ENTREPRENEUR | SPEAKER | IRONMAN FINISHER
PHAN THAI VUONG
KEEP MOVING FORWARD
From night shifts at a bento factory to founding GLOBALIZE. With more than 13 years of living and working in Japan, I help foreign workers and Japanese companies move forward together.
13+
years living and working in Japan
5+
years running a business
2,500+
partner companies
7,000+
candidates supported
JOURNEY
Starting from zero
Three months after enrolling in a Japanese language school, my first part-time job was the night shift at a bento factory. Then came a vegetable-processing plant, a restaurant, and delivery work at Yamato. To earn recognition, I took on every task I was given — including the ones nobody else wanted.
I interviewed at many companies and was turned down again and again, until a recruitment agency took me on for a trial period in sales. There I came to understand both sides: what foreign workers need, and what Japanese employers struggle with.
I founded GLOBALIZE with one goal: to help more foreign nationals find work and change their visa status the right way, while helping Japanese companies solve their labor shortages. In the early days we had no clients, and few people trusted a young foreigner. But I kept going.
FOCUS
Three pillars
Business
Founder of GLOBALIZE — a registered support organization, licensed placement agency and online training provider for foreign nationals in Japan.
Speaking & Training
Talks on leadership, hiring and retaining foreign talent, and long-term thinking for companies and the Vietnamese community.
Endurance
Finisher of IRONMAN Hokkaido, IRONMAN Da Nang and the Chiba 100 km ultramarathon, many full marathons, and two Mt. Fuji summits.
IRONMAN FINISHER
Discipline forged on the race course
Swim 3.8 km, bike 180 km, run 42.2 km — in a single day. Every finish line is a reminder: there are no shortcuts, only steady steps forward.
★ Sub-13 at IRONMAN Da Nang 2026 – honored on the Vietnam Marathon Golden Board
“The weak look for reasons. The strong look for ways to act.”
— PHAN THAI VUONG
PHILOSOPHY
What business takes
01
Courage
To think and to act, even when you start with nothing.
02
Wisdom
To tell right from wrong, and choose the sustainable path over the shortcut.
03
Persistence
To keep going after failure. Like an IRONMAN, you reach the finish one step at a time.
Let’s move forward together
Speaking invitations, in-house training, or partnerships with Japanese companies — I would be glad to hear from you.