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 Vietnam. To date, Blue Dragon has rescued almost 1,700 people from human trafficking. They've helped send 6,400 kids to school, placed almost 500 teens in jobs, and was instrumental in rescue efforts during the recent Typhoon Yagi and the subsequent landslides that ravaged through communities in northern Vietnam. Today, Michael talks about the darker sides of Vietnam's rapid economic development and describes which communities are most at risk. He tells the story of how Blue Dragon began, recounts the first ever rescue mission, and outlines what success looks like for Blue Dragon in Vietnam. He also give tips for global business to ensure their migrant works aren't being exploited, and talks about the best ways to give back to Vietnam sensitively through CSR initiatives. Head over to www.bluedragon.org to learn more about what Michael and Blue Dragon do in Vietnam. Donate at bluedragon.org/donate to support Vietnamese children in crisis.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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 remember. Today, he tells us why Vietnam is finally getting the global recognition it deserves, what it was like growing up in a Vietnamese household in L.A, and what shocks him most when he returns.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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 in the modern Vietnamese family. On this episode of You Don't Know Vietnam Diep tells us about the pressures faced by young mums in Vietnam and how she juggles traditional Vietnamese values with modern parenting. She also shares how the Vietnamese family is changing, how Vietnamese women have all the purchasing power, and what brands should consider when attempting to market their products to them.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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 and super cute pencils you can plant once you're done drawing. Today, Marina tells me why she chose Vietnam as a place to tackle plastic and whether or not Vietnamese consumers care about sustainability. She shares why Vietnam is a difficult place to do business and how -- rather than giving her the boost she needed -- her appearance on Shark Tank Vietnam dramatically dented her confidence as a founder.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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 distilling whiskey (maybe even better than Scotland?). He tells me why Về để đi celebrates the unpredictable energy of urban Vietnam in its brand positioning, and what's going on with Vietnam's explosion of cocktail bars. He also shares why the time is now for Vietnamese products, brands and culture, and why you'll need resilience with a sprinkling of stupidity to succeed in business here.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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 studio album called ":-)", an epic music video for the song Đôi Khi featuring Suboi, as well as regular 3am appearances gracing Vietnam's nightclub scene with his high-energy sounds. Today, Nodey shares why the pandemic was a watershed moment for the Vietnam's homegrown music scene, which Vietnamese artists you should be looking out for now, and all the reasons he is very happy calling Vietnam home... for now. Listen and follow Nodey on Spotify and Apple.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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 thinks Vietnam is perceived by people in America, to her experiences being raised the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter, and what shocks her most when she returns to Vietnam today. We also talk about the importance of brands earning trust with word of mouth and social media in Vietnam, and why stubborn global brand directors often miss the mark with their local marketing efforts.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.

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, the benefits and challenges of managing a young workforce, and the importance of hiring a great middle manager - FAST. We also talk about young people's attitudes to wellbeing and sustainability at work, and the challenges global brands face when entering Vietnam to do business.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam. A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to you for listening. Please subscribe and rate the show, and share it with friends and colleagues you think might enjoy it. Follow our host Ian on LinkedIn.