Vietnam Business Trip With My Son Miles: HorizonAI Expo and Exploring Ho Chi Minh City

My Vietnam business trip with my son Miles began when I was invited to speak and host a booth at the first HorizonAI Expo in Vietnam, I hesitated.

The event was happening alongside Hobby Horizon, a huge anime, cosplay, and card-game convention. It sounded like an exciting opportunity, but my children were on summer vacation and I wanted to spend time with them.

Then I had a thought: why not invite them?

My daughter Maggie declined, but my 12-year-old son Miles was all for it.

So we applied for our Vietnam visas, booked the flights, and got ready for a first on both sides: Miles's first trip to Vietnam and his first international business trip with Dad.

Arriving Early to Explore Ho Chi Minh City

We arrived a couple of days before the event so we would have time to explore Ho Chi Minh City together.

One of our first stops was the War Remnants Museum. It was my first time there too, and it was far more graphic and emotionally difficult than I expected. As someone born in the United States, I felt uncomfortable—and honestly a little guilty—walking through exhibits showing the suffering caused by the war and images of American soldiers posing with dead bodies.

War is cruel. Seeing it presented so directly, with my son beside me, made the visit especially sobering.

The rest of our sightseeing was lighter. We walked around downtown, ate some good meals, got haircuts, and spent time simply experiencing the city together.

On Friday morning, we walked around the zoo and saw all kinds of animals—plus what felt like endless snakes and lizards. Then it was time to switch from sightseeing to business.

Time to Get Down to Business

Friday afternoon, we headed to the HorizonAI venue to set up the Headless Empire booth and attend the VIP networking session.

Saturday and Sunday were the main event days, and Miles quickly became the star of our booth.

People were amazed to see a 12-year-old confidently explaining what we were working on and answering questions on his own. At times I deliberately stepped back so he could handle the conversation. He did better than I could have expected.

As a parent, it was an amazing thing to watch. He was not learning business from a textbook or a video. He was learning by standing there, talking with real people, listening to their questions, and figuring out how to respond.

The combination of HorizonAI and Hobby Horizon also gave the weekend a unique energy. On one side were founders, developers, and AI experts discussing agents and the future of business. On the other were cosplayers, anime fans, card-game players, and creators. Miles moved comfortably between both worlds.

I also spoke about using AI to run a business and shared the operating system we are building under HeadlessEmpire.com.

What Is Headless Empire?

Headless Empire is a movement for business owners and operators who are tired of juggling browser-based logins, disconnected tools, and rigid boundaries when working with AI and AI agents.

Using a GFAVIP identity, members can sign in across a growing network of applications—including PowerLobster, HeadlessDomains, and Innovemind—and use them as connected parts of their business.

But Headless Empire is more than a collection of apps. The vision brings four layers under one umbrella:

• A shared GFAVIP identity
• A practical stack of agentic business applications
• A free academy for learning how to work this way
• Hands-on consulting for companies that want closer support

It is our attempt to connect software, identity, education, community, and enterprise consulting into one ecosystem for building and operating businesses with AI.

Seeing the Future Through My Son's Eyes

The event was valuable for the conversations, feedback, and relationships. But the most meaningful part of the trip was seeing Miles become part of it.

At 12 years old, he was talking with AI experts, helping at a business booth, meeting people from around the world, and enjoying the wild creativity of a cosplay convention—all in the same weekend.

That combination felt like a glimpse of the world he is growing into.

AI, agents, digital identity, online communities, creative fandoms, and real-world relationships are all colliding. None of us knows exactly where it will lead. But I am grateful Miles had the chance to see it up close—and that I had the chance to share my first Vietnam business trip with him.

It started as a scheduling conflict between business and family. In the end, it became one of the most memorable ways I could have combined the two.

Would you bring your child on a business trip like this? What real-world experience would you want them to learn by joining you?