atWare Vietnam Internship 2025: More Than Just Coffee and Code
Hey there, my name is Dat and most people known me as Peter.
I’m in my third year at the University of Science, VNU-HCM, majoring in Data Science. Recently, I wrapped up a two-month internship at atWare Vietnam. It might not sound like a long time, but trust me — those eight weeks were packed with lessons, amazing people, and moments I’ll never forget.
Who am I before joining atWare Vietnam?
Before joining atWare, my focus was on Data Science — working with data crawling, preprocessing, visualization, and model training. Still, I made time to explore web development basics, especially with ReactJS, the ExpressJS framework, and MySQL. Along the way, I even built a simple e-commerce website — a classic beginner project for aspiring web developers.
At that time, I wasn’t confident in my English communication skills, and I had never experienced working in a professional environment. Looking back, those gaps were exactly what made my time at atWare so transformative.
atWare Vietnam came to me almost like fate. When they became a partner with my university, I applied for their internship program. Soon after, I got an interview invite. It was intense, but when I was offered the Software Engineer Intern position, I was over the moon — it felt like the first real step in my professional journey.
Working at atWare Vietnam
I have joined 2 projects during my internship: CICD Project and atWare Vietnam internal project. Both projects use Agile and Scrum methodologies, which I just learned in theory before. I was excited to apply these concepts in real-world scenarios.
CICD Project
The CICD project lasted eight weeks, and I was part of a nine-member team. It was my first time working with CICD, so everything—from the tools to the processes—was completely new. I gained hands-on experience with AWS services like ECR, EKS, EC2, and S3, and learned how to set up GitHub Actions workflows to automate tasks. I also got introduced to Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, a powerful tool for managing cloud resources.
Beyond technical skills, this project taught me valuable lessons about teamwork and effective communication. My teammates were incredibly supportive, always ready to help whenever I had questions or faced challenges. The team also organized study sessions to help us learn new technologies together. Overall, this project was an amazing opportunity for growth, and I’m grateful for the encouragement and support from everyone.
atWare Vietnam Internal Project
This project focused on building a web application, giving me hands-on experience with both frontend and backend development—a fantastic chance to apply my skills in a real-world environment. I worked with Next.js on the frontend and NestJS on the backend. To streamline development, I also used Prisma for database management and Tailwind CSS for styling.
Overall, this project significantly boosted my web programming skills and deepened my understanding of full-stack development.
The human factor during my internship
Many people made a huge impact on my internship journey. From day one, the atWare Vietnam team welcomed me like family. Their constant support and willingness to share knowledge made my learning experience truly rewarding. The company also organizes regular events—daily reading sessions, board games during breaks, exercise sessions, and monthly parties—that helped foster a strong sense of community. I never once felt isolated or alone during my time there.
I was also fortunate to work closely with the Japanese team members. Despite language and cultural differences posing initial challenges, they were always patient and eager to help me understand everything clearly. Their encouragement played a big role in helping me adapt and succeed in this new environment.
The fellow interns I met were equally amazing. We shared experiences, supported one another, and even had fun during breaks. The friendships I built with them made my internship journey all the more enjoyable and memorable.
What challenges did I face?
Mentality
I faced a lot of internal challenges during my internship — fear of making mistakes, pressure to always do things perfectly, and moments of feeling overwhelmed. These worries sometimes held me back, but I learned that embracing imperfection is part of growth.
Language barrier
Communicating in English was another hurdle. I sometimes misunderstood others due to accents, phrasing, or unfamiliar vocabulary. Technical terms in English added to the challenge, but with time and practice, I gradually improved.
Lack of experience
With no prior professional experience, decision-making was often difficult. I sometimes felt confused or unsure about how to handle problems. However, I learned to ask questions, seek advice, and trust the process — all crucial steps toward becoming confident in the workplace.
What did I learn?
Enhanced Technical Skills
During my internship, I gained hands-on experience with various AWS services and learned how to set up CI/CD infrastructure and understand pipeline architecture — all completely new areas for me. Additionally, I deepened my web development skills by working with Next.js and NestJS frameworks.
Improved Communication Skills
Since the start of my internship, I’ve become much more confident in using English, especially in professional communication.
Adapting to professional environment
I learned how to manage my time effectively, collaborate with team members, communicate clearly, and take ownership of my tasks. These experiences helped me become more disciplined and better prepared for future career challenges.
Final Thoughts
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to intern at atWare Vietnam. This experience was more than just a job — it was a journey of growth, learning, and meaningful connections with amazing people. I’m excited to carry forward everything I’ve gained and apply it to the next chapters of my career. Thank you, atWare Vietnam, for an unforgettable and inspiring experience!