Ngo The Cong is a global talent acquisition expert at Vingroup, and the founder and CEO of multiple startups across Vietnam, including the Laika café chain, Glarea Group, and Pharaon, a lifestyle and creative company. As a Cohort 4 alumnus of the International Bachelor’s Program IBD@NEU, Cong opens up about a career path that was anything but linear, one shaped not by a master plan, but by the courage to keep moving forward through every stumble along the way.
Ngo The Cong – Cohort 4 alumnus of IBD@NEU
Cong didn’t arrive at IBD@NEU the conventional way. He secured his place in the University during the first semester of his final years of high school, while his classmates were still deep in the stress of university entrance exams, he had his entire second semester free from that pressure. He used that time to explore his interests, find his direction, and most importantly, to work on his English, the language that would go on to open every door in the journey ahead.
“IBD@NEU came at exactly the right moment,” he says. “From the second semester of his final years onwards, I wasn’t under the same pressure as everyone else sitting university exams, so I had a lot of time to figure out what I was genuinely interested in and where I wanted to go.”
His years at IBD@NEU extended well beyond the lecture hall. Cong joined clubs, took on part-time work, built friendships and formed connections that, as he puts it, still hold real value to this day.
One of Cong’s most cherished memories from IBD@NEU centres on the Movie Worm Club, where a group of around ten students decided they didn’t just want to watch films to practise their English; they wanted to make one. No smartphones, no professional equipment, just an old camera, a script they wrote themselves, and an abundance of youthful enthusiasm. Cong was cast as the lead, and the whole group roamed across Hanoi filming scene by scene, then gathered together to edit it all afterwards.
Cong and his treasured memories at IBD@NEU
“The whole process was filled with memories,” he recalls with a smile. “That film is still up on YouTube if you look for it.”
It was the first time Cong and his friends had taken an idea all the way through to a finished product, an early lesson in collective creativity and the spirit of daring to build something real, one he would carry with him throughout his entire career.
Cong chose to complete his final year abroad in the United Kingdom, an experience he looks back on fondly, despite its challenges. He used to sell SIM cards in the middle of snowstorms and waited tables at restaurants to get by. Back in Vietnam, things weren’t immediately smooth either. He jumped between jobs, made choices he’d come to regret, and at times felt completely adrift.
One story he’s never forgotten is his interview at Honda. Out of 50 candidates brought to the factory for an IQ test, Cong scored the highest and made it through to a face-to-face interview with the Japanese director. He showed up in a suit and tie, armed with detailed figures on both Honda and Toyota. The final question of the interview: “What would you think if the company relocated to Vinh Phuc?” His answer: “I’m here interviewing for a job, not for a location.” He got the offer.
He resigned exactly two months later, because his manager wouldn’t let him sit by the window. “When you’re young, everyone has moments of impulsiveness,” he laughs, telling the story.
After Honda came banking, then insurance. Then in 2015, a headhunting firm called him persistently for five or six months straight. He turned them down repeatedly, and then finally said yes. That decision changed everything. Cong spent the next decade in senior executive recruitment, including a significant stretch as an assistant to the Chairman of Vingroup, leading global talent acquisition efforts.
With capital behind him, he began investing in startups. The Laika café chain was one of them, a genuine brand success, but one he had to exit early due to limited experience managing shareholders and running large-scale operations. “Every wrong piece you put into a puzzle will eventually come together to make something beautiful,” he reflects.
Ngo The Cong sharing his experience with students and parents at the IBD Open Day admissions fair
Having once lacked a mentor to guide him, Cong is determined to be that person for the generation coming up behind him. He invests in youth-led startups, not just financially, but with the hard-won, practical wisdom that only comes from having fallen down and picked yourself back up. “Young people have the energy and the drive,” he says. “Add the experience of someone who’s been through it before, and that becomes a powerful lever for them to grow faster.”
Cong sharing insights at a panel discussion with IBD@NEU students
His investment philosophy is straightforward: believe in people, especially those who are genuinely passionate about their craft and patient enough to master it. He often returns to the concept of “Grit”, perseverance, steadfast commitment, as the core value running through the culture of every company he builds. “The one thing that people at the top all have in common is patience. Not just intelligence or talent.”
The philosophy he holds closest: fail, then fail again, but each time, fail better. Because it is precisely those stumbles that slowly shape you into the person you’re meant to become.
“Don’t live your life by other people’s advice. Learning from others is important, but when it comes to finding your own direction, trust your own instincts. Whether it ends in failure or success, if it’s something you built with your own hands, it means something.”
The story of Ngo The Cong is proof that no road to success is ever straight, and that sometimes, it’s the most unexpected turns that lead to the most meaningful destinations.
