The Silence Between Generations
There’s a quiet tension in Vietnam’s boardrooms — and it rarely makes the meeting agenda.
But you can feel it.
You can’t ignore it.
And if you’re building anything serious here, you’ve probably lived it.
It’s the silence between generations.
Legacy vs. Leadership
On paper, Vietnam is booming. We’ve got a new wave of founders, professional operators, and Western-educated returnees ready to build — fast, lean, and global.
But behind every growth-stage business, there’s often a previous generation quietly watching from the background. Or not so quietly.
Fathers who built family fortunes from scratch — now unsure how to let go.
Mothers who run the HR department because “we trust family.”
Uncles and in-laws with seats at the table but no operational role.
And in many cases, a next-gen founder who’s caught in between:
Too modern for tradition.
Too filial for confrontation.
The result? Paralysis. Decisions take too long. Vision gets watered down. Strategy becomes negotiation — not with customers or investors, but with family.
Why This Hurts More Than People Admit
Nobody wants to talk about this in public. It feels disrespectful. But this tension kills momentum in some of Vietnam’s most promising companies.
I’ve seen:
Founders forced to promote relatives over better talent
Leadership teams where no one makes real decisions without a family member’s blessing
Companies that hit $10M, $20M, even $50M — then stall out because the founder is stuck between modern ambition and traditional loyalty
This isn't just a startup problem. It happens inside conglomerates, too. Legacy doesn't scale unless leadership evolves with it.
The Conversation That Never Happens
Here’s the hard truth:
Most second-generation founders or operators are too polite to confront this dynamic directly.
They say:
“We’re figuring things out.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I just need more time.”
But behind closed doors, they’re exhausted. Trapped between gratitude and growth. Stuck performing both roles: executor and emotional manager.
And most of them have no one to talk to about it — not even their teams.
The Cost of Silence
This isn’t about disrespecting family. This is about recognizing a business truth:
What got you here won’t get you there.
Founders who want to scale need to transition from pleasing everyone to making hard calls. That doesn’t mean abandoning values — it means protecting the company’s ability to adapt and win.
I’ve worked with companies who made the shift:
Moved family members to board/advisory roles
Hired external leadership with full decision rights
Rebuilt trust by being transparent with both generations
The ones who succeed don’t cut ties. They restructure the relationship.
If You’re Caught in This Right Now
You’re not alone.
In fact, you’re in the majority. Most of Vietnam’s growth-stage companies are facing some version of this dynamic.
So start here:
Acknowledge it. Stop pretending it’s not affecting operations.
Draw clear zones. Define where family ends and business begins.
Over-communicate. Silence is where assumptions grow toxic.
Build your own circle. You need peers, not just advisors or employees.
The Shift
Vietnam is entering a generational handoff — not just of wealth, but of decision-making power.
We need a new kind of leadership:
Still grounded in respect
But trained in clarity, courage, and conviction
And that shift doesn’t start with an org chart. It starts with telling the truth — even when it’s uncomfortable.
Next in Inside the Shift:
The Real Boardroom in Vietnam Has No Table
(How decisions actually get made — and why knowing the org chart isn’t enough.)
