Around the World with PayPay is a series of articles featuring our global workplace, with people gathered from approximately 40 countries around the world. The article consists of two parts: “FROM OUTSIDE” (published every first Thursday of the month) focuses on a comparison between Japan and the interviewee’s home country. “FROM INSIDE” (published every second Friday of the month) focuses on experiences within PayPay.
Continuing on from the last issue, we’ve sat down with Khiem Nguyen from Viet Nam!
Don’t forget to check out past issues too.
* The Japanese version of the article is available here.
Khiem Nguyen
Backend Engineer
Country: Viet Nam / Years in Japan: 7 / What do you do at PayPay: Developer / Location: Kanagawa
“I quit my job, spent 6 months studying the language, and came to Japan.”
How is the digital payment scene in Viet Nam?
It’s difficult to say because I haven’t lived there for 7 years. Before coming to Japan, the main cashless payment method everyone used was debit/credit cards.
In recent years EC services like Lazada, Shopee, Tiki – equivalent to the Amazons and Rakutens in Japan – have become increasingly popular in Viet Nam, which has led to the inception of easy-to-use payment platforms as well. MoMo is one such service that’s of Vietnamese making. I hear it’s mostly younger generations using these services.
Again, I’m not entirely across all that’s happening nowadays. A lot has changed over the past several years… I remember, the only cashless payment I could use when I first came to Japan was Suica. It’s amazing how things, not to mention PayPay, have developed so quickly.
What team are you on at PayPay?
The Payout team!
Why did you join PayPay?
Before PayPay, I was working in a team where everyone was Japanese. At some point along the way, I started to want to change to a more international environment to expand my horizon. That’s how I came across PayPay. I was also really interested in fintech, so it was a pretty happy day for me when I found out that I’d been accepted into PayPay!
What’s good about working at PayPay?
That fact that it’s totally foreigner-friendly. Half my team is from various countries, the other half Japanese. We work across different time zones and from different remote locations, but we still get things done. It may be because there are so many countries and cultures, but everyone’s supportive here. If you’re in doubt or have a question that needs answering, someone is always there to help. That’s what I like most about PayPay.
The second thing is being able to work from home. I can spend more time with my family instead of catching trains during rush hour, and it’s much more flexible in terms of planning schedules across work and personal life.
Any messages to people thinking of joining PayPay?
If you believe in the future of cashless and want to challenge yourself, PayPay is one of the best choices that you can make, since the cashless industry and related ecosystems are still immature in Japan. You’ll be faced with unlimited opportunities as well as tough challenges, all the while moving forward at tremendous speed – if that sounds like something you want in on, we’re here waiting for you to join us!
Hope you enjoyed reading about Khiem!
See current job openings here
Special Thanks: Khiem Nguyen / Author: Kye / Managing Editor: Az (PayPay Inside-Out Editorial Team)
*Employees’ affiliations are as of the time of the interview.
