You Don't Know Vietnam
Forget what you thought you knew about Vietnam. It's no longer that, as you're about to find out. Hit subscribe for conversations about trends, culture and business from one of the world's fastest growing markets: Vietnam. Hosted by Ian Paynton, co-founder of We Create Content, a content agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.
Episodes
55 episodes
E55: Can Hai Phong become Vietnam’s Shanghai?
In this episode of You Don’t Know Vietnam, Ian Paynton travels (virtually) to Hai Phong — Vietnam’s third-largest city and rising industrial powerhouse — to speak with
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Season 1
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Episode 55
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37:01
E54: Why slow is better in speedy Vietnam – with kombucha entrepreneur Faya Nguyen
In Vietnam’s fast-paced F&B landscape, where trends explode and vanish overnight, kombucha entrepreneur Faya Nguyen chose a different path — and it’s working. In this episode, Faya shares how she grew her brand Cultra Brewery from ...
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Season 1
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Episode 54
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27:04
E53: Meet the stand-up comedian who made Durex Vietnam hilariously hyper local
Meet Ankita Ghosh, a creative director and stand up comedian who is based in Ho Chi Minh City and runs Saigon International Comedy. In this episode of You Don't Know Vietnam, she talks about the state of stand up comedy in Vietnam right now, wh...
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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35:32
E52: Is Vietnam's richest demographic being ignored by brands?
Vietnam’s Gen Z may get all the attention but there’s another demographic with deep pockets and untapped potential. In this episode, Ian Paynton speaks with Lai Tien Manh, Managing Director of market research and branding agency MiBrand to unco...
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Season 1
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Episode 52
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26:07
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E51: Redefining "Made in Vietnam" with the rise of homegrown innovation
Thomas Binh Do is the Director for Global Business and Cooperation at VINASA, the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association. Using his experience working with more than 600 of Vietnam's tech companies, Thomas explains why Vietnam is so well ...
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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34:20
E50: Patriotism and PR disasters: What global brands MUST know about Vietnam
On the 50th episode of You Don't Know Vietnam, we talk to PR expert Minh Duc, who shares why 2025 is such a big year for Vietnam's PR and media sector. He reveals what you need to know about Vietnamese patriotism as a global brand and how you c...
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Season 1
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Episode 50
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33:11
E49: Vietnam’s digital shake-up: Threads, Facebook's fightback and the banking app boom
Ho Thuy Tien and Thue Quist Thomassen from market research agency Decision Lab return to You Don’t Know Vietnam to break down their latest Connected Consumer...
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Season 1
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Episode 49
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32:42
E48: How to make your global brand relevant in Vietnam - with Tammy Thi Phan
Tammy Thi Phan is a Chief Digital Marketing Officer who spent most of her professional life overseas working for some of the biggest global brands. She spent eight years working at Google in ...
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Season 1
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Episode 48
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29:55
E47: Inside Vietnam’s blockchain takeover: Cris D. Tran on grit, growth and gaming
Cris D. Tran is a leading voice in Vietnam's blockchain space. He's the Regional General Manager Web3 (SEA) and Head of Growth (VN) at The Sandbox, a community-driven application that connects brands w...
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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36:15
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E46: Vietnam market entry updates: 6 tips CEOs must know to avoid failure
Vietnam's market readiness signals are everywhere. And they are strong. GDP growth is solid YoY with no signs of slowing down, and Foreign Direct Investment is at record highs. But what should CEOs be doing to get beneath the headlines and avoi...
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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35:20
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E45: The delicate art of doing business in Vietnam - with fine dining chef patron Quang Dung
Quang Dung is the Chef Patron of Chapter Dining and Grill and Tales Saigon, which are two restaurants helping to raise the bar and push the boundaries in...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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41:51
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E44: Can Esports become Vietnam’s biggest entertainment export?
TK Nguyen is as high energy as the industry he's working in: Esports. As the CEO of GAM Entertainment, TK leads Vietnam's most successful Esports League of Legends team as they continue to represent Vietnam on the world stage. Today, TK tells m...
