The Sandbox - After Hours #7

⌖ Ho Chi Minh City · Novotel Saigon Centre

Hosted by Tech Talks by Thoughtworks Vietnam

XConf Lite Vietnam brings a focused half-day of AI and software engineering talks to Ho Chi Minh City on 10 October 2026. Designed by technologists for technologists, the conference examines how engineering teams can design, build and scale meaningful AI-powered solutions. Expect a practical morning of technical presentations, actionable ideas and networking rather than a broad, high-level introduction to artificial intelligence. What you’ll explore The programme follows AI across coding, autonomous workflows, production operations and software delivery: - Harness engineering: Building the control system for AI coding agents, explore the control systems needed to turn coding agents into reliable contributors to real software projects. - Agents that don’t lose the plot: Designing for long-horizon success, learn how guardrails, sub-agents and judge patterns can help prevent failures and keep complex, extended tasks on track. - First Responder: Agentic incident triage, see how agentic AI can accelerate the initial triage of production incidents and support faster incident response. - From delivery to outcomes: How AI is transforming delivery, examine how embedding AI throughout the development lifecycle can shift attention away from team size and effort towards valuable business outcomes. Together, these sessions offer a grounded look at the engineering practices required to move AI agents beyond impressive demonstrations and towards dependable use in development and production environments. Who should attend? XConf Lite is aimed at technologists interested in AI-assisted software development, agentic systems and modern engineering delivery. It will be particularly relevant to software engineers, technical leads, delivery practitioners and others exploring how AI changes the way teams build and operate software. No formal experience level is specified, but the announced topics have a distinctly technical and applied focus. Format and venue This is an action-packed half-day conference combining talks with opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with fellow attendees. It runs from 8:30am to 12:00pm ICT on Saturday, 10 October 2026 at Novotel Saigon Centre, 167 Hai Ba Trung, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.… Register for this event

⌖ Ho Chi Minh City

Hosted by Liberating Structures Vietnam

Khóa PSPO–AI Essentials diễn ra ngày 11/10/2026 tại Ho Chi Minh City, giúp Product Owner ứng dụng AI để tối ưu giá trị sản phẩm. Ứng dụng AI xuyên suốt vòng đời sản phẩm AI đang thay đổi cách các nhóm khám phá nhu cầu, xác định vấn đề, kiểm chứng giả thuyết và đưa sản phẩm ra thị trường. Professional Scrum Product Owner – AI Essentials (PSPO–AI Essentials) là khóa học tương tác, thực hành kéo dài một ngày, tập trung vào cách sử dụng AI để hỗ trợ công việc của Product Owner và đội ngũ phát triển sản phẩm. Trong chương trình, học viên sẽ tìm hiểu cách tiếp cận và ứng dụng các công cụ AI qua bốn giai đoạn quan trọng: - Discover: nâng cao khả năng khám phá nhu cầu và insight của người dùng. - Define: hỗ trợ xác định vấn đề, cơ hội và hướng phát triển sản phẩm. - Validate: cải thiện quá trình kiểm chứng nhu cầu và giả thuyết, từ đó tăng cơ hội thành công. - Release: đưa sản phẩm ra thị trường với quy trình được AI hỗ trợ. Khóa học kết hợp thảo luận và thực hành, giúp người tham dự khám phá những cách sử dụng AI thực tế trong từng “hình thái” của vai trò Product Owner. Bên cạnh các khía cạnh truyền thống của công việc, chương trình còn giới thiệu một hình thái mới xoay quanh đạo đức và bảo mật, nhằm giúp học viên triển khai AI có trách nhiệm, an toàn trong tổ chức. Ai nên tham dự? Chương trình được thiết kế cho Product Owner, Product Manager, Business Analyst và những người đang hỗ trợ nhóm phát triển sản phẩm. Nội dung đặc biệt phù hợp với người muốn hiểu rõ hơn cách AI có thể nâng cao năng lực product discovery, validation và ra quyết định thay vì chỉ sử dụng AI như một công cụ tác vụ đơn lẻ. PSPO–AI Essentials được xây dựng trên nền tảng của Professional Scrum Product Owner™ (PSPO) và Professional Scrum Product Owner™ – Advanced (PSPO-A). Đây là cơ hội để kết nối tư duy Scrum Product Ownership với các khả năng mới của AI trong một môi trường học tập cô đọng, có tính tương tác cao. View the event and registration details

