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.

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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

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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

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.

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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

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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

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.

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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

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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

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.

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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

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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

Francois “Frankie” Le Nguyen opens up about his unlikely path — from a teenage entrepreneur in debt to building and selling a cybersecurity startup, investing in 50 companies, and ultimately returning home to Vietnam. 

We discuss the ambition that drove him, the failures that shaped him, and how success and identity evolve when you reconnect with your roots. 

Francois Le Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Canadian founder, investor, and former General Manager at Entrepreneur First in Singapore and Toronto. He has backed and built dozens of startups globally and now calls Saigon home, where he’s helping bridge Vietnam with the world through initiatives like OV Ventures. 

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We discuss: 

00:00 Intro — $20K debt at 17 and lessons on failure 
01:20 Growing up Vietnamese in Canada: identity and rebellion 
06:30 Early ventures — building websites, hosting, and small businesses as a teen 
08:40 Failure, debt, and rebuilding through university 
10:20 Discovering tech and product management at Lightspeed 
13:00 The Singapore chapter — TradeGecko, community building, and teaching 
22:00 VC years at Entrepreneur First — lessons from founders and venture 
31:40 Starting his own cybersecurity company and pitching 200 VCs 
47:00 Selling the company and redefining success 
53:00 Reconnecting with family and heritage 
1:05:00 Why he moved back to Vietnam 
1:08:30 Reflections on ambition, values, and legacy 

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Connect with Francois: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoislenguyen/ 
https://www.instagram.com/frankiee/ 

Connect with Quang: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/ 
https://www.instagram.com/quang 

Join OV: https://joinov.com 
About OV: https://overseasvietnamese.com

Mai Vo left Big Tech to solve a problem she lived: modern women navigating big life and career transitions without a trusted peer group. She founded Podium, a connection platform that brings small, curated circles together in person—so women can find support, clarity, and momentum. 

We talk about the reality behind “glorified entrepreneurship,” why she did 65 unscalable events to build a playbook, what community impact actually looks like, and how Vietnamese heritage and operating in Vietnam/Singapore shaped her leadership. 

Mai Vo is the Co-founder & CEO of Podium, a platform for modern women (late 20s–40s) to find peer support through curated dinners, intimate groups, and retreats. Previously, she worked at Google (London → Singapore) after starting her career at Samsung. 

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We discuss: 

00:31 Who is Mai? German-born Vietnamese across cultures 
03:35 Big Tech years: Samsung → Google (London & Singapore) 
06:15 COVID: the push/pull to leave Big Tech 
08:08 Advice to corporate folks considering entrepreneurship 
11:58 Unlearning “ambiguity”: trusting gut without a million data points 
13:26 Podium’s idea: women’s peer groups for life & career transitions 
15:27 From first events to co-founder; bootstrapping the early days 
16:48 Family expectations; rebuilding a new peer community 
20:47 How Podium works: intimate dinners, topics, and retreats 
22:37 Measuring impact: from feelings to tangible outcomes 
27:59 Do the unscalable (65 events) → playbooks & hosts; future vision

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Connect with Mai: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mailienvo/ 
https://www.instagram.com/maiivo/ 

Connect with Quang: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/
https://www.instagram.com/quang

Join OV: https://joinov.com
About OV: https://overseasvietnamese.com

Kevin Huynh is the co‑founder and CEO of PiKNiK & Company, where he leads the development of boutique cloud computing services built on open‑source storage protocols. With a background in medicine, management consulting, and venture investing, Kevin combines deep technical expertise with strategic insights. Under his leadership, PiKNiK is working to decentralize and democratize data for businesses and individuals worldwide.

In this episode, we dive into his entrepreneurial journey, lessons from consulting to tech entrepreneurship, and what drives him as an overseas Vietnamese founder.

Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals, entrepreneurs & leaders worldwide.

You us at joinov.com

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In OV Career Stories, we share about the lives & careers of our members.

This week, we chatted with Khanh P. Ngo—Chief Executive Officer at Liobank.

In this conversation, Quang interviews Khang about his personal and professional journey, focusing on his experiences in networking, career transitions, and leadership. Khang shares insights on the importance of relationships in Vietnam, the challenges of moving from consulting to roles in tech and banking, and his approach to leadership and team dynamics. The discussion also touches on the unique strategies of Liobank in the competitive banking landscape.

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Connect with Khanh P. Ngo:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khanhpnngo/

Connect with Quang Do:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovquang/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quang
• X: https://x.com/ovquang

Join OV:
• https://www.joinov.com

Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals, entrepreneurs & leaders worldwide.

You us at joinov.com

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In OV Career Stories, we share about the lives & careers of our members.

This week, we chatted with Michael Nguyen—Co-founder of Opus Match.

In this conversation, Michael shares his journey from being the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants to becoming an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. He discusses the cultural expectations placed on him by his parents, his passion for computer science sparked by video games, and the challenges he faced in pursuing a non-traditional career path. Michael reflects on the importance of finding meaningful work and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives him and his co-founder, as well as the significance of their Vietnamese heritage in shaping their professional lives. In this conversation, Michael Nguyen shares insights on managing a business with his brother, the dynamics of leading a diverse team, and the importance of understanding cultural nuances. He discusses his daily routines as a CEO, emphasizing the significance of physical and mental well-being. Michael also highlights the value of continuous learning and networking, particularly in the context of adapting to the evolving landscape of AI in business. He expresses optimism for the future and the potential of his team to solve real-world problems.

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Connect with Michael Nguyen:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mykael/

Connect with Quang Do:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ovquang/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quang
• X: x.com/ovquang

Join OV:
• joinov.com

Overseas Vietnamese (OV) is a private network for Vietnamese professionals, entrepreneurs & leaders worldwide.

You us at joinov.com

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In OV Career Stories, we share about the lives and careers of our members.

This week, we chatted with Kieu My Dang—Consultant at Boston Consulting Group.

In this conversation, Kieu-My shares her multicultural background, navigating her identity as a Vietnamese immigrant in Switzerland and France. She discusses the challenges of transitioning between cultures, the influence of her parents on her education and career choices, and her journey into the competitive world of consulting at BCG. Kieu-My reflects on her experiences with imposter syndrome, the intensity of her work environment, and her ongoing efforts to build confidence in her professional life. In this conversation, Kieu-My shares her journey of self-discovery, coping with imposter syndrome, and the importance of coaching. She discusses her emotional coping mechanisms, the structure of her daily life, and the lessons learned from her experiences. Kieu-My emphasizes the significance of work-life balance, reflection, and self-confidence, especially for women in demanding careers. She also shares her future aspirations, including a desire to move back to Vietnam and invest in her creative projects.

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Connect with Kieu My Dang:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kieu-my-dang-23a245b1/
• Instagram: instagram.com/kmy.dg/

Connect with Quang Do:
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ovquang/
• Instagram: instagram.com/quang

Join OV:
• joinov.com