Ngo Dang Thanh Son is a former Vietnamese student in Australia. After graduating with a Master's degree in Marketing from Western Sydney University, he returned to Vietnam and worked. His goal in the next 5 years is to create animated films made in Vietnam and bring them to international audiences.
With a passion for comics and animation since childhood, Ngo Dang Thanh Son is pursuing a career in promoting Vietnamese animation internationally.
- What idea did you come up with to study abroad in Australia, then choose to return to your homeland to start a business?
I have had a passion for Marketing since I was in school, and I heard many Australian alumni share that the quality of Vietnamese products is not inferior to that of developed countries, and that what is lacking for Vietnamese goods to be known more widely in the world is proper marketing. That is also the reason why I am interested in this major, as well as choosing Australia for my graduate studies.
Because of this goal, right from the time I planned to go to Australia, I decided to return to my homeland after finishing my course to continue my career. For me, the years abroad were a precious time, contributing to enriching my life experiences and improving myself.
- It is known that your company is currently producing a lot of entertainment and educational content, including a system of channels and videos produced on the Youtube platform. Why did you choose to participate in this field?
In addition to my job as a marketer, I also have a great passion for comics and cartoons. Since I was a child, I dreamed of writing a lifelong series called “The Adventures of the Smart Kid”, and I kept writing whenever I had free time. The stories I wrote were sometimes published in the school newspaper, and sometimes used by TV stations to make short film scripts.
Earlier this year, while I was a co-founder of a pastry brand in Hanoi, I received the opportunity to work for HFL Media. Realizing that the company's direction was to create Vietnamese animated films with world-class quality, successfully convincing Vietnamese audiences, and in line with my passion, I decided to "adventure" with HFL Media in a new position: Head of Business Cooperation.
Currently, we have over 300 employees, specializing in the production and distribution of 2D and stop-motion animation films. Our most famous products include Pea Pea, Lego Cooking, Miniature Cooking, Seegi… all of which have hundreds of millions of views on YouTube Kids from foreign audiences.
This is proof that the content and quality of “made in Vietnam” films can completely create a foothold in the world film market. However, the company’s name has not received much attention even at home.
Many of the company's films have main characters based on foreign cultures, so they have not attracted Vietnamese children. Therefore, our top goal in the near future is to build a purely Vietnamese character set, serving domestic viewers as well as distributing abroad.
Meet a partner specializing in distributing animation films from the Korean market.
- Controlling content on online platforms is very difficult for parents. Do you have any advice for parents when looking for programs for children to avoid harmful videos?
This is also the question that many of you mentioned to me at the "Responsible Growth" Forum for Vietnamese alumni who studied in Australia recently held.
The issue of controlling content on the Internet is a real challenge when raising children. I think parents should spend more time with their children when they go online to watch movies. This helps parents control what content their children are interested in.
By discussing and creating a safe environment, parents can help their children understand and distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate content.
In addition, parents should also research and build a list of reliable websites and channels that regularly update content appropriate for their children's ages.
Content suitable for young people in this age group are films that promote family values, respect, ethics and basic life skills.
Cartoons from trusted companies will reduce the risk of exposure to harmful content. And when it comes to new shows, parents should always check out reviews and feedback from other users.
Cartoons from trusted companies will minimize the risk of children being exposed to harmful content.
- YouTube is a strong platform but the competition is fierce. What strategies do you have to pursue the goal of bringing Vietnamese products to conquer the world?
In order to pursue the goal of bringing "made in Vietnam" animation to conquer the world on YouTube, our company has had to put in a lot of effort and brainpower to achieve the current progress. Many of our projects grew very quickly, expanding the production team 10 times in just a few months.
In addition, we also have failed projects, spending a lot of time and money but not getting the expected results.
The CEO of the company always creates a comfortable environment for employees, creating conditions for them to demonstrate their abilities as much as possible. This encourages creativity, sharing of ideas and the ability to work effectively in groups. By trusting and believing in people, the company has created conditions to build a strong team and high performance.
Ngo Dang Thanh Son introduces animation projects at the Australian Alumni Forum.
- You are very enthusiastic about participating in alumni activities and have had outstanding achievements. How does maintaining connections between international students contribute to promoting the relationship between Vietnam and Australia?
As a former Australian student, I understand the importance of maintaining connections and interactions between the Vietnamese and Australian student communities. This connection is not only significant in promoting the exchange relationship between the two countries but also contributes positively to the culture, education and economy of both sides.
The relationship between the international student community creates a large and diverse network, connecting individuals and organizations from both countries. This not only creates a strong community, but also promotes economic and investment relations between the two countries.
International students' understanding and connection to both work markets facilitates business, investment and trade cooperation between companies and organizations from both countries.
The connection between Vietnamese and Australian students creates opportunities for cultural, customary, and knowledge exchange between the two countries. International students can share and learn about each other’s cultures, lifestyles, and education, and bring back new experiences and knowledge to develop both themselves and their home countries.
The young staff always strives to create quality film products.
- What are your future plans for developing projects in Vietnam?
Currently, our company has signed a distribution contract for our films on television, paid platforms or on flights of Singapore Airlines and Vietnam Airlines. The episodes are in the process of being dubbed into Vietnamese, and will be aired in late 2023.
In addition, I am also working with many partners who produce toys, clothes, school supplies, etc. to license the use of HFL Media's cartoon character images, bringing the products closer to children.
In addition, we are also actively cooperating with major animation studios in the world, with the desire to learn from experience and improve quality. I believe that the company can produce more series that meet television standards, as well as launch movies for theatrical release.
Thank you very much.
Connecting Vietnamese alumni in education is an important component of the Australia-Vietnam Human Resource Development Program (Aus4Skills).
This is a 10-year cooperation program between Vietnam and Australia, worth 86.4 million Australian dollars, to support Vietnam to develop its capacity, seize economic opportunities, achieve long-term development and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the program also contributes to strengthening the relationship between Australia and Vietnam. In addition to alumni activities, Aus4Skills also includes the Australia Awards Scholarship, capacity building activities in higher education, strengthening Vietnam’s vocational education sector, and supporting leadership development in the public sector through the Vietnam-Australia Centre.
Van Hong
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