A Childhood of Innovation and Teamwork
The Birth of an Innovator: A Childhood of Invention
At six years old (1977, in Sài Gòn), I stood among five little boys, eyes wide with wonder, clutching discarded aluminum toothpaste tubes we had found on the street. To others, they were trash; to us, they were raw materials—endless possibilities waiting to unfold.
We straightened them with our tiny fingers, smoothing out the wrinkles, imagining what they could become. The idea took shape quickly: a warship. But there was a problem—we were just children, no older than seven. None of us knew how to weld aluminum, but one of us had an older brother, aged ten, who did. That was the first lesson: innovation is about collaboration, about knowing who to turn to when knowledge is lacking.
Next came the cannons. A warship needed firepower, but toy guns wouldn’t do. We wanted realism. Inspiration struck—we carefully inserted burning matches into the cannon barrels, watching as tiny sparks mimicked the explosive power of real artillery.
But a warship is not just about firepower; it must move, propel itself through water like a true vessel. That presented another challenge: how could we make it move? We thought of real steamships, of the mighty engines that powered them. Too complex for us, surely. But then, a realization—if we could create a simple boiler, we could harness steam power.
So, we crafted a small boiler and added two pipes at the back, carefully drilling holes like in real steamboats. But water alone wouldn’t move the ship. It needed heat, pressure—energy. That’s when I had my first true invention: a miniature oil lamp, a simple yet powerful device placed beneath the boiler.
Then, magic happened.
The water inside the boiler began to bubble, steam built up, and suddenly, our tiny warship came to life. The sound, the motion, the smoke rising from its cannons—it was real. A creation born from nothing but discarded materials, a few bright minds, and the spirit of teamwork.
Today, at 54, I still carry this memory with me—a defining moment that set me on a lifelong journey of innovation. That little warship wasn’t just a childhood experiment; it was a lesson in problem-solving, in thinking beyond limits, in the power of collaboration. It shaped my career, guiding me through decades of disruptive technologies and groundbreaking ideas.
Because in the heart of every great innovation lies a simple truth: it’s never just one person. It’s a team, a shared vision, and the relentless pursuit of possibility.
Many people have been asking me for decades, What is the beginning of innovation? I always say, "It must be the atmosphere of a state of happiness, like where birds feel free to sing their best song. Think of that in your real life—the best innovations are the result of a group, just like in this story."
I am happy to be with AiBEN, where we have such a team—just like in my childhood story. Together, we innovate, build, and create the future.
Laurent Tran-Nguyen
CEO/Founder of AiBEN/NOMOVOK
(winner of the Deloitte Fastest Growing Award 2007).
