Experience doesn’t always come with age, and strength doesn’t always look the same. Sometimes, it means having the patience to listen before making a decision. Sometimes, it means leaving a familiar path behind and accepting the uncertainty of starting over. And sometimes, it means stepping into an unfamiliar environment, learning as you go, and discovering that you’re capable of more than you imagined.
At Synodus, building technology depends on more than engineering expertise. Behind every project are people who make decisions, solve problems, support their colleagues, and bring their own experiences into the workplace. Their contributions may look different, but each plays a part in helping teams work and grow together.
In this edition of Synodus DNA, we meet three women from different generations (X-Y-Z): Phạm Thị Hoa, Giang Thị Hồng Nhung, and Đặng Thị Hồng Nhung. Through their stories, we explore the personal qualities behind their professional roles, the experiences that have shaped their perspectives, and the different ways they contribute to the people and work around them.
Phạm Thị Hoa (QC Lead – Gen X): More than 20 years of experience, with the curiosity of an 18-year-old
More than 20 years in the IT industry have given Phạm Thị Hoa plenty of experience, but they haven’t taken away her enthusiasm for the work. She still describes herself, with a smile, as having an “18-year-old spirit.” It’s a playful way of explaining something that has remained important throughout her career: the ability to stay curious, find excitement in unexpected places, and approach familiar challenges with fresh eyes. For someone working in software quality control, that excitement can come from something as seemingly ordinary as discovering a difficult bug. Hoa compares the feeling to the thrill of winning on Road to Mount Olympia, Vietnam’s popular television quiz competition.
That enthusiasm reflects a quality that experiences alone cannot guarantee. As a QC Lead, Hoa works in a field where attention to detail, questioning assumptions, and identifying problems are essential to software quality. But after years of working with systems, processes, and technical requirements, she still finds satisfaction in the search for answers. For her, expertise and curiosity are not opposing qualities. The more experience she gains, the more she appreciates the value of continuing to ask questions.
Her perspective on work, however, extends far beyond software. Hoa believes that employees are, in many ways, an organization’s first “customers”: the people whose needs, well-being, and sense of belonging deserve genuine attention. When people feel supported and proud of their workplace, they naturally become their most authentic advocates. It’s a belief that shapes her understanding of leadership, where technical responsibilities sit alongside the equally important work of listening, supporting, and understanding others.
Hoa has also learned to appreciate the different qualities her colleagues bring to the table. She remembers Dương Thanh Tùng, Director of Division G3 and the first Project Manager she worked with at Synodus, as someone who left a particularly strong impression. His youthful energy, decisiveness, fast-paced working style, and ability to learn quickly stood out to her, even if his enthusiasm sometimes meant taking on a little too much. Rather than viewing their differences as a gap in experience or working styles, Hoa found qualities she could admire and learn from. For her, part of staying motivated is recognizing the good in the people around her and allowing their strengths to broaden her own perspective.
Behind Hoa’s cheerful personality is a thoughtful understanding of responsibility. She believes that every employee carries more than the duties written in a job description. Behind each person is a family that provides support, motivation, and a reason to keep moving forward. From a management perspective, this responsibility becomes even more significant: behind hundreds of employees are hundreds of families, and decisions made at work can have consequences that extend far beyond the office. This is why she sees empathy and active listening as essential to people-centered leadership. She also values the spirit of “Speak up your voice,” believing that the purpose of speaking up is not simply to express an opinion, but to contribute constructively to making the team better.
Away from work, Hoa finds balance in three things she holds close: music, trusted friends, and faith. She believes that knowing when to practice moderation is one of the keys to a balanced life. After more than two decades in technology, perhaps her most meaningful lessons are not only about the problems she has solved, but also about knowing which things she can change, which things she must learn to accept, and how much the people around her matter along the way.
Giang Thị Hồng Nhung (General Administration – Gen Y): Finding the courage to begin again
There is a particular kind of courage involved in leaving something familiar, especially when the path ahead offers fewer guarantees. Giang Thị Hồng Nhung knows that feeling well. She once worked as an accountant at a government agency, a role that provided stability and a well-established professional direction. Yet she eventually chose to move into the private sector, trading the comfort of a familiar environment for the uncertainty of new opportunities. It wasn’t a decision made with complete confidence about what would happen next. For Nhung, it was an opportunity to take ownership of her professional journey, even without knowing exactly where it would lead.
Her ability to adapt had already been tested during her academic years. After earning an undergraduate qualification through an international program, Nhung pursued a master’s degree in accounting in Vietnam. What initially seemed like a natural continuation of her education turned into a much bigger challenge than expected. Differences in accounting standards, legal frameworks, and domestic regulations meant that she had to revisit much of what she had previously studied. There were moments of confusion and frustration, but she continued learning, adjusting her understanding and working through the unfamiliar material. Her persistence eventually paid off when she successfully defended her thesis, earning the second-highest result in her cohort.
