Dang Thi Thanh Van, Founder and CEO of Savvycom, is a lady who is relentless in the pursuit of her dreams

DNHN - Dang Thi Thanh Van is one of the few young Vietnamese woman entrepreneurs who has found success in the information technology industry. She has developed into a role model for women's success - someone who defies society's image of women and is relentless in the pursuit of her objectives.

Dang Thi Thanh Van (born 1980) is the Chief Executive Officer of Savvycom, one of Vietnam's major information technology companies. Additionally, she serves as Vice President of the Vietnam Software Exporters Alliance (VNITO) (2016-present). In 2017, Forbes Magazine recognized her as one of the 15 Notable Global Leaders.

Dang Thi Thanh Van is an incredible source of inspiration for information technology fans, poised to integrate internationally and conquer the market with a series of remarkable marks, including:

2019: She was a speaker at the Event “Women Leadership: A Multicultural Perspective”, co-organized by the European Business Association in Vietnam (Eurocham) and the Nordic Chamber of Commerce (Northam).

2018: She was the Speaker on the topic of "Technological Innovation and Women in Leadership" at the EIS Summit held in Melbourne, Australia.

2017: She was awarded as “Typical female entrepreneurs in ASEAN”. Also in this year, the startup story shared by Dang Thi Thanh Van at the TEDxBadinh event has motivated many people.

2016: She was awarded as “Typical Capital Young Entrepreneurs” and Top 100 excellent start-up entrepreneurs.

2013: She was awarded as “Typical female entrepreneur in the Mekong region”. 

"I came to information technology as an inevitable"

She said:”Savvycom was my and my buddies' first foray into entrepreneurship. After graduating from university in Australia and returning to numerous European and American nations, I've always had hope for Vietnam to have the environment, infrastructure, economy, education, livelihood, and prestige that other countries have. international level, particularly IT students like me has the necessary abilities and confidence to successfully integrate into the global market. Savvycom was founded to bring a trustworthy IT service to Vietnam.

We started our business with a tiny amount of funding and four IT engineers who had a burning desire to overcome cultural, linguistic, and technological hurdles to deliver our products to the international market. We developed business management systems for Post Offices in Germany and Singapore and then extended into the United States and other European markets in the healthcare, education, telecommunications, restaurant, and tourism sectors. Currently, we are a team of over 50 engineers from Vietnam, the United States of America, Germany, Australia, and Singapore who work in a professional, modern, and ever-changing atmosphere”.

Recognize opportunity in peril

Savvycom was founded in 2009 when the world had just come out of the financial crisis. To date, Covid-19 is the second crisis that the Company has experienced. Through the two “storms”, perhaps the best understanding is the saying “in danger”. This quote is extremely practical, not just theoretical.

When Savvycom was created, IT companies were forced to declare themselves "dead as a straw," creating a hole in the technological market. The remaining enterprises, such as FPT, Misa, and so on, thereafter grew rapidly. Dang Thi Thanh Van also recognizes this as a chance for her to break free from "ignorant" things, to reach out and breakthrough.

Savvycom was worst damaged by the Covid-19 epidemic in May 2020, owing to the company's primarily international market. Customers are unable to pay, contracts are terminated.

At one point, Ms Dang Thi Thanh Van felt as though she "couldn't see the future." During that time frame, the Savvycom team concluded that "this is the chance." As the market stabilized, Savvycom concentrated all of its efforts on perfecting the equipment and reestablishing the working process. In other words, while the business community is "hibernating," the Savvycom team operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Ms Van said:"My priority is to preserve the force, protect the "rice cooker" for employees. Next is to share the values of sympathy, contribution and help in difficult circumstances. inside and outside the company".

While the economy was struggling, demand for information technology surged. Covid-19 has altered the way people shop, conduct business, meet and study. For instance, many clients previously desired to meet and speak in person, but increasingly accept working via the internet. Along with the State's tenacious standards and policies, Savvycom predicts that the information technology business will flourish in the next five years. This is a tremendous opportunity for the information technology sector.

She stated:”One thing I've often puzzled is why the world occasionally believes that Vietnam cannot conduct information technology. The Vietnamese government and corporations are gradually expressing themselves as a result of this. Savvycom, too, has grown to serve consumers from more than 20 countries on four continents over more than a decade. Additionally, we have consumers who have trusted and accompanied us since our inception. Savvycom's accomplishments demonstrate the industry's potential in Vietnam. I want to establish the Vietnamese brand as a global leader in information technology”.

She added:”At work, I believe in and constantly urge my team to "tighten ties softly." That is, in every situation, it is vital to retain a calm and gentle demeanour while adhering to the principle; for instance, if there is something that cannot be granted, do not concede. This also aligns with another business theory in which I have always believed that "the best decision is one that benefits all parties".

Hai An