TRIP & TRAVEL
The Diary & The Memory
• • •
There are 3 parts: the trip, the feel & the thought. Let’s go!!
1.THE 1st: The States 🇺🇸
At my 20, I flew to America alone.
This is my first trip abroad, & US 🇺🇸 is my first destination.
This trip packed with a question:
How does the world actually work? How is the world look like?
At first, the goal for the trip was to make money & travel. Beside, I could practice more my English. English is critical at that time.
Six months across multiple states (wandering both East to West Coast) taught me something no textbook could ever:
To understand people, you have to step into their world first.
That instinct followed me everywhere until now!!!
2. THE WORK: trip & travel
➡️ In Agency
Going back, in agency, GroupM Vietnam sent me to Denmark – my first time in Europe.
It was sponsored 1-week training with top-notch media guru & another week for travel.
Of course, this trip also bonded with committment for contribution.
Haha, there is no free meal haha :)) you know..
For recall, I sat in meetings where media planning meant something completely different than in my country Saigon 🇻🇳.
Europe is beautful & filled with heritages.
➡️ In Corporate
My time in corporate also follows same-same pattern. I travel for work & personal trip.
P&G flew me to Singapore for brand-building & media training.
Trust me or not, Singapore used to be my hometown, I went there every 2 weeks for update & regional presentation.
➡️ In my own: I travel
I like riding & visiting place with no plan.
It is fun, you know!!!
3. THE CLIMB is the metaphor
Every trip taught me that each world runs on its own language.
Then AI arrived, and suddenly what changed with AI was not just the tools.
It was the pace, the velocity, the speed
New models arrived faster than old habits could keep up.
Access is no longer an advantage & utility & effectiveness matter more than efficiency.
With that, there is always another mountain ahead.
So what to do?
What people rarely tell you about GROWTH is that it never really ends.
The moment you reach 1 milestone, whether that is a new country, a new role, or a new credential
Another challenge is already waiting. Another mountain is ahead
Some of those mountains I chose for myself.
Others arrived without warning, like a uphill.
There were seasons when the climb hit hard. Things liked:
- I made wrong calls
- I lost momentum
- I had moments when quitting felt completely rational
That’s true, even it sounds uneasy.
The point is that difficult stretch came down to 1 decision: stand still or keep moving?
Would you take a move?
Would you accept that? And carry on?
Would you?
Because:
It is always another mountain!! (THE CLIMB – Miley Cyrus
It always has, & it always will.
3. THE THOUGHT
Same frameworks in different markets will have different truths.
It stamped a way of thinking: what works in one world often fails in another. Things liked:
- The agency world speaks reach & frequency.
- The boardroom corporate speaks revenue and margin.
- The startup speaks speed & survival.
👉 Same industry with 3 different languages.
The real weight is knowing how to translate between worlds that rarely understand each other.
The best marketing lessons were not downloaded. They were walked, transfered & evolved (Tommy)
Today, I am trying to help those think globally without losing their soul.
Because I know what it feels like to be lost in noise, metrics, & “best practices” that don’t fit yours.
I know what it takes to find your way:
- Clear thinking with clarity
- Strong fundamentals, strong core
- Decisions for your chosen.
That is why, over time, I learned that my real job is to translate between worlds, the translator in agency, corporate & Startup.
