R&D project showcase and engineering writing by (Alex) Hung Nguyen — systems architecture, clean-room proof-of-concept builds, and clear thinking about how software gets built.https://hungnguyen.tech/en-ushttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/boring-tech-on-purpose/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/boring-tech-on-purpose/Why I deliberately picked a boring, conventional stack for this site — and how "predictable to an AI agent" became a real, defensible selection criterion.Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesEngineering PrinciplesArchitectureDecision MakingAIhttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/elastic-ci-on-spot-vms/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/elastic-ci-on-spot-vms/A short walk-through of my per-build Jenkins-on-GCP-Spot POC — the setup, the one decision that made it fast, and why preemption is a non-event.Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTtechnicalCI/CDJenkinsGCPCostInfrastructurehttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/server-side-share-image-rendering/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/server-side-share-image-rendering/How I render dynamic social share images in a background worker — and the duplicate-render race condition that only showed up under real load.Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTtechnicalNestJSBullMQGCSConcurrencyBackendhttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/the-cto-s-dilemma-speed-quality-innovation/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/the-cto-s-dilemma-speed-quality-innovation/Every CTO faces a fundamental challenge: how to deliver innovative products quickly while maintaining high quality and scalable architecture. Move too fast, and you risk accumulating technical debt.Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMTleadershipEngineeringExecutionLeadershipProduct Developmenthttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/how-we-scaled-a-fintech-platform-from-mvp-to-enterprise/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/how-we-scaled-a-fintech-platform-from-mvp-to-enterprise/Scaling a fintech platform from an MVP to an enterprise-level solution is no small feat. It requires balancing speed, security, and compliance while maintaining seamless user experiences.Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesEngineeringExecutionFintechScalabilityMicroserviceshttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/how-i-designed-a-scalable-tech-architecuture-to-double-revenue-in-4-months/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/how-i-designed-a-scalable-tech-architecuture-to-double-revenue-in-4-months/When I joined Atadi as CTO, the company was experiencing some user complaints on transaction proccesing and revenue seem reach a limitation. With my experience in system optimization in the past…Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesScalabilityEngineeringArchitectureStartuphttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/the-art-of-balancing-innovation-and-stability-in-a-tech-startup/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/the-art-of-balancing-innovation-and-stability-in-a-tech-startup/In the fast-paced world of tech startups, innovation is the driving force behind differentiation and growth. However, as startups scale, maintaining stability becomes just as critical.Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTleadershipLeadershipCultureInnovationStartuphttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/hiring-for-innovation-how-to-build-a-high-performance-engineering-team/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/hiring-for-innovation-how-to-build-a-high-performance-engineering-team/Hiring the right engineering team is one of the most critical challenges for any CTO. In a world where technology evolves rapidly, assembling a team that can balance innovation with execution is…Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMTleadershipLeadershipCultureInnovationEngineeringhttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/breaking-down-system-reliability-a-cto-playbook/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/breaking-down-system-reliability-a-cto-playbook/In today’s digital landscape, system reliability is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether you’re running a fintech platform, an AI driven service, or an enterprise SaaS product, downtime and…Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesLeadershipCultureEngineeringhttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/the-hidden-cost-of-technical-debt-how-to-build-future-proof-systems/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/the-hidden-cost-of-technical-debt-how-to-build-future-proof-systems/Technical debt is an unavoidable reality in software development. Whether its a quick fix to meet a deadline or a tradeoff made in the name of speed, every engineering team accumulates some form…Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesScalabilityEngineeringInnovationhttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/microservices-vs-monolith-the-right-choice/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/microservices-vs-monolith-the-right-choice/One of the most critical decisions a startup must make is choosing the right architecture to support its growth. The debate between monolithic and microservices architectures is ongoing, with…Wed, 15 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesScalabilityArchitectureMicroservicesStartuphttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/global-fintech-expansion-challenges-and-opportunities/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/global-fintech-expansion-challenges-and-opportunities/In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to implement fintech lending solutions across multiple Asian markets, including India, Vietnam, and IndonesiaTue, 10 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMTleadershipFintechCultureLeadershipScalabilityhttps://hungnguyen.tech/blog/atadi-how-to-compete/https://hungnguyen.tech/blog/atadi-how-to-compete/When I joined Atadi.vn in 2016, the company was still a young startup in the online travel industry, specializing in low-cost flight bookings in Vietnam.Wed, 10 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMTprinciplesScalabilityArchitectureMicroservicesStartup