DXP-003: Marc Mendoza and Dave Kim

Bag Manufacturing in Vietnam

Design Exchange Podcast Episode 3 is our first episode with two guests while drinking Korean soju. Dave Kim has been working at Korean owned bag factories in Vietnam for more than 15 years. Marc Mendoza is a product designer from Silicon Valley who relocated to Vietnam to start Post Carry, a brand catering to cyclists.

Marc's Links: https://postcarry.co/ Instagram: @postcarryco

Thomas's Links: https://sefu.jp/ Instagram: @sefustyle

This episode is also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/iUoHJVbqolw

Table of Contents:

• 00:38 - Intro Banter
• 02:46 - Marc made over 100 bags for friends, why he moved to Vietnam
• 06:17 - 15 years ago Saigon street coffee was better and people were friendlier
• 09:58 - Taking taxis vs driving in Saigon
• 11:14 - Korean Noodles
• 12:25 - Dave's job: bring design to reality, and bag production at a factory.
• 19:30 - Tech Packs and Design Documentation - How detailed does it need to be?
• 25:41 - Advice for New Product Designers
• 31:06 - Dave's Dream for 1 Million Dollars
• 33:08 - Feeling Good through Customer Feedback
• 36:20 - Climbing in Vietnam
• 38:55 - Vietnam is a "Woman Country"
• 40:31 - One of the benefits of being a foreigner is anonymity
• 42:33 - Cheap Smoothies and a Growing Economy drew Thomas to Vietnam
• 47:51 - The Number One Thing Thomas Doesn't Like About Vietnam.
• 51:39 - Driving a Motorbike in Vietnam
• 57:23 - Marc rode his bicycle 80km to the factory.
• 01:00:40 - Marc Wants to be in Vietnam
• 01:01:39 - Thomas lost meaning after separation from his son and seeks calmness and connection with his son in Japan.
• 01:04:08 - Columbus Ohio is becoming more attractive to Thomas.
• 01:06:49 - Silicon Valley vs Vietnam according to Marc Mendoza
• 01:08:09 - Our Favorite Viet Foods

Hashtags:

#bag #design #manufacturing #madeinvietnam #vietnam #saigon #podcast #designexchange #dxp #postcarry #sefu

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Séfu, creators of The Switch Bag, the bag that lets you bring your Nintendo Switch with you, everywhere you go! Use code DXP for free shipping and a 15% discount!

This episode is also made possible by Pinecast. After weeks of evaluating podcast hosts, we decided to go with Pinecast because you can get unlimited episodes, storage, and bandwidth for only $5 per month. That's a great value and if you use coupon code r-4b5077 you'll get 40% off for 4 months!