How Hao Tran Built Vietcetera – Lessons on Starting from Zero in Vietnam

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. - We discuss: 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 - Connect with Hao:   / haontran     / haontran   Connect with Quang:   / ovquang     / quang   Join OV: https://joinov.com About OV: https://overseasvietnamese.com