At the helm of our engineering team in Vietnam is Vũ Trọng Hải. With 20 years of Silicon Valley experience behind him, Hai brings a potent blend of deep technical expertise, a dedication to continuous learning, and a strong focus on values-first engineering to Southeast Asia’s PropTech challenges of today.

From Vietnam to Silicon Valley and Back

Hải’s journey to PropertyGuru is a testament to his passion for innovation and his ability to adapt to new challenges. “My career started 20 years ago when I graduated and got admitted to a government agency managing state IT projects,” Hải recalls.

“I felt like my knowledge was not enough to really take control of those projects. I decided to study abroad and improve my understanding of how projects run at scale, as well as learn cutting edge technology.”

This decision set the stage for an invaluable experience. “Initially I was thinking just to go and study,” Hải remembers. “I didn’t expect much. Maybe just a few years then back to Vietnam. It took me five years to finish my master’s and PhD. But then after I graduated, I got a lot of offers. I decided to go with the flow.” That decision became 20-years with world-leading tech outfits like Cisco and Amazon Web Services.

The Return to Vietnam

Hải’s decision to return to Vietnam and join PropertyGuru was driven by a combination of personal goals and cultural alignment. Hải explains. “My goal is to apply my experience at these top US companies to my home country, Vietnam, and apply this technology and mindset to serve a larger community and create greater value.”

This alignment between Hải’s personal philosophy and our values at PropertyGuru is a key factor in our success, enabling the engineering team to consistently deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of the PropTech market.

Aligning Quality with Values

Central to Hải’s approach to engineering is a deep commitment to quality—a philosophy that aligns seamlessly with our values. “PropertyGuru culture is actually very globally recognisable,” Hải notes. “Principles such as leading by example, diving deep, and collaborating with others. Our team really likes this approach.”

For Hải, it’s part of the unique appeal to working in Vietnam. “Here, we have a tendency to build more personal relationships to understand each other. We’re not just looking at the result, we’re trying to understand how the situation affects our behaviour. Because when we appreciate the situation, we understand better, we can collaborate better.”

This blend of global best practices and local cultural understanding is crucial to our success in Vietnam—and across Southeast Asia.

Navigating the Challenges of Growth

Despite our strong position, Hải is aware of the challenges that come with rapid growth and constant change. “We’re facing three big challenges,” Hải explains.

“First, technology advances so fast now—cloud, AI, and 3D for example, so we have to constantly change and adapt.

Second, we’re in multiple markets. Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia—each is different. They have nuances to deal with. And thirdly, we are not looking to serve traditional generations. We’re looking to serve Gen Z and Alpha—they have a different outlook and use products differently.”

To address these challenges, we have invested heavily in new technologies, and foster close collaboration between engineering, product, and business teams to ensure alignment with customers’ needs. “We work together very regularly” Hải notes.

“Objectives are always set first. Then, Product joins us. We work closely with Product, User Experience, and Design teams to build products that satisfy user needs, and drive business goals.”

The Future of PropTech

Looking ahead, Hải is excited about the potential of technologies like AI, Blockchain, and Virtual Reality to revolutionise the property industry. “My dream? One day a user will go to our app; they chat with the chatbot, the bot understands what they want and shows them a list. They pick one, they see a 3D virtual tour. They immediately apply for financing and make the buying decision right there in the app without leaving the platform.”

While these possibilities are undoubtedly exciting, Hải is quick to emphasise that the key question is not just what is possible, but how and why these technologies are deployed. “At the end of the day, the user doesn’t care about the tool or the technology. The user cares about how they satisfy their needs,” he stresses.

As we continue to shape the future of PropTech in Southeast Asia and beyond, Vũ Trọng Hải’s leadership and vision will play a crucial role in the company’s success.

By combining technical expertise with a deep understanding of customer needs and a commitment to continuous learning, Hải and his team are well-positioned to navigate the challenges and opportunities of Southeast Asia’s PropTech revolution, delivering innovative solutions that transform the way people buy, sell, and rent properties.

“This is the stage where I feel the happiest in my life right now,” Hải concludes. “I get to work with a product that I like, and I get to talk to people who have the same values, and I can learn from. I can teach them something, too. That makes me really motivated to come to work every day.”