From Rock Bottom at a Hanoi Bar to Chasing a Top 5 Spot in Global Video AI

I'm Le Duc Anh, 34 years old. I moved to Ho Chi Minh City three years ago, leaving behind a successful but unfulfilling life in Hanoi. Today, I'm the CEO of OceanLabs, building tools that I believe can change how people create content with AI.

I'm building QVID, a video AI platform that empowers content creators to produce professional videos without technical expertise. Our mission is to democratize video creation—making powerful AI tools accessible to everyone, from small businesses to individual creators.

The Journey

In 2015, I founded my first 3D game studio in Hanoi, full of passion and dreams about building games I loved. Two years later, the studio failed. It was a hard lesson: build what the market needs, not just what you love.

From 2018 to 2020, I pivoted to blockchain gaming. The team became millionaires. We were riding high, celebrating success after success. But something felt hollow beneath the surface.

2021-2022 were the dark years. Success without purpose. I spent nights partying, days in a haze. I had money but felt empty inside, chasing fleeting pleasures that left me more hollow each morning.

Then came 2023, and that conversation at a Hanoi bar that changed everything. I moved to Saigon at 31 with nothing but a backpack and determination to find meaning again.

"Do I actually want a life like theirs?"

I looked around at my friends—successful on paper, drowning in expensive drinks, chasing empty thrills. They had everything money could buy but seemed profoundly sad. That's when I realized: I didn't want to end up like them. Success without purpose is just a well-decorated prison.

In 2024, I was working at Grab, feeling directionless, until I discovered the "Destiny Programming" course. It reignited something inside me—a spark I thought I'd lost forever.

2025 is when everything came together. I founded OceanLabs and launched QVID. Now I'm building something meaningful—tools that help others create value, not just chase empty wins.

What I Learned

Three principles now guide everything I do:

Freedom – Real happiness comes from meaningful work, not fleeting pleasure. Freedom isn't about doing whatever you want—it's about choosing what matters most. I learned this the hard way, when I had all the money to do anything but no reason to do any of it.

Growth – True value is created by building something useful for others. Growth happens when you solve real problems and make people's lives better. Every failure taught me something, and every success showed me what resonates with people.

Creating Value – These three principles guide everything I do: pursuing freedom through purposeful work, continuous growth through learning, and creating genuine value for others. It's not about getting rich anymore—it's about building something that matters.

OceanLabs & QVID

OceanLabs is more than just a company—it's a mission to make AI accessible. QVID is our flagship product, a video AI platform designed to empower creators. We're building tools that don't require a technical background or expensive equipment. Anyone with an idea should be able to bring it to life in video form.

We serve content creators, small businesses, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to tell their stories through video but lack the time, budget, or technical skills. QVID democratizes professional video creation—what used to take a team and thousands of dollars can now be done by one person in minutes.

The Vision

Top 5 video AI company in the world in 5 years.

That's the goal. Bold? Absolutely. Impossible? I don't think so. We're building something real, solving real problems for real people. Along the way, I want to contribute to Vietnam's AI industry—showing that we can build world-class technology right here, creating opportunities for the next generation of Vietnamese entrepreneurs and engineers.

We're focused on three key goals: serving millions of creators worldwide with accessible AI tools, establishing Vietnam as a recognized AI innovation center in Southeast Asia, and building a world-class team that creates meaningful value for users every day.

Let's Connect

My journey is just getting started. If you're interested in AI, entrepreneurship, or just want to chat about building meaningful products, I'd love to hear from you.

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