Tokyo to Saigon — A Decade of Scattered Dots: The Winding Path to Starting a Company in Vietnam
Although I decided to start a company in Vietnam shortly after being consulted, there was a reason I could make such a quick decision. Reflecting on the path that led to this decision, the story goes back as far as 10 years.
Shortly after I became independent, I was invited to a dinner party by an entrepreneur acquaintance. The gathering consisted mostly of fledgling entrepreneurs, along with a lawyer specializing in startups. Among them was a young Vietnamese man, Tuan (note: this is not his real name).
Tuan was running an offshore development company in Vietnam with about 10 employees. After our conversation that evening, Tuan immediately emailed me suggesting we have lunch. Two or three days later, we met for lunch and had an extensive discussion.
At that time, I was working alone and didn’t have many development projects, so I wasn’t considering anything as ambitious as outsourcing development offshore. I thought there wasn’t much I could do for Tuan.
However, two months later, I was set to participate in Silicon Valley’s 500 Startups acceleration program (mentioned in the first episode), which meant I had to leave Japan for a month. At the time, I had about three projects, and I realized it would be challenging to manage them remotely from America while also developing a product as part of the acceleration program. So, I decided to contact Tuan.
During my month in Silicon Valley, Tuan’s team helped develop one of my projects. Even after returning from Silicon Valley, I had to complete the product I had started there, and I also received requests for short-term development projects. In total, I had engineers from Tuan’s company assist with the development of three projects.
It was during this time that I found I had a great rapport with the Vietnamese engineers from Tuan’s company. Their sense of speed matched mine, and communication was easy.
Although I didn’t have the opportunity to request development work from Tuan’s company after that, we became friends through these projects. Whenever Tuan visited Japan every few months, we would meet at places like Starbucks to chat over coffee and catch up on recent events.
A few years later, I was looking for a designer to bring to life a software tool idea I had been nurturing. I posted a job on Elance, an international crowdsourcing platform, and as I was reviewing the profiles and past works of designers from various countries who had applied, one particular designer caught my eye. His previous works and written explanations were impressive, so I contacted him and we started working together. This designer, Cobb (his nickname, not his real name), also lived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
I promptly went to Ho Chi Minh City and rented a meeting room in a coworking space for two days, where we created design wireframes together. Once again, I found it incredibly easy to work and communicate with Cobb and the designer friends he brought along. Although I haven’t had the opportunity to request work from Cobb since then, we still keep in touch like friends to this day.
These two experiences led me to dream about someday opening an office in Vietnam and working alongside Vietnamese people. In 2018 and 2019, I made several trips to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to explore this possibility. During these visits, I met with Tuan, Cobb, and Hector (with whom I’ve now started a company). I also met with Mr. Suzuki (who appeared in episode 2) during this time.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, and these goals and activities that had faded from my mind began to reconnect with those old ties. What had once been a mere fantasy suddenly started to unfold into reality before my eyes.
To be continued.
Thank you for reading this second installment of my entrepreneurial journey.
As this story continues to unfold, I’d like to remind you about our company, Goldrush Computing Inc., based in Tokyo. Our team’s expertise spans the entire spectrum of service creation:
- We start from the ground up, assisting with requirements gathering, UX design, and UI development.
- Our involvement continues through development, testing, and post-launch analysis of usage, crashes, and issues.
- We’re committed to our clients’ long-term success, providing ongoing support and optimization.
- Our technical prowess covers Web, Mobile, Backend, and Infrastructure/DevOps environments.
- Currently, we’re focusing on cutting-edge Data Science and AI service development.
While our roots are in Japan, we’re eager to collaborate with clients and partners from all corners of the globe. If you’re interested in working with a team that combines technical expertise with a global perspective, we’d love to hear from you.
For more information about our services, please visit our website: https://goldrushcomputing.com/en
If you have any questions or would like to discuss potential collaborations, feel free to reach out to me directly at: mizutori@goldrushcomputing.com
Stay tuned for the next chapter in this cross-cultural business adventure!
