Harvard graduate walks away from McKinsey for new life in Vietnam

"Moving to Vietnam is one of the best decisions of my life," said Turban, now living in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1.

Love at first sight

Turban first arrived in HCMC in 2017 to study Vietnamese for three months before starting at McKinsey. He planned to immerse himself in a new culture, then return to Boston to pursue a promising corporate career.

But Vietnam had other plans.

In his first week, Turban was struck by the warmth and humor of the Vietnamese people. What began as casual chats quickly turned into road trips to Da Lat and Quy Nhon with two new friends. "I've been to many places, but I've never felt a connection so quickly," he recalled.

For the rest of the summer, Turban dedicated 6–8 hours a day to learning Vietnamese. The Harvard graduate and published author also worked tirelessly to build relationships, something he saw as a form of lifelong learning.

When it came time to fly home, his friends walked him to the airport. As he stepped through the gate, a line of Vietnamese poetry echoed in his mind:

"While we remain, it's only the earth beneath our feet. But when we part, the soil becomes a part of us."

A search for "Vietnam" in America

Stephen Turban (3rd, L) and his family in Hawaii, the U.S. Photo courtesy of Stephen Turban

Back in Boston, Turban could not stop thinking about Vietnam. "It may sound crazy, but I looked for Vietnam everywhere in the U.S.," he said.

He spent evenings studying Vietnamese in a local nail salon, surrounded by women from Hue. He joined a Vietnamese student event at MIT, where he was given a local name: Pham Van Vu. Soon, he was fluent enough to host VietChallenge, a global startup competition for Vietnamese innovators.

Even after being transferred to China by McKinsey in 2018, his heart remained in Vietnam.

Turban had long planned to follow his family's academic tradition. But when the deadline to apply for a scholarship at Harvard Business School arrived, he hesitated.

"I knew if I didn't return to Vietnam now, I might never get another chance," he said.

So he quit his job, no backup plan, no hesitation, and moved back.

Turban joined Fulbright University Vietnam, taking an 80% pay cut but finding immense fulfillment. "It felt like being a fish back in water," he said.

He soon noticed Vietnam's buzzing entrepreneurial spirit. "I used to think success came from great ideas," he said. "Vietnam taught me it's about grabbing the right opportunity."

In 2020, from a $200 per month apartment, he launched his own education startup. Within five years, the company had supported tens of thousands of students across Vietnam, China, India, Europe and the U.S. In 2024 alone, it helped 3,000 student, including eight who secured scholarships at Harvard.

Now with a team of 80 across multiple countries, Turban also invests in six other startups run by friends. Despite his success, he still lives just a few streets from his old apartment.

Stand-up and self-discovery

Stephen Turban in 2020. Photo courtesy of Stephen Turban

Vietnam did not just give Turban a career. It also gave him a stage.

After attending a comedy show with a Vietnamese teacher, Turban became intrigued by stand-up. He reached out to Saigon Tếu (Funny Saigon), a local comedy group, asking to perform in Vietnamese.

"I thought he just wanted to improve his language skills," said Hien Nguyen, a co-founder of the group. "We didn't expect him to actually want to perform."

Turban wrote his own script and worked with Vietnamese teachers for two months. His debut opened with: "Hi everyone, my name is Stephen Turban, and my Vietnamese name is Vu!" The audience erupted in laughter; not for the joke, but for a mispronunciation. Still, he owned the moment.

"It was a memory worth remembering," he said.

Though Turban now understands about 70% of conversations among his Vietnamese friends, he is still chasing fluency. He keeps a small notebook, jotting down every new word he hears, determined to reach 95% comprehension.

His goals? Grow his team to 100, improve his acting, and deepen his understanding of Vietnamese thinking.

"I'm a living example of a fan of Vietnam," he said. "An unofficial ambassador."