LBank Labs, the venture capital arm of the crypto exchange, hosted VIP Saigon Night in Ho Chi Minh City on the sidelines of Conviction 2026, Vietnam's major digital asset and AI economy forum. The rooftop gathering pulled together founders, investors, builders, ecosystem partners, media and Web3 community members for an evening of networking, food and music — a deliberate attempt to build relationships in a market the firm sees as central to its Southeast Asia push.
Rooftop networking with a DJ
The event featured a rooftop setting with food, drinks and a live DJ. Organizers added interactive activities, a lucky draw and limited-edition merchandise. Media partners including BeInCrypto, CoinGape, U.Today, Chainwire and LiveBitcoinNews helped spread the word.
LBank Labs said the goal was to strengthen relationships and support long-term ecosystem development in the Web3 space. The setup was designed to let founders and investors talk outside the formal conference schedule — a common play for venture firms that want to spot deals before they hit the pitch decks.
A $100 million bet on infrastructure
LBank Labs manages more than $100 million in assets. Its investment thesis centers on early-stage bets in compliant blockchain infrastructure, regulated DeFi applications, AI integration and institutional-grade decentralized solutions. That focus explains why the firm is spending time in Vietnam — the country has a growing developer base and a government that's been relatively open to blockchain experimentation.
The firm hasn't announced any investments from the Saigon night, and it's not clear yet which conversations will turn into term sheets. But hosting a side event at a major conference is a standard way for a VC to keep its name in front of founders and to signal which regions it cares about.
LBank Labs has not said where it will host its next gathering. The Saigon event, though, fits a pattern of regional meetups that the firm uses to scout talent and build its network. With Conviction 2026 wrapping up, the focus now shifts to whether any of the handshakes from that rooftop lead to actual deals.
