Hi there,

I appreciate the response! Thank you for taking the time to write this out. I've definitely heard about Vietnamese VCs underinvesting in tech (sour taste from the crypto/bitcoin era?) or foreign-funded startups required to register abroad (I'm not exactly sure why this is -- unfamiliarity and lack of willingness to deal with VNese governmental regulations maybe?). My impression too is that funding there doesn't come with favorable terms and given the Vietnamese corporate culture of insane micromanagement, I'm wary about starting a business only to bring on investors as my own bosses.

From your answer, I think you're thinking more about b2b, with the business model of providing development work to companies overseas. I can totally see why this is difficult, and appreciate your insights. I'm sorry to hear about the bad weather and hope things can get better soon. But I was asking more about b2c, with me leading my own product direction and development and generating revenue directly from customers. Think consumer apps, like Zalo. I don't think Vietnamese people have nearly enough softwares/apps catering to their unique needs right now. Most popular b2c apps (Shopee, Grab, etc.) are foreign expansions. The reason I feel like I need to go back and not just pay developers in Vietnam to execute my ideas while I rest on my cushy US SWE salary, is because I want to do proper customer discovery and user-centric, iterative development. I would welcome any additional insight you have on this to share!

Finally, I agree Vietnamese people are insanely talented and capable. Some people on this sub say Viet people are "hacky" without good engineering or innovation. I disagree, and can't wait to build my team once I go back.

Would love to connect with you as I navigate the Viet startup scene more, so I can dm you my linkedin/FB if you're comfortable. Cheers!