Chris Do and Bao Nguyen: Bridging Cultures at Vietcetera Goes Abroad, Houston

Vietcetera Goes Abroad is an exciting event series by Vietcetera, a premier media company in Vietnam. This series travels to Houston (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Sydney and Melbourne (Australia), celebrating the dynamic Vietnamese diaspora and their talented members.

The initiative aims to build strong international ties through engaging with Vietnamese professionals, businesses, and peers. It also highlights entrepreneurial opportunities between Vietnam and the world, and promotes cultural exchange and collaboration on a global stage.

Our "Vietcetera Goes Abroad" series is designed to foster cultural exchange and professional networking, showcasing inspiring stories of opportunities between Vietnam and the host countries. The event features a two-part format:

• Part one: Headline musical, cultural, and lifestyle talks and performances curated by Vietcetera’s editorial team, presented in Vietnamese.
• Part two: Business-focused segment "Gateway to Vietnam," where professionals, investors, and community organizers share entrepreneurial insights and success stories about building businesses in Vietnam and abroad.

What’s in our Houston chapter?

Our series kicks off in Houston, in cooperation with the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). NAAAP, pronounced “nap”, is a pan-Asian, pan-professional, nonprofit focused on developing, connecting, and inspiring leaders in the Asian and Pacific Islander community.

Founded in 1982, NAAAP is the oldest and largest professional development organization for APIs, with over 30 chapters in the U.S., Canada, and Asia and a reach of thousands of members and supporters around the world.

This time, Vietcetera’s Thuy Minh is hosting 2 discussions in the Meetup, creative entrepreneur Chris Do from The Futur, and acclaimed film director and producer Bao Nguyen. Earlier this year, the two were featured on Have A Sip, where they sat down and shared their art philosophy and practical disciplines in making art.

Chris Do on personal branding in a multicultural environment

Chris Do is an introvert, recovering graphic designer, Emmy award-winning designer, and founder of The Futur, an online education platform. His mission is to teach 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love. Think of The Futur as a private art school without the crippling debt.

The Futur, has 2.35 million subscribers (as of January 2024). The platform offers content, courses, and tools to help anyone build better design skills and creative businesses for free.

Chris Do initially desired the superpower of invisibility, leading to inner conflict with his identity. During his graduation at the Art Center, he recognized his fear of not being accepted, influenced by seeing international students proudly wearing traditional clothing. Chris Do’s journey involved embracing his Vietnamese heritage and reclaiming his power.

In his keynote, Chris Do will discuss personal branding in a multicultural environment and how to leverage both Vietnamese and American cultural strengths.

Bao Nguyen and the advocation for Asian American representation in film

Bao Nguyen is an Emmy-nominated Vietnamese American filmmaker whose work has been featured on HBO, Netflix, the New York Times, and ESPN.

He directed BE WATER, a documentary on Bruce Lee that competed in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was shown at festivals like SXSW, Cannes, Telluride, and Hot Docs. It aired on ESPN and is the most-watched ESPN 30 for 30 film.

His latest film, THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, about the song "We Are the World", premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and became the number one film globally on Netflix. He is a partner at EAST Films in Vietnam, producing notable films like ROM and MAIKA. Bao is a PBS/WGBH Producers Workshop Fellow, a Berlinale Talent Campus alumnus, a Firelight Media Fellow, and a 2022 BAFTA US Breakthrough recipient. He holds a BA in Politics/International Relations from NYU and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

His filmmaking journey is driven by the importance of sharing Asian American stories and having directors from this community tell those stories. In his keynote, Bao Nguyen will talk about the power of Asian American representation in film, sharing his experiences and journey as a director representing Asian Americans and their cultural voice.

Visit for more detailed information and reserve your ticket. Ticket includes:

+ A complimentary signed copy of “Pocket Full of Do” by Chris Do.
+ Access to all morning sessions of the Leadership Convention on July 27 includes the 9 AM Keynote by Bao Nguyen and all sessions from 10 AM to 12:15 PM.
+ Unlimited beverages, thanks to our partner Nguyen Coffee Supply.

Thank you to our partner Leadership Convention by NAAAP and our sponsor Nguyen Coffee Supply.