The panel was part of the Vietnam Vanguard Summit 2026, which convened more than 400 senior leaders and decision-makers for a full day of high-level discussions on Vietnam’s growth trajectory and strategic choices.
Jesse Choi, regional director for Southeast Asia at Sunwah Group, shared that his company was established in Hong Kong in 1957, but it has been operating in Vietnam for 55 years.
“We really treasure human capital and young people in Vietnam do have ambition, creativity, and energy,” he said.
Crypto and blockchain would be one of the advantages of Vietnam, he said, explaining that these fields are new, and Vietnam boasts a lot of young, IT, innovative people.
Moreover, demand for crypto and blockchain continues to grow rapidly due to the young people.
Besides, Nguyen Lam Thanh, general director at TikTok Technologies Vietnam, appreciated Vietnamese young people, emphasizing that various games on the mobile phone come from Vietnam.
“I think that Vietnam has a strong workforce, with many creative and smart people,” Thanh said.
Expert sees real but time-bound opportunity for Vietnam’s economic growthREAD NOW
With its energetic, dynamic, and young population, Vietnam is expected to rapidly develop its digital technology sector and see more firms go global.
Mastering home market before conquering the world
Choi from Sunwah suggested that to succeed in the global arena, Vietnamese firms should first strengthen their position in the local market.
“I think they should focus on building local products before they try to venture out,” he said.
A lot of Vietnamese companies have adopted American business models, and achieved success domestically.
“However, their versions may not be as sophisticated as those in more developed countries,” Choi shared.
He also expressed his expectation that many Vietnamese enterprises will expand globally by mastering new technologies, especially with the upcoming International Finance Center and supportive government innovation policies for start-ups.
From his perspective, Olivier Langlet, Group CEO at Central Retail Vietnam, said that Vietnam has over 100 million people and the number will increase in the future.
Also, the middle class is on the rise, he underlined.
“So, the value creation of the world is here [Vietnam],” he said.
“You should take care of your own market and tap into its potential. That would be amazing. And then, if the opportunity arises, of course, go abroad.”
He also advised taking into account the cultural gap when doing business overseas.
“Going abroad means being able to adapt your culture to the culture of the country where you go, understand the code of communication, the behavior, the customs of the country, and then eventually, you can succeed,” he said.
He also highlighted two key factors that help Vietnamese firms strengthen their positions in the local market: consistency in production and compliance in relationships.
Meanwhile, Choi stressed the role of strong branding in enhancing customer loyalty.
“We are cooperating with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to develop the Vietnam Pavilion to sell agricultural products on e-commerce platforms in China,” he said.
Chinese customers are willing to trust brands endorsed by the Vietnamese ministry, he added.
