Emerging BIM talent.
Trang Nhu Nguyen
Senior BIM Manager
Determination and perseverance are Trang's primary traits.
Trang started as a BIM Modeler in 2011 under the supervision of our current CEO - Han Hoang. In his first year Trang was determined that he was going to be a leader and someone important in the company. Then, he asked for a private meeting with Han in order to expressed his thoughts. Soon after the meeting Han realized that he was dealing with someone who knows what he wants and is willing to do what it takes to get there.
Trang made his way up the chain of command quickly and 3 years later, he became a BIM Manager - a position typically made for someone with 5 or more years of experiences. Two years after that, he became a Senior BIM Manager and now oversees pretty much the entire operation and implement new processes at THE BIM FACTORY.
Trang is also actively involve with the local community and industry having co-founded the Vietnam BIM Community and have presented his work and research many times at various talk shows and local BIM events.
A well-respected member of the community as well at THE BIM FACTORY, Trang is not only a perfect example of someone who is determined to succeed and preserver through all the challenges to get to where he is today. He has a bright future ahead of him and without a doubt one of the up and coming leaders of our BIM industry in Vietnam.
Find out more about Trang and follow him through his social networks at the bottom of this page.
Q & A session with Trang Nguyen
What attracted you to join TBF?
Before joining TBF, I had been working along side with Han - the founder and CEO of TBF - for almost two years. During this time, he usually shared his inspiring ideas to help to transform Vietnam, especially its construction industry. Then Han started a new company named THE BIM FACTORY with a goal to improve the AEC industry in Vietnam by expanding the implementation of BIM throughout the country. With the strong passion about BIM and technology as well as the belief in this man, I shared this mission and joined the company.
What is proudest achievements at TBF?
My proudest achievement here at TBF is successfully hiring some talents for the TBF crew. They were very young, but very smart and have the modeling desire early in their careers at TBF. But this year they have just become leaders of the talent modeling squad. I also led the team to complete successfully a remarkable project that when completed, it will be the third-highest building in the world.
How did you get into what you do - involving BIM?
Although I utilized Revit in 2009, the first time I know about BIM was a year later. When my project was being canceled due to the economy depression, I surfed on Youtube and found the video series "The future of the building industry" by Patrick McLeamy, CEO of HOK. It blew away my mind at that time. BIM and computational technology will be the game changer for the industry I believe. Since then, I decided to take the risk to explore this new field and changed my career path to BIM in 2012 as a modeler.
What do you love most about your work?
The opportunities to learn from many innovative mindsets in the industry and to help the clients to make their project outcome better ever by implementing BIM.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are now?
Try to find out what you want to be or to do in your career. Then define what step along the path you need to achieve to reach your target. Work hard to meet each milestone on your road. Don't worry if during the time, you have some adjustment or change your path a bit. Make more friends who are better than you, and you will have not only their knowledge but also their experiences. Finally keep "walking," do not settle.
What do you think the types of skills you need in order to succeed at your job?
I think there are three skills amongst many core competencies which are more valuable for my BIM job. Firstly, it's a problem-solving. BIM is all about the innovated solutions to improve the project process to produce the better outcome. Working with BIM at any level means you always go through many issues which are regularly different among projects and come up with the ideas to solve them. The second is teamwork. A building project is a group of many stakeholders with diverse expertise working together. Therefore, you need to know how to work and cooperate with other members of your team as well as with other teams to achieve the project goals. The last one is people skills. In the project environment, as you will work with many individuals with various skills at the different level as well as different characters. On the other hand, the argument is usually happened between stakeholders due to the conflict of benefits. Therefore to solve these issues, you will need the ability to listen, to communicate and to relate to others on a personal or professional level. Good people skills also extend to include empathy for others and a willingness to work together toward the common interest.
What have you learned the most being at TBF?
To be a good leader, besides the good knowledge and experiences, you also need to have the ability to build and maintain a healthy culture for your team to grow.
When did you first learn about BIM?
I studied BIM myself first time in 2010 but honestly started learning about it in 2012 when I got my first BIM job.
What do you see as the big trend in BIM in the next five years?
In the world, project information will be integrated more in the design and construction process. VR, AR will be the norm. The building industry also gives a further boost to the mass production and BIM for facility management. In Vietnam, BIM will be required in the project widely by the owner. The BIM education will be addressed. And the government continues developing and releasing the legal documents to support the BIM adoption in Vietnam.
What is your biggest weakness involving your work?
There were times when I was too blunt, honest and might seem unfriendly. I tended to say the first thing that came to my mind without thinking about what I was saying first. When dealing with other people, this can come across as cold and even a little mean which is not my intention at all. Then I realized that I should slow down and think before saying something to someone, especially when I am giving feedback. It's much better to leave people with solutions and options rather than just shutting them down.
What is your biggest strengths involving your work?
I feel my biggest strength is a problem solver. I have an excellent ability to analyze a situation from different perspectives and come up with solutions even under the high pressure.
What is your passion outside of work?
Reading, playing and exploring the world with my little daughter.
Where do you see yourself in 2 - 5 years?
I hope that I will lead a BIM team to produce the best BIM outcome for a construction project in Vietnam. And have opportunities to involve in entrepreneurship.