Luong Manh Hai & Duong Do: Twisting the Tongue 70 Times Just to Be… “Frivolous”

The conversation between Duong Do (Founder of Toong) and Luong Manh Hai on the LOXO show is not merely about their professions; it is a collision of two worldviews. On one side is the caution of a cultural “gatekeeper,” and on the other, the freedom of a “wild horse” who has experienced life’s impermanence.

1. Is “Frivolous” Content “Trash” or “Spice”?

Duong Do enters the dialogue with a deeply… responsible concern. He likens content to a form of “mental nutrition.”

Duong Do: “If society keeps consuming too much superficial ‘fast food,’ our palate will be ruined. Will people still be capable of appreciating profound values?”

For Duong, a creator must have a “filter.” One cannot compromise for the sake of a few million views, only to inadvertently cultivate a generation that merely lives on the surface.

However, Luong Manh Hai flips the narrative with an astonishingly straightforward perspective. He does not equate humor with shallowness. To create a seemingly ridiculous clip that genuinely makes people laugh, he claims he has to “twist his tongue 70 times” (think meticulously before speaking).

Luong Manh Hai: “A delicious dish must have plenty of spices, and spices are sometimes not good for your health. But they are tasty!”

Hai views entertainment as a “catalyst.” He does not see art as a lotus flower detached from the mud. A movie criticized as poorly made yet earning hundreds of billions, to Hai, represents supreme creative prowess because it successfully “touches” the emotions of the masses.

Image from the LOXO Podcast recording session | Credit: Thang Bina

2. Who Has the Authority to Guide Public Taste?

The debate intensifies when touching upon the question: Is the crowd always right, or is an elite class needed to lead the way?

Duong Do: Expresses concern about the ethics of influencers. If the “helmsman” fails to illuminate kindness, we will soon drown in a massive “dumpster” of content.

Luong Manh Hai: Conversely, he rejects the burden of guiding anyone. He places his faith in the power of individual filters. The maturity of a society does not lie in how many leaders it has, but in whether each individual possesses enough fortitude not to be blindly led.

Hai counters with a very “sobering” question: Does a so-called universal standard even exist, or is each person’s sky realistically only as wide as the “mouth of the well” they are standing in?

3. Facing Mortality to Stop… Overcompensating

Why did a once highly “principled” Luong Manh Hai become so free-spirited, even “frivolous,” as he is today? The answer lies in one word: Impermanence.

Following the pandemic and the sudden passing of his father, Hai realized that forcing himself to fit the crowd’s “script” was a meaningless waste of energy. Understanding that “we meet today, but tomorrow might be never,” he chooses to live true to his own identity, even if that identity might not please those who prefer a dignified facade.

4. Youth is Actually… Nothing But Being “Young”

Speaking of time, Hai pours another bucket of cold water on the daydreams of many:

Youth is actually only valuable because it’s young; otherwise, there’s nothing else to it.

Youth has an abundance of time to make mistakes but lacks the composure to understand why those mistakes were made. For him, youth is a time to accumulate “spices,” while maturity is the chef who knows how to mold the bitter and spicy flavors of life into a dish with profound depth.

Image from the LOXO Podcast recording session | Credit: Thang Bina

We need those who keep the lighthouse of standard values brightly lit. But we also need Luong Manh Hai’s spirit as a reminder: Every ship has the right to choose its own voyage.

At the end of the conversation, when asked what weapon he would be, Hai chose to be a sword—sharp, direct, and highly lethal. A sword used not to attack, but to sever the chains of expectation, allowing him to live authentically as himself.

Edited by Toong Editorial

Content synthesized from the dialogue between Duong Do and guest Luong Manh Hai on the LOXO program.

Watch the full Podcast episode

TWISTING THE TONGUE 70 TIMES JUST TO BE… “FRIVOLOUS” | LUONG MANH HAI

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