The journey of BAEMIN Vietnam has entered its 4th year. For some members of BAEMIN Tech who have been with us since the early days, it has been a memorable journey. On this occasion, let's take a look back at their journey.
Duong Pham - The Fun Lover
In my "bug killing" career spanning many years, BAEMIN holds the record for being my longest-standing partner. Now, you might wonder why I've stuck around for so long? Well, let me sprinkle some seasoning on this tale.
First and foremost, let's talk about our hybrid work mode. Being a fun-loving person who enjoys the thrill of being here and there, I thrive in the hybrid model that gives me the freedom to arrange my schedule and workspace. It's almost an everyday thing now to hunt bugs under a swaying coconut tree or have a meeting in the wilderness!
While I enjoy the freedom of working from anywhere, there's something different about office days. One reason is that the company knows how to throw epic events. Every time an event comes up, I excitedly get ready to participate and grab those exclusive prizes. Thanks to that, I've scored some amazing deals and unique seasonal gifts exclusive to BAEMINists. Plus, my teammates know how to have a good time, always gathering for big fiestas. When most people have started working from home, a few of us still regularly go to the office and indulge in food adventures. Let's just say, my waistline is grateful for the extra love.
But wait, there's more! BAEMIN is a treasure trove of work-related milestones. The one that truly takes the cake is the "2022 Digital Lookback" campaign. We were all on fire during the peak season of campaigns, but witnessing the traffic surge filled us with joy and pride. And let me share a little secret from the Lunar New Year madness: Fixing bugs and verifying them at midnight on the fourth day of Tet felt like a wild roller coaster. We conquered those pesky critters like fearless warriors, although some bugs seemed to have a preference for newer devices. It took a member of our QA/QC team wielding the fanciest phone to reveal their sneaky plans. We all had a good laugh, exclaiming, "Well, bugs even have a 'rich-poor' complex, who knew?”
Life as a QA engineer is never short of hilarious situations. But as long as we're having fun, we can tackle any challenge that comes our way! And that, my friends, is an undying feeling at BAEMIN.
What else to say? Let's keep the fun rolling!
May Nguyen Huynh - The Cheerleader
I'm Nguyen, also known as May. Currently, I rock the role of Product Designer in the Merchant squad. When I'm not busy designing, you can find me persuading my teammates to try out new dishes, engaging in miscellaneous chit-chat, and indulging in some good ol' gaming (I've recently won the Bronze Medal in BAEMIN Gaming Tournament, ain't that cool?). And that's probably why I've earned the title of Cheerleader of Tech division in 2022!
My mission at BAEMIN is to ensure that our Merchant partners' experience with our products is as smooth as butter. It's been neither too short nor too long of a journey, starting when the Design team consisted of only three Vietnamese members. There are numerous reasons why I've been at BAEMIN for a while, but the most crucial one is the opportunity to witness the impact of my work by tackling real user problems. As BAEMIN hails from South Korea, we all embrace and leverage BAEMIN Korea’s heritage, but that doesn't mean the Design team's creativity is limited to those boundaries.
The Merchant Service squad is a special one, boasting a high sense of ownership and the power to make critical decisions about product excellence. One of the most memorable moments was when we practically overhauled the entire design of the BAEMIN Merchant app. Usually, such an idea is a tough nut to crack as feature development is the top priority. However, at BAEMIN, all ideas are encouraged and pursued if they make sense. So, what seemed like a daunting task became a seamless endeavor thanks to the proactive feedback and wholehearted participation of every team member. With that spirit, I believe our team is about to unleash a slew of exciting new features to further enhance the user experience on the BAEMIN Merchant app. Stay tuned!
At BAEMIN, if you've got the will, everyone will go the extra mile to support you. There's never a shortage of things to learn and energy to fight with. That's why every day in my BAEMIN Tech journey is a day worth remembering!
Dustin Nguyen - The Social Butterfly
This May marks my 1095th day at BAEMIN, what a ride it's been! Coming back from the US with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science, I had had the opportunity to test the waters at a few tech companies. But fate had its way, and I landed at BAEMIN as a Back-End Engineer. Why, you ask? Well, because this place ticked all my boxes when it comes to both product value and work satisfaction. And to me, nothing is more important than "work hard, play harder."
First, let's talk about working hard.
There's something incredibly satisfying about seeing the products I've built come to life and be used in real life. Before settling down in the Campaign squad, I had had the chance to explore different squads, gaining a holistic view of the business, the products, and how the technical aspects align with them. The deeper I delve into everything, the more I enjoy developing user-centric features on the "frontlines", such as campaigns and engagement programs. Gamification in a consumer product like BAEMIN is a high-risk, high-return gamble. Each campaign goes through a lengthy process from ideation to deployment, just to capture a few precious seconds of user attention. The pressure to keep the system running smoothly during those live events is intense. Imagine countless risky scenarios: unexpected traffic surges, hacks and tricks, attempts to cheat the system for extra turns or continuous rewards. Each situation demands that I continuously challenge myself, sharpen my ability to anticipate and build robust defensive logics. It requires self-discipline from the engineers to manage code and develop better features. Yes, it's challenging, but it's also fascinating because no two campaigns are alike. Whenever we start a new campaign, it feels like hitting the reset button, bringing a fresh mindset to the table.
And because I collaborate with various departments, transparency plays a crucial role. From high-level strategies to day-to-day tasks, information flows openly and consistently. Why were certain decisions made? What does it mean for the users? Why was there a change? It helps me understand the bigger picture of what I'm working on.
What about playing harder?
When the job gets demanding, it's essential to strike a balance by unleashing my playful side. I love talking to people, exploring new places, and discovering hidden gems of tasty eateries. I proudly take on the role of tea-time organizer, scouting locations for team-building activities, and hunting down discount coupons for my colleagues (thanks to my experience in crafting campaigns). They often tease me, saying, "Is there anyone Dustin doesn't know?". But hey, this allows me to unwind after hours of bug fixing, learn new things, and even find travel buddies. That's why I believe that small talk is a competitive skill, especially at BAEMIN!
Lucas Nguyen - The Language Wizard
Annyeonghaseyo~
I'm Lucas, a Front-End Engineer of the Operation & Logistics squad at BAEMIN. I've been jamming with JavaScript for over 6 years, and there's never been a dull moment. Besides programming languages, I'm also into other languages, like English and Korean. Working with my Korean colleagues has given me quite a decent vocabulary.
Talking about the things I love, we gotta start with this particular project - building an internal tool to expand BAEMIN's delivery areas. It is a game-changer! Not only does it cut down the time to launch our services in a new city from 2 weeks to just 3 days, it also empowers our Operations team to set up and manage delivery areas by themselves. Simply put, before this tool, geo-expansion was a complex process involving manual data collection, map-drawing, inputting data into the code, and going through numerous testing cycles before the new city finally went on production. But thanks to this tool, also known as Delivery Area Service, we fast-tracked the whole process by automatically fetching data and integrating it into the code.
Building and integrating tech solutions to bring that tool to life was a massive cross-team effort. That's why I value the spirit of cooperation and open sharing. Disagreements and conflicts are inevitable in the workplace. If we don't proactively address issues or difficulties, not only do we fail to resolve them and keep things running smoothly, but it also strains the team dynamics. Fortunately, I have like-minded teammates to constantly grow and create valuable products together.
So, when you join a company or a team, how do you envision yourself? What role do you want to play? I think those are the real-deal questions to answer. Remember, the world needs talented individuals like us to innovate, collaborate, and make things happen!
