,000 on an hour of his time.He also argues that newcomers should treat Vietnam as a long-term home rather than a stopover.-0:00 Intro0:42 Who Stephen Turban is3:25 Why Vietnam4:21 Learning Vietnamese at a nail salon6:34 Quitting McKinsey for Saigon9:33 The side door approach16:30 How Lumiere started18:34 Why he bootstrapped27:09 Should founders build from Vietnam31:42 Vietnam is not a stopover45:49 Copy, then test48:05 No one cares about you53:08 The rejections no one sees57:46 Pricing his time at $3,000 an hour1:07:04 Money as a means1:14:13 Advice to his younger self https://overseasvietnamese.com