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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38:19
E43: Expert insights for recruiting (and keeping!) talented teams in Vietnam
In this episode of #YouDontKnowVietnam, we speak to HR expert
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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40:27
E42: I've been a business lawyer in Vietnam for 20 years. Here's my tips for newcomers!
If your company is looking for a piece of the action in Vietnam this year, this episode is for you. In this instalment of You Don't Know Vietnam, Ian talks to Jerome Buzenet, a business lawyer with 20 years of experience in Vietnam. As ...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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35:12
E41: What Vietnamese foodies want from restaurant brands
If anyone knows about Vietnam's foodies it's Dao Chi Anh, the Director of Corporate Brand & Marketing at Golden Gate Restaurant Group. In her role, Chi Anh is across a massive 500 restaurants from 50 brands, from hotpot concepts such as Man...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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41:38
E40: Why your brand MUST connect with Vietnamese women (and how!)
Angélique Masse Nguyen and Duong Phan founded NOI, an agency that helps brands understand and communicate better with Vietnamese women. In this episode, they explain how Vietnamese women hold most of the purchasing power in Vietnam but still fe...
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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35:16
E39: Fighting the dark side of Vietnam's rapid development: human trafficking
On this episode of You Don't Know Vietnam, we have the pleasure of talking to Michael Brosowski, the Founder and Strategic Director of Blue Dragon - a children's foundation that's been doing some of the most important and awe-inspiring work in ...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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1:06:38
E38: Demonslayer talks Vietnamese creativity in Hollywood and reviving rare 80s V-Wave
Meet artist, DJ and producer Dan Nguyen, or Demonslayer. From archiving and reviving Californian V-wave from the 80s to DJing the Hollywood premiere of HBO's The Sympathizer, Dan has been representing Vietnamese creativity for as long as we can...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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34:47
E37: The challenge of being a modern Vietnamese mum - and why they manage the money!
Diep Hoang is a content creator and mother and baby influencer on the channel Love At First Shine. She also has a podcast with her husband where they talk openly about the challenges faced by couples...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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28:01
E36: Why doing business in Vietnam is an uphill battle (and how to win)
Marina Tran-Vu is the founder and CEO of EQUO, a Vietnam-based startup that produces eco-friendly products to tackle the big problem of single use plastics. EQUO makes everything from takeaway food containers and cutlery to tote bags, tumblers ...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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34:10
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E35: The rise of craft, "speakeasies", and Vietnam's first ever whiskey distillery
Michael Rosen is a co-founder of Về để đi Spirits, a contemporary liquor brand and distillery making craft gin, rum, creme de cacao, triple sec and... wait for it... whiskey. Today, Michael tells me why Vietnam is surprisingly good for distilli...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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36:30
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E34: Viet Rap to Viet Rave: Producer Nodey talks Vietnam's soundscape
Hailing from the graffitied streets of Paris, Nodey came to Vietnam to explore his Vietnamese roots through music. The result? His unique sound inspired by old school hip hop, high tempo electronic music, and Vietnamese samples. Plus, a great s...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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30:32
E33: Communal upbringings, gossip, and their impact on marketing in Vietnam
Linh Dao Smooke is the COO of Hackernoon, a tech community website that has more than 45,000 contributing writers and millions of readers each month. But today, me and Linh talk about pretty much everything EXCEPT Hackernoon. From how she think...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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39:05
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E32: What do Vietnam's Gen Z look for in a workplace?
Thuy Hoang is COO at The Sentry, a collection of co-working and lifestyle spaces that house more than 70 startups and established companies in Ho Chi Minh City. Today, she tells me what young Vietnamese people are looking for in a workplace, th...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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36:33
E31: Positioning “brand Vietnam” on the world stage - with The Lab Saigon
Meet Tuan Le and Phuong Anh Nguyen from The Lab Saigon. Tuan is the Co-Founder and Creative Director while Phuong Anh is the Strategic Partnerships Director and partner of The Lab Saigon, an agency made up of its design and creative studio, The...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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37:03
