Vietnam's fledgling startup scene (pictures)

Dao Thu Hien, who worked as an AP reporter and staffer in former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, co-founded Rockit Online in Hanoi, Vietnam, to help improve the education of people in the country. So far, the site offers English, math and science classes and may expand to include other skills-based courses.

Pham Minh Tuan, an NYU Stern Business School MBA and former McKinsey consultant, heads up Topica. The startup, based in Hanoi, Vietnam, offers English and university courses online to more than 21,000 students. It also helps other startups in Vietnam by hosting an accelerator and workshops.

Topica's Hanoi offices, which have about 400 workers, feature posters with quotes by famous thinkers like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "Move fast, break things."

NCT, a startup based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, provides a streaming music service to about 10 million monthly active users. It's available on PCs, mobile devices and smart TVs.

Nhan The Luan co-founded NCT in 2009 and has helped grow his company to one of the top streaming music providers in Vietnam.

NCT's offices include a "relax room" for employees to hang out. Some prefer to work in the room instead of relaxing.

NCT's streaming music service starts at $2 a month for mobile devices, which is $1 less than Apple's new service, Apple Music. NCT also offers a free, ad-based option for PC users.

The space housing NCT's licensing business includes artwork of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Many startups in Vietnam -- like in the US -- look to Jobs for inspiration.