"The Sound of Vietnam" - or #Vision2050: Vietnam is the most livable country in the world!

Ho Chi Minh City, 26th of September 2024

The original content of this letter was written for my son's 5th birthday on 18th of April 2024. It all started with an epiphany moment I had in Da Nang/Vietnam in December 2023, followed by conversations about my purpose and the future of Vietnam with Chris Freund and finetuned in conversations with inspiring leaders such as Dr. Ramesh Ramachandra , Jonah Levey , Tomas Laboutka , Dirk Van Quaquebeke , James Jameson, Vietnam Private Capital Agency leadership team and many others... Thank you!

Dear Leopold-Minh,

You are turning 5 years old today. You are the reason that I moved, have lived & worked in Vietnam. You gave me a new dimension in life and a shift of 'me and my success' to 'us and our fulfillment in life'.

We both love music - from classical to EDM music. We sing, we dance, we laugh - and we both can hear & feel the music. And we don't care what others think when we dance and enjoy our 'music time' together. Or as Nietzsche so famously said

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche         

And the music has been there but not many people were able or limited to listen to the music…The sound of Vietnam! The sound of beautiful landscapes/nature, beautiful and peaceful people, opportunities both in life and business. The sound you want to live in and contribute to!

The Challenging Years

The last couple of years have been a challenge for both of us. The near-death experience of your mother during your birth, the ups and downs at work & life (Covid, New Job/Role, ...). Most people are not aware of the fact that after your mother moved out of the house, it was just you and me, Single Dad and Single Son. I tried to power through but after 1,5-2 years of full-time job/work, single Dad and all other professional responsibilities I felt drained out, alone, a single Dad in a country with no immediate family around.

I wanted to give up.

And I can recall the moment when we were in the car listening to our song "When I see you again" and I didn't feel anything for the first time you were born. I thought that I died in this moment and cried the whole car ride...

Sau c?n m?a tr?i l?i sáng. 
(Translation: After the rain, comes the sun.)        

Then I fell in love again in October '23. Now, this love is my wife, and a new life for both of us emerged. And I started to be able to listen to the music again...and discovered something that is much bigger than 'myself': YOU and YOUR FUTURE as a proud Vietnamese-Austrian.

And that I contribute to YOUR FUTURE in a way that makes you, your home country and y/our homeland proud.

Thus, on 18th of April 2024 (your 5th birthday), I declared a new FUTURE for your home country:

Vietnam is the most livable country in the world by 2050.

A country people LOVE to work, LOVE to live and LOVE to explore/travel. And my (small) contribution to bring this future alive.

How does the FUTURE will look in 2050?

• Vietnam (especially HCMC) is the most attractive country (City) to work

It is measured by Vietnam being

- Top 20 countries of 'easiness of doing business' (it was ranked at place 70 in 2024)

- Ranked as the 1st country in SEA in the startup ecosystem and top 15 globally (from 58th in 2024)

• Vietnam being affordable, creative, socially free/liberal and there countless of opportunities for growth & fulfillment

It is measured by Vietnam being

- Top 15 in terms of National Happiness Index (it was ranked 65 in 2024)

• Vietnam (HCMC) is the most livable country (City) in terms of work/life balance

It is measured by HCMC being

- Ranked 1st in top cities for expats in 2050

- Top 20 most livable city in the world

- Culturally diverse conserving the 'old' while exploring the 'new'

• Vietnam is the most family friendly country in the world

It is measured by Vietnam having

- Fertility rate which is higher than 2 (for OECD countries it was 1.2 - 1.8 in 2024)

• Vietnam is the #1 travel destination in SEA and recognized for sustainable tourism

It is measured by Vietnam being

- #1 travel destination in SEA (it was #4 in 2024 behind Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore)

- Top 40 sustainable tourism country (#1 in South East Asia) (from currently 96 in 2024)

The pathway to get there won't be easy: Its predictable that we will face multiple obstacles and set-backs along the way. But if there is one thing that I have learned at Mekong Capital - it is the universal power of Vision. And the power of getting people organized a common goal/objective/future.

Vietnam - The People and its Strength

We have been inspired and driven by leaders such as Ho Chi Minh who declared early on that

 "Vietnamese people are determined to mobilize all their physical and mental strength" Ho Chi Minh         

And yes, we, can and will mobilize this strength. The first step stone has been the founding of Vietnam Private Capital Agency - to attract and bring more investments into Vietnam. And more projects and initiatives will follow.

To ensure that I can give my full attention, energy and passion to Vision2050, I decided to move a step forward towards this Vision and end my meaningful chapter at Mekong Capital and focus my time & energy on being a (co-)creator of Vision2050.

Now, it's time for you, me and the next generation of leaders to take Vietnam to its next destination. And fulfil the promise of Vietnam being the most livable country in the world.

"Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again". Again in 2050!

Love,

Your Daddy