Before COVID hit, Nicolas Thành was enjoying the fruits of his four years of labor put into his hostel DaBlend in Saigon, Vietnam. Da Blend Hostel was ranking number one on platforms such as HostelWorld and Trip Advisor. Nico had plans to expand the business and get involved in other tourism business opportunities.

As you can imagine, this all came crashing down with the closing of the Vietnam borders due to the pandemic. It was hard for Nico to accept that it was all over, and that he had to figure something else out--and fast, before he ran out of his savings. At the same time, he was grateful for the chance to actually slow down and have time back to himself. Having spent 10 days in the hospital in 2018 due to overworking, not eating, stress, and lack of sleep..Nico welcomed the opportunity to learn how to install better systems and habits. 

Now, he is a full time business consultant for the company IzyViet, a paperwork service for visas, work permits, licenses, etc. for foreigners in and entering Vietnam. He is also a co-host of our podcast, Creators in Saigon! He also founded a Facebook group community for French Expats in Vietnam (link below). When there aren't government-mandated restrictions, Nico hosts meet ups for entrepreneurs to learn and network.

In this episode we discuss Nico's upbringing, including being a child of divorce, and being a minority in France. We get into his journey coming to Vietnam when he was just 20 years old, starting up two businesses here in his early 20's, and the failures and lessons that came with them. We discuss his relationship with his Vietnamese wife, and how they've managed to stay a strong couple through the ups and downs.

Shout Out to the Seven Million Bikes Podcast, hosted by Niall Mackay! Listen here or on any podcast app!

Connect with Nicolas Thành:

French Expat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/frenchexpatsvn

IzyViet: https://izyviet.com/

Personal website: https://nicolasthanh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolasthanhg/

Connect with Dana Drahos:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dana.drahos/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dana.drahos/

Connect with Tue Si Nguyen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tuesi

Since moving to Vietnam in early 2018, Kimmie discovered the joy of custom made clothing. From the challenge of finding the perfect print in a delightfully disorganized marketplace to seeking the Holy Grail of tailors, each experience pushed her to where she is now: creating and expanding a platform to share her vision of vibrant and expressive clothing. She is the Founder and Designer at Dynasty the Label, an ethical, handmade, slow fashion brand. 

In this episode we talk about her Vietnamese-Ethiopian roots and what it was like growing up in a Vietnamese home while living in Australia. She shares with us the problems with the majority of the fashion industry today and how we can all be more conscious consumers. We talk about how moving to Vietnam has allowed her to finally feel at home and what her hopes and dreams for the future are.

Connect with Kimmie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goddesskimmie/ and https://www.instagram.com/dynastythelabel/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dynastythelabel

Youtube Show, Where the Magic Happens: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaTCeZwcBoCCWHheRfbiTAw

Connect with Dana:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dana.drahos

Connect with Tue Si:

🎙NEW EPISODE! 😍

How many of us, back in school or in high school, hated maths or found that philosophy was boring? And did you thought inside your mind: "I'm never going to need this in my life, why should I learn it".

🙃 Well, the future of education may be different, not for you but for your kids!

🥳 And this is what our guest of today is working on... His name is Trương Võ Hữu Thiên. He is the founder of @garastem.

After studying in Japan, Thien was introduced to two innovative educational concepts: the gamification (using game to deal with a non-game discipline) and "STEM"(combination of: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

From that moment he realized that in order to teach kids some abstract or complicated disciplines, he could just turn it into a game. Through the game, kids would learn and remember and be able to be motivated to keep learning.

So after coming back to Vietnam, he launched his start-up Garastem and created his first product. With G-robot, Thien's ambition is to gamify the teaching methods of artificial intelligence to kids in Vietnam, using STEM education.

Learn more about STEM and gamification, learn more about the future of education and how our guest manages his project and keep his work-life-balance in the full episode, available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and Anchor FM.

If you know someone who may be interested in this topic, please share this episode and let us know in the comment how they liked it!⁣⁣

Thank you for listening <3

#creatorsinsaigon #podcastvietnam #vietnamlocals #startupvietnam #saigonese #hcmclife #saigonlife #saigonproducts #vietnamnews #saigonlocal #vietnameducation #destinationvietnam #saigonbusinessowner #saigonlocalbusiness #garastem #stemeducation #gamification #vietnaminnovation #podcastforever #daretocreate #vietnamentrepreneur #stem #steameducation #gamification #Grobot

"Everyone wants to be the sun that lights up your life. But I'd rather be your moon, so I can shine on you during your darkest hour when your sun isn't around." - Unknown

This is the quote that our latest guest Crystal Osuji left us with. Giving us the perfect way to describe her role as a wellness coach and the essential presence that she wants to be in her own life and the people she cares about.

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed her on the podcast and a lot of the interview had to be cut off because of the constant laughter!

She still managed to give us a glimpse into the life of a Nigerian-American living and creating her best life in Vietnam and I was very excited to be able to experience her point of view of Vietnam and Saigon.

How she uses all of her experiences as a Massage Therapist, Yoga instructor, Pole-dancer competitor & Wellness Coach to do her own internal work & find her own balance in order to be of service to others is truly inspiring and commands respect.

You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theeclectichealer

She has a special event you can attend on the day of this release but she will for sure have many others in the near future.

