Recently, students of the NTT Institute of International Education (NIIE) had the opportunity to participate in the workshop “Programming Mindset and Key Concepts in Blockchain Data” led by Dang Thanh Tung – Vice Director at Bao Kim HQ, a specialist with 10 years of experience in E-Commerce, Mobile Applications, and Enterprise Applications. With real-world experience building systems serving millions of users, Mr. Tung delivered a session that was not only relatable and easy to follow but also filled with deep technical insight.
At the beginning of the session, the speaker helped students understand why databases are considered the “heart” of every technology platform—yet a single database cannot support a system once it grows too large. Complex concepts such as processing limits, access conflicts, and system load were explained through everyday examples, enabling students to visualize how a system can experience a “bottleneck” when too many users access it at once.
From these foundational issues, the workshop guided students toward the mindset of “divide to optimize,” explaining how companies apply Partitioning and Sharding to break data into smaller segments and process them in parallel. Mr. Tung shared real cases he had handled—from data overload incidents to strategies for redesigning entire systems—helping students understand why these techniques form the backbone of large-scale applications such as e-commerce platforms or e-wallets.
The workshop then moved into distinguishing between SQL and NoSQL, the two most widely used database types today. Mr. Tung noted that many companies choose technologies based on “trends,” which can lead to serious issues as the system expands. Therefore, he emphasized that the mindset of a true engineer is not about chasing the newest technologies, but about understanding the problem and choosing the right tool for the job.
Building from traditional databases, the discussion expanded to Blockchain, where challenges such as fragmentation, synchronization, and security become even more critical. Mr. Tung explained how data is stored in a decentralized manner and why Blockchain requires a significantly more rigorous systems-thinking approach. His clear explanations and vivid examples made it easier for students to grasp this otherwise “difficult” topic.
The workshop concluded with a hands-on demo and an open Q&A session, where students asked questions about system design, technology choices, and career orientation. Le Nhat Tan (Information Technology – Cohort 22) shared that the workshop helped him better understand how to design a proper database from the start to avoid issues later—something many students tend to overlook. The workshop also gave him clearer direction regarding career paths such as Database Administrator (DBA) or Data Engineer, and increased his confidence in subjects like SQL, data analysis, and capstone projects involving system design.
“I feel like I’ve ‘unlocked’ a new career direction. The session didn’t just teach us techniques—it gave us a clearer professional roadmap. I now have more motivation to dive deeper into data and seriously invest in this field in the future.”