⌖ Ho Chi Minh City · The Joi Factory

Hosted by Codex Community Events

Build real software with Codex alongside 50–70 developers, founders and students at The Joi Factory in Ho Chi Minh City. DevDay Exchange Community Meetup takes place on Monday, 12 October 2026, from 2:00–8:00 PM (GMT+7). This hands-on community session gives you a focused afternoon to make meaningful progress on an idea, compare approaches with other builders and share what you create. Bring a work tool, an early prototype or a side project you have been meaning to start, finished products are not required. Build, connect and demo Rather than sitting through a conventional conference programme, attendees will spend the session actively building with Codex. The format combines independent project work, peer learning, informal networking and community showcases. You can expect to: - Turn an idea into useful, working software with Codex - Exchange practical tips and problem-solving approaches - Meet local people creating products, automations and internal tools - Demo what you built, explain the problem it solves and show how Codex helped - Vote for your favourite projects and offer feedback to fellow builders Attendees will select the top five showcases by vote. Proposed prizes, which remain subject to OpenAI approval and eligibility confirmation, include API credits for leading teams and one-year ChatGPT Pro subscriptions for approved members of the top three teams. The proposed team awards are $1,000 in API credits for first place, $500 for second and $300 for third. Eligible attendees with verified on-site check-in may also receive $100 in Codex credits and $50 in API credits, subject to the same approval process. Fourth- and fifth-place prizes depend on additional support being confirmed. Who should attend? The meetup is designed for developers, students, founders and people building tools for their own work. You should arrive ready to build and participate in the community, but your project can still be at an early stage or remain a work in progress. Attendance details The organiser currently lists this event as full. Use the registration page to join the waitlist; a place is not guaranteed. Check availability and registration

Sponsors: OpenAI

⌖ Ho Chi Minh City · Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel

Hosted by rockbird media

retailX Ho Chi Minh 2026 is an all-day conference on AI, omnichannel retail and digital commerce, taking place on 27 October in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam’s retail and e-commerce market is evolving rapidly as digital adoption, changing consumer behaviour and investment in modern retail technology reshape how brands attract and serve customers. Presented by rockbird media, retailX Ho Chi Minh 2026 will bring senior retail leaders, e-commerce professionals, brand executives and technology innovators together to examine the strategies driving this transformation. The in-person conference runs from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at the Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel, 88 Đường Đồng Khởi, Ho Chi Minh City. What to expect Across keynote presentations, executive panels, interactive roundtables and real-world case studies, attendees will explore how retailers can use technology and customer insight to build sustainable growth. The programme focuses on: - AI-powered retail and emerging commerce technologies - Omnichannel and digital commerce strategies - Digital transformation within retail organisations - Customer engagement and experience innovation - Data-driven approaches to the changing consumer landscape - Emerging retail and consumer trends in Vietnam The emphasis is on practical insight rather than theory. Attendees can learn directly from leading Vietnamese retail and e-commerce executives, hear how organisations are responding to market change and examine examples drawn from real business activity. Business connections Networking is a central part of the eight-hour format. Alongside the conference sessions, retailX offers curated networking opportunities and one-to-one business meetings. These are designed to help attendees meet senior retail and technology decision-makers, connect with relevant solution providers and discuss potential commercial partnerships in a focused setting. View the event and registration details

⌖ Ho Chi Minh City

Hosted by Geri P. and Giang Đỗ (Ho Chi Minh City dbt Meetup)

Explore decision-led data science and a zero-cost analytics stack at HCMC dbt Meetup 10 in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place on Saturday 31 October 2026, from 9:30am to 12:00pm ICT, the tenth HCMC dbt Meetup connects the business decisions that analytics should support with the practical infrastructure needed to deliver useful insights. Expect two focused talks, a live analytics build and informal networking with the local data community. The venue is still to be announced. From data to decisions Nam Nguyen, Data and AI Advisor at TheDecisionQ, will present From Data to Decisions, From Decisions to Value. The session examines why analytics work can lose sight of the decision it was originally meant to inform, even when teams successfully build models and complete requested analysis. Nam will introduce Decision Data Science and the Decision Quality framework, a structured approach that begins with a clear problem frame, meaningful alternatives and reliable information. Attendees will see how analysis can become part of the decision engine itself rather than an output that sits alongside it. Build a $0 data stack In The $0 Data Stack: DuckDB + dbt + Metabase, Minh Nguyen, Analytics Engineer at Joon Solutions, will attempt to build a working analytics stack live. Starting with raw ecommerce CSV files, Minh will use DuckDB, dbt and Metabase to create a shared dashboard, all running for free on a single laptop. Beyond the build, the talk will address practical questions that matter to small teams: - Can a local, zero-cost stack remain secure? - Is it realistic for one person to maintain? - When should a business move to a cloud data warehouse? Who should attend? This free meetup is open to data practitioners at every level, students and early-career professionals exploring real-world data work, and business owners or startup teams looking to introduce analytics on a limited budget. It is especially relevant to people interested in AI, analytics engineering, data modelling, testing, data operations and trustworthy transformation workflows. View the event and registration details

⌖ Barcelona

GlobalAI–2026 (Oct 05–07, 2026 | Barcelona): a three-day conference exploring AI, machine learning, automation, and AI agents with keynotes, research talks, hands-on demos, and industry panels. Learn the latest research insights, practical strategies to deploy automation and AI agents, and how organisations are applying ML in healthcare, finance, transport and education. Ideal for researchers, engineers, product builders, startup founders and enterprise leaders seeking cutting-edge techniques and partnerships. Format: multi-track keynotes, paper presentations, panel discussions, poster sessions, and networking opportunities over three days.