Thúy Uong has loved bringing people together through the power of music since she was a child (so much so that she used to practice playing piano by drawing the keys on pillows!). She grew up in a time where Vietnam was dark and quiet, but MTV music videos of the 90's brought Thuy a sense of hope for her future. 

In 2018, she quit her comfortable 9-5 job to pursue her passions full time, and it has forever changed the course of her life. Tune in to learn how and why she fell in love with jazz and swing dancing, why dancing and community is good for your mental health, and all about her new grocery store business that is going to change the game (in a good way!) for small businesses in Vietnam.

When not working, Thuy enjoys social swing dancing in her Saigon Swing Cats, the longest running Swing Dance club in Vietnam and travels to dance her way around the globe with the world wide Lindy Hop community. Sometimes Thuy organizes fun dance workshops, special jazz concerts or weekend-long dance festivals to spread joy and share her passion for this vintage art form to more happy souls and happy feet.

Thank you to Masqd, an eco-conscious face mask brand created by Reece Gannon and Han Nhat Hoang, a couple in Saigon. The masks are made with microfibre polyester (same material as Nike DriFit), have adaptive cooling for breathability, reusable and biodegradable packaging, and anti-fog.

They currently have two designs available for customers, Comfort Fit and Fog Free (specially made for those who wear glasses). They come in colors Deep Blue, Light Blue, Jet Black and Pure White.

Single Mask: 129,000 VND per mask

Bundle Offer: Buy 4 Get 1 Free

Green Subscription: 99,000 VND per Month (paid in advance) includes Free Delivery & Recycling Collection

Free Delivery on orders above 300,000 VND

How to Order:

Customers in Vietnam can order via Instagram or Facebook (@masqd_). Creators in Saigon listeners can direct message the Facebook or Instagram pages with the code GREENCREATORS to get 25% off their first order, valid until January 31st.

Get in touch with Dana Drahos

Instagram: @dana.drahos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dana.drahos/

Get in touch with Nicolas Thanh

Pham Thi Thuy Lien is a travel blogger, marathon runner, and voice over talent. What she DOES, is impressive, but it's even more inspiring the type of person she IS. When she doesn't know how to do something, she doesn't let it stop her, she works hard to learn how to do it. For example, she has taught herself English, taught herself how to successfully make money from her travel blog, and never took formal lessons for voice over work. She sees what she wants, and goes for it, practicing and staying consistent until she reaches her goal.

We hope you will gain inspiration from this episode to go for your dreams even if you don't YET have the knowledge, skills, or money. What you DO have is your willingness to put in the work, your "why", and if you're having trouble setting up the habits and systems for success, reach out to Tue Si or Nico!

Connect with Lien

Travel blog: https://goccualien.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LienPham.Goccualien

Connect with Tue Si Nguyen

Connect with Nicolas Thanh

Dana, Tue Si and Nico reflect on their 2020's, including their proudest moments, lowest moments, key lessons learned, and then share their hopes, dreams and goals for 2021. Happy New Year!!

Resources Mentioned:

Annual review template we used: Google doc version or Notion version

We will keep you posted about Tue Si and Nico's Annual Review workshop!

Connect with Dana

Connect with Tue Si

Connect with Nico

"I looked at myself and I was like, okay, I'm living in this beautiful apartment downtown, I have a very high paying job, I have a very beautiful fiance, and yet I'm doing drugs every single day to sustain my mental stability."

For Tue Si, born and raised in France with Vietnamese heritage, moving to Vietnam was a life or death decision.

He knew that he had to get out of the environment where his meth addiction started and was sustained. He knew he had to start fresh.

With over a year of sobriety, Tue Si has learned a lot about the childhood trauma that planted the seeds for a multitude of addictions later in life, how to heal from the trauma and cope in a healthy way, and how to help others get their lives on track through what he calls a "life operating system."

Learn about Tue Si's past, his story of overcoming addiction in Saigon, what he means by "life operating system", and more.

Connect with Dana

Connect with Tue Si

Connect with Nico

"A year after knowing (my girlfriend), we did a yearly review: to see what was good this year and what was not good? And I ended up writing on a piece of paper that I don't want to do what I'm doing anymore."

Tune in to find out more about Guillaume Rondan's transition from digital nomadness to content creation fueled by his desire to help people Move to Asia.

He shares his experiences, struggles & point of views on the importance of knowing yourself, finding fullfillment through the creative process, the importance of a good support system and what's next after "making it" as a digital nomad.

Connect with  Guillaume: https://movetoasia.com/en/

Connect with Dana

Connect with Tue Si

Connect with Nico

BONUS episode!! The day has finally come when it is time to interview the creator of this podcast, Dana Drahos!!

Nico and Tue SI dig in to how Dana ended up in Vietnam, her meandering very non-linear entrepreneurial path from teaching, to podcast producing, to life coaching, and now moving more towards health coaching.

We talk about how learning to become vulnerable and ask for help has helped her overcome perfectionism and fear of failure, and most importantly, her experience with burn out over the years and how she's learned to manage it.

Connect with Dana

https://www.facebook.com/dana.drahos/

Connect with Tue Si

https://www.facebook.com/tuesi

Connect with Nico

https://m.facebook.com/nicolasthanhg/