Graduated from Vietnam's top business school, Hanoi University of Foreign Trade, majoring in International Business.
After graduation, founded a start-up company in Vietnam.
Obtained M.B.A. in Media Studies from Keio University through a scholarship program.
Worked in a wide range of business activities at Asilla Corporation, including PM, sales and marketing in ASEAN countries.
My name is Tuan Bao and I am from Vietnam. I studied business at Hanoi Trade University, and then I worked for a start-up company for 2 years, creating various products such as HR&Education service, web application, etc.
At the time, many Japanese companies were expanding into Vietnam, and I knew that studying in Japan would benefit my future career. When I first came to Japan, my plan was to study Japanese for a year and then go on to a university with a regular Japanese language program, but I fell behind. However, I then relearned English and enrolled in a master's program at Keio University, where I could earn my degree in English, and studied media design.
I was looking for an environment where I could directly apply my previous experience at a Vietnamese startup and what I had learned at business school. I was also interested in the new field of AI. Asilla has offices in Japan and Vietnam and possesses state-of-the-art AI technology. But above all, I felt the momentum as a startup when I interviewed with Mr. Kimura (CEO). I had received job offers from other large companies, but the axes of "hometown Vietnam" & "AI" & "startup" were all in place, and Mr. Kimura's enthusiasm for the company was very strong. I thought Asilla was the best option because of Mr. Kimura's enthusiasm.
I wanted to work in an environment where I could take on a variety of challenges, especially when I was young. In a start-up company, you really have to handle a variety of tasks. On the other hand, in a large company, the scope of work is subdivided, and it is inevitably difficult to see the whole picture. In the future, I would like to develop my skills as a manager, but in order to do so, I need to have knowledge in a wide range of fields. This is because there is no way I can evaluate my subordinates on matters that I do not understand. Therefore, I was convinced that working at a start-up where I can challenge various things in a general way while I am young is important for my career development.
It is just as I expected (laughs). Asilla has an environment where I can take on any challenge, which is what I had hoped for. Currently, I am mainly in charge of PM work, but I am doing a really wide range of things. I am also in charge of infrastructure management and sales and marketing in ASEAN.
The major difference between Japan and ASEAN is that Japan has a culture of boldly tackling new technologies as a PoC. However, in Vietnam and other ASEAN countries, technologies that are not already established are not evaluated, and television and other companies' track records are considered important in introducing such technologies. In order to drop a technology that has not yet penetrated the market like Asilla's, it is necessary to seriously face the difficult question of how to cut through that and what customers think about it. Asilla's products are designed to reduce the burden on the security industry, but since labor costs are still low in ASEAN countries, it is difficult to convey the benefits to them, and we believe that a different approach to localization is necessary. It is a very difficult challenge, but it is interesting and very rewarding to think about this on my own. I would like to practice, evaluate, improve, and find a good fit while mobilizing all the various things I have learned in my life.
I spend my time traveling and trying new things. Even when I travel, I learn new things every day, such as how Japanese people work and live, and what is different from Vietnamese people. There is so much to learn, even in just one izakaya. My favorite places are the shopping streets in Japan. Each shopping street has its own unique color, and even the same shopping street can be completely different from place to place. Also, stores that specialize in particular products have their own unique colors and are fun to look at.
In the future, I want to become a world-class entrepreneur. I have been blessed with various friends and would like to challenge new things with them. I think it would be fun to start a business with my friends or collaborate with them as friends in another company. Asilla has an environment where you can learn to become a world-class entrepreneur. I feel that there is no better environment to hone my entrepreneurial skills such as team management, technology, and marketing research.
AI × Overseas Employment × Growth Rate" No Reason Not to Choose Asilla -An Interview with a Newly Graduated 3-Year-Old Product Manager (Part 2)
