How time flies — it was just in March 2021 when we celebrated our 5th birthday and now we’ve entered a new year. What started as a classic “coffee shop startup” has become one of Vietnam’s leading media companies, marking milestone after milestone.
Our team has grown from two people (our founders, Guy Truong and Hao Tran) to now more than a hundred creative minds across different departments: Vietnamese and International editorial, video production, business development, tech, events, design, etc. Amidst all the evolutions Vietcetera has gone through, our mission remains the same: To bring Vietnam to the world and the world to Vietnam.
To give our listeners and readers a recap of how our 2021 went and all the big plans we have for 2022, we recently hosted our first-ever Content Fair. Held virtually on January 6, the event saw hundreds of participants eager to know more about Vietcetera and what’s in the pipeline for us.
In case you missed the Content Fair, here’s everything that was discussed and shared. We’re also looking at making this a quarterly event — so stay tuned!
2021: Challenges and growth opportunities
The past year has been quite challenging for everyone, including Vietcetera. The long lockdown has forced us to work remotely for months. But this has also given rise to new initiatives, like our monthly virtual town hall meetings, for us to remain connected and have our goals aligned.
In 2021, we couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift than two successful funding rounds in March and August. Japan’s major venture capital firm Genesia Ventures, US-based Hustle Fund, and a group of Vietnam and Hong Kong-based angel investors have given Vietcetera tremendous support during the seed round. Months after, the company announced a $2.7million pre-Series A funding led by North Base Media. The fresh capital is now used to strengthen our content, widen our reach, and secure business intelligence investments.
We also launched our bilingual mobile app on Google Play and App Store to cater to our readers’ needs for accessible, high-quality content wherever they are and whatever they’re doing.
Vietcetera has now also reached an audience of more than 20 million users per month, mostly from Vietnam. And we see these numbers continue to grow by the day.
What’s new in 2022
We’re launching up to 20 new podcasts and shows this year as we move towards becoming the leading media company for Gen Z and Millennials in Vietnam. We’ve seen — and proven — that digital-format shows are the next big thing. Podcasts increase awareness on social topics and brands and invite listeners to engage. According to a survey conducted by Nielsen, 81% of listeners have taken action after hearing a brand through a podcast ad, and 66% say they listen to podcasts to learn something new.
The market for on-demand audio programming will continue to grow in the coming years as people harness the power of audio technology. And as discovery and listening experiences mature and spread, the future is “audio everywhere.”
Besides our ongoing podcasts and online shows like Vietnam Innovators, Have A Sip, Coi Mo and Bit Tat, we’re working on many more projects that we’re sure our listeners will also love.
Edustation
The podcast series focuses on the future of education for Vietnamese Youth. Hosted by Hùng Võ with education experts, scholars and professionals, the series aims to educate, empower and consult Vietnamese youth for their future endeavors.
Backseat
The multimedia talk show features Tastemakers, the young talents & trending artists that will be shaping the music industry. Uy Lê (Sài Gòn Tếu) picks up these tastemakers to go chill after a long day. During the car ride, they share intimate thoughts about their future, their career, and the challenges that they face. The car ride is a metaphor for the road ahead.
Drop The Mic
The digital reality show will see participants — Millennials and Gen Zs — challenged to perform Stand Up in front of an audience after being coached by Sài Gòn Tếu. The show will revolve around the participants’ creativity and authenticity, where and how they will draw inspiration for their material, and how they can connect with the audience during their live performance. In the process, they’ll face their own fears and learn more about themselves.
Ruz
“Are You Gen Z?” consists of 5 participants: 4 GenZ and 1 Millennials in disguise. Through 3 rounds and 3 challenges, each participant will share their experience on a selected GenZ topic. The goal is to identify the Gen Z Imposter. This digital show is aimed at showcasing the quirks and trends of Gen Z, and more importantly, gaining a better understanding and insights into the young generation’s way of thinking.
Y-i
We are all curious about someone else’s choices. “Tại sao họ lại…” This show is a platform for people to list all the most pressing, personal reasons why they made that radical choice. With a series of short, fast-paced answers, we invite you to share with us your “Why I…”. We encourage our viewers to be curious and open about the many interesting choices that people make every day.
The Internship
This reality show will place graduating students or fresh university graduates in internship programs where they’ll go through a series of challenges to obtain a full-time job offer. Targeted to kick off in June, The Internship will turn these aspiring young professionals’ dreams into reality as they’re introduced to top companies in Vietnam and learn the ropes of the real world of business.
Flavors Vietnam 2022
We just kicked off Flavors Vietnam 2022 today — and we’re excited to finally hold this “grand celebration” of Vietnam’s food and beverage industry after a six-month delay because of the lockdown. In partnership with Mastercard, this year’s event consists of Vietnam Food & Beverage Conference (in Hanoi and HCMC), the #BanhMiAwards, Restaurant and Bar Weeks, and exciting competitions for rising chefs and bartenders.
The Z Catalyst
The Z Catalyst Program aims to authentically and accurately depict the Gen Z portrait because they are/will be the disrupter of industries, leading changes and creating new opportunities in the face of great uncertainties.
The Program looks to gather and share the best insights on Gen Z that can help the people around them gain a better understanding of their identity and values.
Presented by Vietcetera, the Z Catalyst Program will be an annual program anchored by several activities, including the flagship annual Summit that brings together business leaders, CEO, and Gen-Z tastemakers.
Ai diễn Ở đâu Khi nào?
We all deserve some fun and entertainment. Ai diễn Ở đâu Khi Nào is a pop-up mini-concert series featuring rising artists from our partner entertainment companies and record labels. As the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam gets more under control and movement restrictions have been lifted, these concert series will be done in-person, with surprise venues (which change every episode) and exclusive invites for select audiences.
Vietnam Innovators Summit 2022
The success of the Vietnam Innovators podcast — both English and Vietnamese — is what led us to create a Summit, which we aim to become the most influential conference about innovation and business in the country. With more than 250 guests, including leaders and decision-makers from different industries from Vietnam and beyond, will combine high-level executive networking with informative and carefully crafted activities.
The Money Date
The Money Date is a video series where we invite guests to casually discuss personal finance, money matters, and their relationship with money/wealth while playing video games. Hosted by Anh Bạn Thân (Trị Nguyễn) the show will make conversations about savings, spending and wealth management — considerably hushed topics in a conservative society such as Vietnam — more open and relatable, as they should be. The first episode will be aired on January 15 — so watch out for that!
Blueprint
In this podcast, a host and an architectural/design professional will deeply discuss a specific topic, which tends to be familiar to the mass audience to catch their attention. The conversation, however, will go into deep discussions from various angles that the host sees fit.
Connect with us
Want to know how you can collaborate with Vietcetera for our upcoming digital shows and events? Check out our media kit here.