MANGO TIGER TRAVEL COMPANY LIMITED (VN)
Declaration of Ownership and Personal Statement
Dear reader,
I’m A.P, the legal owner of Mango Tiger Vietnam Co.LTD (MTVN) and the registered owner of the Vietnam brand trademark. I was a local shareholder of Mango Tiger (MT) from 2018 which later is Mango Tiger Hong Kong (MT HK) until an unfortunate separation in December 2023. Here, I want to share my story, reflects my personal experience and understanding of event, to clarify the situation surrounding the brand, and provide insights so others can avoid the mistakes I made.
How It Started
In January 2018, one of the founders of MT, who was working at Company K at the time, approached me with an offer. He proposed that I leave Company K and help establish Mango Tiger Vietnam, promising me a 10-20% share of the company in exchange for setting up all legal entities in Vietnam. At 25 years old, with limited understanding of the risks involved, I accepted the offer. While the agreement was largely verbal in the early stages, I moved forward in good faith, focusing on growing the business.
Over the next fiveyears, I dedicated myself to the company - not just as a local shareholder but also as one of its first and key employees. MT expanded from Vietnam to Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and beyond, following a structure where each country had a local representative who legally owned the local entity in exchange for shares.
The journey was full of ups and downs. We survived COVID-19, scaling back operations to just Vietnam and Cambodia, with Vietnam functioning as the head office, handling legal business and work permits for foreign team members. Setting up a business in Vietnam isn’t exactly straightforward, but I handled all the local regulations, licensing, and tax requirements at best to make sure everything ran smoothly, while managing the branch alongside - from product development, sales and marketing to operations management and even helping at bookkeeping. I took pride in what we built and truly believed in what we were doing.
The Separation
By mid - 2023, things started to shift as MT grew from a small-scale to a mid-scale business. I found my vision for the company’s future no longer aligned with the leadership, so I made the difficult decision to leave.
I handed over my daily responsibilities, contacts, and operations, expecting my local share and reimbursed expensesbefore transferring the Vietnam entity back to MT HK. However, that didn’t happen. We were unable to reach an agreement on compensation for my shares. I lost access to my company email and internal communications, which meant I no longer had access to certain records. Additionally, past gaps and misunderstanding in financial management and paperwork made it difficult to clarify ownership terms. As a result, after five years of contribution, I was left with no agreed upon compensation, a company in my name but no financial settlement for my shares.
Where Things Stand Now
As of today, I remain the sole legal owner of Mango Tiger Vietnam Co. Ltd. (MTVN) and the registered owner of the Vietnam brand trademark. While Mango Tiger may continue to exist in other markets, any use of the Mango Tiger name in Vietnam must comply with local trademark regulations.
MTVN now operates independently from its original Hong Kong entity. I continue to manage its future, exploring new directions while ensuring the brand’s legacy in Vietnam remains intact.
Lessons Learned and Advice for Others
If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from this experience, it’s the importance of legal clarity and ownership rights. Many foreign businesses expanding into Vietnam rely on local partners to set up operations. While trust is essential, it’s equally crucial to:
✔ Have formal agreements in place from the beginning.
✔ Seek independent legal counsel before committing to ownership or shareholding terms.
✔ Document contributions and agreements, no matter how small they may seem.
✔ Understand the complexities of exiting a business arrangement before entering one.
This isn’t just my story — it’s something many entrepreneurs and business partners experience when working across borders. If sharing this helps even one person navigate a similar situation more smoothly, then it’s worth telling.
For those interested in the future of MTVN, I’m open to discussions on where we go from here. And for anyone who’s ever been in a similar position — know that you’re not alone.