Those experiences have shaped the way Nhung understands personal strength. As she puts it, “Strength doesn’t necessarily mean knowing you’ll succeed. It means having the courage to make a choice and being ready to take responsibility for it.” It’s a perspective grounded in the realization that growth rarely comes with certainty. Sometimes, it asks us to begin again, question what we already know, or accept that the next chapter might look very different from the one we originally imagined.
Today, Nhung works in General Administration, where much of her contribution happens quietly behind the scenes. Her responsibilities involve practical support and the many details that help colleagues navigate their working lives. A carefully prepared arrangement, a timely response, or a problem resolved before it becomes a bigger inconvenience may not attract much attention. But for the people on the receiving end, particularly those living and working away from home, these small actions can make a meaningful difference. It’s in these everyday moments that Nhung finds a sense of purpose: knowing that her work helps others feel supported and more at ease.
In many ways, her professional journey tells two complementary stories. The first is about making difficult choices and finding the confidence to embrace change. The second is about recognizing value in work that doesn’t always receive public recognition. Both reflect the same understanding of responsibility: being willing to act, follow through, and care about the people affected by what we do.
Đặng Thị Hồng Nhung (Business Analyst – Gen Z): What the field teaches you about resilience
Born in 1999, Đặng Thị Hồng Nhung has already accumulated seven years of experience in healthcare software implementation. Much of that experience has been gained far from the predictable routines of office life. Her work has taken her directly into hospitals, where software deployment can involve challenging living conditions, demanding schedules, and unfamiliar clinical environments. Some assignments required her to work near emergency departments, mortuaries, or X-ray facilities, places that offer a very different perspective on technology from the one usually seen in development meetings or technical documentation.
Those experiences taught Nhung that implementing software requires more than understanding how a system works. It also demands adaptability, patience, and the ability to keep moving forward when circumstances are uncomfortable or unpredictable. Over time, she developed the persistence and determination needed to deal with problems that cannot always be solved with technical knowledge alone. It was an education shaped by real working environments and by the people who depend on technology in their daily routines.
But professional growth rarely follows a straight line. When Nhung moved from healthcare software implementation into the Government Division and began working as a Business Analyst, she found herself facing another unfamiliar challenge. Despite her years of industry experience, the new role required a different set of skills. Encouraged by her managers, she started learning interface design, system modeling, and the process of developing Software Requirements Specifications (SRS). Her field experience gave her an understanding of how software is used in practice, while business analysis challenged her to approach projects from the perspective of requirements, documentation, and communication between stakeholders.
The transition was demanding, but Nhung committed herself to learning. Within just three months, her progress had earned recognition from leadership, and she was trusted to contribute to several major projects simultaneously. For her, the experience reinforced a lesson that had already taken shape during her years in healthcare: you don’t have to know everything before taking on something new. What matters is the willingness to learn, adapt, and keep going when the answers aren’t immediately clear.
Nhung also brings a straightforward, approachable communication style to her relationships with colleagues. Working with people from different generations, she finds that openness and honest conversations help create understanding across different backgrounds and ways of thinking. Her outlook is reflected in a belief she holds firmly: “Gender doesn’t define our limits; willpower and determination shape whether we succeed or fail.” It’s a perspective shaped by her own experience of stepping into unfamiliar places, learning new skills, and discovering what she can accomplish through persistence.
Outside work, traveling and attending events featuring her favorite artists with close friends give Nhung a chance to disconnect and recharge. She is determined in her professional life, but equally aware that personal interests and friendships deserve time and attention. For someone who has spent years adapting to new environments, finding that balance is part of sustaining the energy to keep exploring what comes next.
Different paths, a shared strength
At first glance, Hoa and the two Nhungs have little in common beyond their connection to VTX Group. They belong to different generations, work in different roles, and have followed very different professional journeys. Yet their stories reveal a shared quality: each has found her own way of responding to change, taking responsibility, and continuing to grow.
For Hoa, strength has come to mean combining professional experience with curiosity, empathy, and an understanding of the people behind the work. For Giang Thị Hồng Nhung, it lies in the courage to make uncertain choices and the care she brings to supporting others. And for Đặng Thị Hồng Nhung, it is the resilience developed through years of practical experience and the determination to take on responsibilities that are still unfamiliar.
There is also a lovely coincidence in their names. Together, Hoa and Hồng Nhung evoke “Hoa Hồng Nhung,” a Vietnamese expression for a deep red velvet rose. It’s a small but fitting connection between three women whose personalities, experiences, and contributions are different, yet whose journeys share a sense of determination and growth.
Their stories also remind us that the strength of a technology company is built through many kinds of contributions. Software quality depends on people who continue to question and improve. Successful projects rely on those willing to learn, adapt, and take on unfamiliar challenges. And the work behind the scenes matters just as much in helping colleagues feel supported and keeping an organization moving forward.
Because the people behind the work are just as important to the story of Synodus as the technology we build.
Different generations. Different journeys. Shared strength.
