Overseas Vietnamese

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. - 0:37 Gamer, optimist, builder, people person 5:14 What do you want in life 11:23 Scholarship to Australia, 1997 15:46 The Melbourne office moment 18:42 The Hotmail story 25:16 Founding VNG, the first blockbuster game 29:24 Luck and the prepared mind 37:23 Playing the game vs the game playing you 41:43 Earning the right to make bets 50:31 Love is a verb 53:57 VNG's AI bets 1:02:59 The VNG mission 1:09:43 Heart over analysis 1:14:26 Advice for overseas Vietnamese - Join OV: https://joinov.com

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

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

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 identity03:21 Following his father and early exposure to medicine, enterprise, and poverty05:57 Accelerated education and decision to study abroad07:43 France, the baccalaureate, and choosing economics over engineering09:52 Studying in the US: St. John’s → Columbia University13:06 Meeting Ngô Đình Diệm and returning to Vietnam as a young aide14:08 Building Vietnam’s central banking system and financial independence16:48 Training across commercial, investment, and central banking in New York21:20 Leaving government for the private sector and leading AIG Vietnam25:26 Building one of Vietnam’s first high-tech joint ventures32:30 Arrest, imprisonment, and a turning point through philosophy and Buddhism39:48 Exile, clandestine escape, and rebuilding life in France45:06 Real estate development in Europe and return to global finance50:20 Advising Hanoi: the core idea behind Đổi Mới (“make the people rich”)55:04 How Vietnam shifted from state monopoly to market economy59:35 Resolution 68 and redefining the role of the stat1:02:33 Vietnam’s geopolitical position and why the future is open1:07:06 Diaspora as national strength and global Vietnamese talent1:10:38 Returning after 1991: reconciliation, POW/MIA, and normalization1:22:10 Sovereignty, international law, and standing up to global powers1:36:06 Vietnam’s long arc, youth, optimism, and what comes next1:46:18 Final advice: knowing Vietnam deeply and contributing with purpose-Join OV: https://joinov.com

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 momentum19:13 Going public early: attention, pressure, and relationship dynamics25:43 Why owning distribution matters (and how creators think about leverage)32:06 Systems behind the scenes: planning, Notion, and how they run production38:34 What makes content “work”: choosing moments, structure, and consistency45:00 Navigating feedback, criticism, and staying grounded51:27 The business side: deals, expectations, and learning through conflict57:52 Early creator chapters and what changed over time1:04:20 Identity, background, and why Vietnam became the right place1:10:46 Turning real life into content (without losing the relationship)1:17:13 The creator economy in Vietnam: why the market is growing1:23:36 The myths people have about creators — and the real tradeoffs1:30:06 Success, direction, and what they’re optimizing for now-Connect with Will & Tina:https://www.instagram.com/itswillandtina/https://www.tiktok.com/@itswillandtinaConnect with Quang:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/https://www.instagram.com/quangJoin OV: https://joinov.com

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 Vietnam03:13 Learning English at 26 & meeting his “American mom”04:15 Winning scholarships to Cornell and UC Berkeley07:47 First impressions of the U.S. & adapting to academic life11:23 Early years in America: surviving, catching up & gratitude15:14 PhD track: learning to think deeply and systematically20:00 Corporate consulting → discovering drones → original idea22:42 Realization: they must build their own drones to succeed24:53 Returning to Vietnam & assembling an engineering team26:33 From learning → catching up → inventing: the 10-year journey30:16 Hera drone: designing a world-leading UAV from Vietnam33:40 Patents, gimbals, multi-camera tech & engineering breakthroughs35:02 U.S. commercial traction, Army use cases & global expansion40:05 Why Vietnam can build deeptech: talent, cost advantages, mindset53:00 Funding gaps, advice for founders & why Vietnamese can build globally1:01:18 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/quangJoin OV: https://joinov.com

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 reset02:28 Leaving Deloitte to pursue entrepreneurship & search04:06 Narrowing the buy-box: choosing Vietnamese-owned nail salons05:50 Parents’ sacrifice, ambition, and early definitions of success08:18 Moving to the US at 14: culture shock & rebuilding identity12:32 Parents’ non-tiger-parent philosophy on career & success14:02 Quitting corporate, craving ownership & independence18:43 Big corporate lessons: structure, mentorship, empowering others23:51 How she approaches mentorship & gets real support29:40 HBS as platform: exposure, networks & brand opening doors36:07 Funding & buying the first nail salon (self-funded + SBA loans)40:35 Reality of running a small business: doing every job & installing systems52:03 Generational mindset shifts: saving vs investing; competing on experience58:05 What most people underestimate about SMB acquisitions & search timelines1:02:47 10-year vision, legacy, return to Vietnam & advice to her younger self-Connect with Truc:https://www.linkedin.com/in/truc-nguyen-9697aa40https://www.instagram.com/trucish/Connect with Quang:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/https://www.instagram.com/quangJoin OV: https://joinov.com

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 camp05:40 Coming to the U.S. and rebuilding from zero10:20 Learning English, identity, and early hardship14:00 Studying architecture and getting laid off18:30 Becoming an engineer and leading global teams22:30 Starting Kinis Barefoot with no experience27:00 Manufacturing challenges and the early failures31:40 Pivoting to Kinis AI after discovering the fall-prevention problem36:10 Movement intelligence: balance, gait, and “movement age”40:50 Why mindset matters more than talent48:20 Returning to Vietnam after decades abroad52:10 Lessons for overseas Vietnamese thinking about moving back56:40 Building a mission-driven company1:03:00 Purpose, integrity, and teaching the next generation1:06:30 Closing reflections-Connect with Vincent:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentvuai/Connect with Quang:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/https://www.instagram.com/quangJoin OV: https://joinov.com

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 world14:15 First time in Vietnam and the Fulbright chapter19:00 How Saigon “ruined” his PhD (in a good way)23:45 Choosing Vietnam over the traditional academic path28:30 Starting Lumiere and building globally from Asia33:15 Bootstrapping Lumiere toward low 8-figure revenue38:00 Hiring and building teams from Vietnam, India, China42:45 Side-door careers and avoiding front-door competition47:30 Experiments, learning, reading and truth-seeking52:15 Learning Vietnamese and doing stand-up comedy in Saigon57:00 Identity, belonging and becoming “half OV”1:01:45 Why Vietnam is underrated for builders1:06:30 Advice for people thinking about building from Vietnam1:11:15 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/quangJoin OV: https://joinov.com

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 Vietnam05:00 Family business vs. forging her own path07:20 Moving back home: fear, motivation, and opportunity10:40 Discovering her passion for entrepreneurship15:00 Finding the idea for LOGIVAN and validating logistics19:00 Why logistics is a massive but broken market in Vietnam21:00 The hard truths about building a startup here24:00 Navigating Vietnam’s “gray zone” business culture26:00 Relationships, trust, and doing business the Vietnamese way31:00 Gender, age, and establishing authority as a young female founder36:00 Lessons from building and leading teams in Vietnam41:00 COVID, layoffs, and resilience in tough times45:00 From LOGIVAN to FreightPilot.AI — the next chapter49:00 How AI can fix logistics inefficiencies56:00 Rethinking ambition, success, and the long game1:00:00 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/quangJoin OV: https://joinov.com