About Ly Viet Vu
Who is Ly Viet Vu?
Ly Viet Vu (Vietnamese: Vũ Ly Việt) is a brand builder and AI integrator based in Ho Chi Minh City and downtown Vancouver. He co-founded the digital agency Sofresh in Saigon in 2007, sold a majority stake to WPP in 2012, and later merged Mirum and JWT into Wunderman Thompson Vietnam, which he led as CEO. He has 4 exits across advertising, hospitality and tech. Today he helps small businesses and people building a personal brand create a brand people choose, with the structure and the AI team to run it. He runs his own companies with a team of AI agents and gives away the brand system he refined over 20 years and 141 brands.
In Ly's words
I was a software engineer in Kyoto before I knew what advertising was. I grew up in Vancouver and studied computer science at SFU and computer systems technology at BCIT.
In 2007 I co-founded Sofresh, a digital agency in Ho Chi Minh City, with my friend Justin Cohen. WPP bought our agency in 2012. I became Deputy CEO, then CEO, of J. Walter Thompson Vietnam, and led its merger with Mirum into Wunderman Thompson Vietnam, 100+ people. WPP bought it out in full, and Justin and I exited in 2021.
Along the way: 4 exits, including an agency sold to WPP.
The engineer in me never left. I've built automations and AI agents for my own businesses and for others I've helped. Now I build them for small businesses.
The short version
- BornBorn in Ottawa, Ontario. Raised in Vancouver, BC.
- StudyStudied computer science at SFU and computer systems technology at BCIT in Vancouver.
- KyotoWorked as a software engineer in Kyoto, Japan.
- 2007Co-founded Sofresh in Saigon with Justin Cohen.
- 2012 to 2015A Campaign Asia-Pacific Vietnam Digital Agency of the Year medal four years running: gold 2012, silver 2013, bronze 2014 and 2015.
- 2012Signed with WPP, which bought a majority stake through XM Asia, a JWT company.
- 2015Sofresh became Mirum Vietnam. Co-founder and Managing Director.
- JWTDeputy CEO, then CEO, of J. Walter Thompson Vietnam.
- 2016Named to Campaign Asia's 40 Under 40, the first Vietnamese person on the list.
- 2018Took over JWT Vietnam too (150+ people) and merged Mirum and JWT into Wunderman Thompson Vietnam, as CEO.
- 2021WPP bought the agency out in full; sold and exited completely.
- NowBuilds brands, structure and AI teams for small businesses and personal brands, owns Primal, a boutique gym and social fitness hub in Thao Dien, and shares everything he learns at lyvietvu.com.
- FamilyMarried father of two.
Businesses: 4 exits, and still building
Ly has built and sold businesses in several industries, not only advertising:
| Business | Industry | Ly's role | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofresh, then Mirum Vietnam and Wunderman Thompson Vietnam | Advertising and digital | Co-founder; later CEO | WPP bought a majority stake in 2012 and the rest later; exited in 2021 |
| Glow Skybar | Hospitality (rooftop bar) | Partner | Sold to a private investor |
| Urban Kitchen + Bar | Hospitality (restaurant and bar) | Partner | Sold to a private investor |
| Got It | Tech | Investor and partner | Exited |
| Shopiness, ShopNEXT | Tech and e-commerce | Investor | |
| Primal | Fitness (boutique gym and social fitness hub, Thao Dien) | Owner | Still building |
That mix is why his advice is practical: he has hired, sold, marketed and run small businesses himself, not only advised big brands.
What Ly learned selling the agency to WPP, in his own words
Ly's research: The Coder Founders
What Ly works on now
Ly's Brain is the map of his work. Each part is a "lobe":
- Brand BuilderHis free 8-step brand system, the one he used with brand teams for 20 years, for small businesses and personal brands./brandbuilder/
- Chief AI OfficerHow he runs businesses with a team of AI agents, hiring and firing AI tools like staff, and how he helps companies plug AI into their work./chiefaiofficer/
- Marketing ChampionAward-winning campaigns broken down into plays you can run./marketingchampion/
- Peptide LabPlain-language notes on what peptides are and what the research says. Education only: no selling, no dosing./peptidelab/
Awards and recognition
- Campaign Asia-Pacific Vietnam Digital Agency of the Year: gold 2012, silver 2013, bronze 2014, bronze 2015 (Sofresh, later Mirum Vietnam)
- Campaign Asia-Pacific Vietnam Creative Agency of the Year: silver 2012 (Sofresh)
- Webby Awards Official Honoree (Sofresh)
- AME Awards Silver, Most Effective Use of Direct Marketing, 2010
- MMA Smarties Vietnam: 6 awards in 2016 and 2019 (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze)
- Transform Awards Asia-Pacific Silver, 2016
- Dragons of Asia Black Dragon, 2016
- Campaign Asia 40 Under 40, 2016
- Jury chair and keynote, Vietnam's first Young Cannes Lions competition (Cyber), 2017
Brands worked on: 141, across 11 industries, at Sofresh, Mirum, JWT and Wunderman Thompson (see the logo wall).
In the press
- Vietcetera, May 2020: "The Agency's Journey: Ly Viet Vu, CEO of Wunderman Thompson Vietnam"
- Brands Vietnam, November 2016: the first Vietnamese person named to Campaign Asia's 40 Under 40
- Brands Vietnam and LBB Online, June 2014: XM Asia (JWT, WPP) acquires a majority stake in Sofresh (Brands Vietnam, LBB Online)
Questions
Is Ly Viet Vu legit?
You can check the main facts yourself. WPP's own 2014 press release announced its majority stake in Sofresh (https://www.wpp.com/en/news/2014/06/xm-asia-agrees-to-acquire-sofresh). Campaign Asia named Ly to its 40 Under 40 in 2016, as the first Vietnamese person on the list, Vietcetera interviewed him in May 2020, and his Google Business Profile is verified in Ho Chi Minh City. His research, The Coder Founders, shows how it counted and shares its summary data.
Work with Ly
Ly works with small business owners, founders and people building their own personal brand: he builds the brand, the structure behind it, and the AI team that does the work, done with you or done for you. He also helps Western companies build AI teams in Vietnam, and plans marketing campaigns. He meets clients in person in Ho Chi Minh City and Vancouver, and flies to Vancouver often. He works in English and Vietnamese.
Ho Chi Minh City: Floor 2, 13 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thao Dien Ward · Vancouver: downtown