ZEN Pirates #10 Kaka - I will create something nobody has seen, but something everybody wants by innovation

One day at lunch, he was taking a picture of the dishes to tell his wife in Vietnam that he is eating well. Every time we send messages, he is always the first one to respond. He always cares for others. Today, let us talk with this extremely kind, Indian-accent Vietnamese guy.

My Life Paved The Way to Zenport

- Hi Kaka! Thank you so much for taking time even though you’re so busy developing the product.

No problem! Surely we were a bit busy since we deployed new version of the product, but I always enjoy talking to others.

- So kind of you. Well, to kick off this interview, could you first share about your background?

- Ok. My name is Huynh Duc Dung, but everyone calls me by my nickname, “Kaka”. I’m from Vietnam, where my wife is still waiting for her visa. I’m a self-taught programmer. When I was in high school, lots of people were using mobile phone around me, which triggered my interest. My parents provided me with a PC, but I kind of wanted to do something different, so I learned Pascal first. Then I studied further in a university in Vietnam.

- We’re all wishing your wife’s visa! So, after studying by yourself and also in a university, what were you doing until you came to Zenport?

I first became a web developer in Vietnam. Then I got promoted to be a deputy manager of a mobile team, even though I had no background in mobile development. Actually, I had a business trip to Japan for that job. After that, I worked for some startup projects as a freelancer, when I was able to see quite a few successes. Looking back then, I feel it paved the way to Zenport in a sense. Oh, also, one of my clients then was an Indian, who influenced me a lot in terms of my English accent, haha. Well then, I was in Thailand before coming to Zenport, updating customer support platform from the old version at Zanroo.

- Wow, you must have had a lot of challenging works. I didn’t know that you had been to Japan before. How did you feel then?

I was totally impressed by the environment, especially its cleanness. Also, I got surprised how hard working Japanese people were. In Vietnam, people are more relaxed and friendly even at work.

Challenge to be A Model for The World

- You definitely brought good parts from both countries together. You are one of the hardest workers and also always chill in the office. Thank you for bringing a good balance! Well, then can I ask you why you joined Zenport?

Yeah, let me explain. My wife and I were expected to have a baby, so we really wanted to relocate to a better environment. We were thinking of Japan or Singapore, but Singapore was so slow doing the procedure like a visa. It was at that time when I contacted Toshi. I was not only attracted to the ideas of Zenport but impressed at how they were actually following it. Toshi let me start working even before we were so unclear about the visa. I liked that passionate, challenging, flexible environment.

- You are such a great dad and husband! I’d want to be your child if I could be born again haha. Also, I totally agree how passionate and challenging Toshi always is. All right, so what is your role in Zenport?

I’m ok with it, but my wife might not, haha. So, I’m in charge of the front-end part. I always work as a part of an triangle with Fumi, a business side, and Kevin, designer. It is really exciting and challenging to merge three different perspectives into one product. I also enjoy the environment that we can try freely. If you have some ideas, you can ask other parts of the triangle and try. I really like how tolerant we are to the new tries.

- You three are always having discussions. I heard that innovation means a new combination, but thanks to you three’s triangle, our clients all say that our product is really innovative! So next, can I hear about your future vision?

Sure. I believe I can challenge more in this challenging environment, so I want to do something so challenging that others will start copying us, like all the IT companies are copying Apple. Also, I want to be a CTO of a startup. Though my career, I have engaged in a back-end, mobile, including iOS and Android, and now a front-end. So, I’d really like to bring all my skills together to build one thing.

- You are literally a jack-of-all-trades and also a master of all. Time flies and this is the last question, but what kind of person do you want to work together?

Firstly, someone who is open-minded. As I said, we discuss a lot to make better products and keep improving. One’s idea is so important that he or she needs to share it constructively with others especially in a small and rapidly-growing team like us. In addition to that, honesty and communication skill is also very important to work and grow together. I’m always excited to work with new members!