Vietnam's young people have more opportunity than any generation before them. They are globally connected, ambitious, educated, and growing up in one of the world's fastest-changing countries. But beneath the optimism lies something else: pressure to constantly improve, build impressive careers, gain new qualifications, make their families proud, have a side-hustle, and somehow still figure out who they are along the way.

In this episode, Ian speaks with youth development advocate Ha Pham about the hidden pressures facing Vietnam's younger generation — from self-improvement culture and social media to family expectations, identity, ambition, and the fear of being ordinary in a country that's moving fast.

Listen now to learn:

🇻🇳 Why opportunity and pressure are rising together
🇻🇳 The fear of being ordinary in modern Vietnam
🇻🇳 How social media is changing ambition and self-worth
🇻🇳 The tension between traditional values and personal identity
🇻🇳 Why many young people feel they're living between two worlds
🇻🇳 What gives Ha hope for Vietnam's next generation

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If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn, and follow the podcast on Instagram, TikTok and X.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

In this 70th episode, former US ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius shares a rare, first-hand view of Vietnam’s transformation; from post-war recovery to one of the most dynamic economies in the world today. We get into the long arc of Vietnam’s growth, the mindset driving its progress, and the optimism that continues to define it. And why, despite any challenges, Ted is still betting on Vietnam as a place to live, raise his family, and do business.

Send us Fan Mail

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn, and follow the podcast on Instagram, TikTok and X.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

E-commerce in Vietnam is big, but it's about to get A LOT bigger. Right now, it’s sitting at around 12–15% of total retail. But it’s growing at 2–3x the speed of offline, and the way people buy in Vietnam is changing fast. In this episode, Ian Paynton sits down with Ryan Molloy, CEO of Redfern Digital, to break down what’s actually happening on the ground.

We get into:

• Why TikTok Shop has overtaken Shopee in just a couple of years
• The shift from search-based shopping to discovery-led buying
• Why live streaming has gone from “nice to have” to non-negotiable
• What it really takes to launch and scale an e-commerce business here

We also workshop a real example — what Ryan would do if he had $100K to launch a new brand in Vietnam today.

If you’re thinking about entering Vietnam, or trying to understand where commerce is heading more broadly, this is a useful one. Because Vietnam isn’t just growing fast. In many ways, it’s skipping steps — and rewriting the playbook as it goes.

Send us Fan Mail

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn, and follow the podcast on Instagram, TikTok and X.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.