Sport
Discipline, repetition, resilience, competition. The foundation of my character — sport taught me how to lose, adapt, and come back stronger every time.
Thai Hoa Dang
Athlete. Builder.
Researcher. Storyteller.
I train with discipline, think with data, and build with purpose.
Me
I am a Vietnamese student-athlete, AI builder, researcher, and storyteller. My world connects sport, artificial intelligence, data, public speaking, and human-centered innovation. I am driven by curiosity, discipline, and the belief that technology should make learning and human connection more meaningful.
What Shapes Me
AI & Data
Machine learning, NLP, data science — built into the Personal Website App with Gemma 4, FastAPI, MarianMT, and ChromaDB RAG. The tools I use to build, analyze, and understand the world and human potential.
Research
Human behavior, education, psychology, AI impact. My curiosity drives me to examine structures that shape outcomes through rigorous observation and determination.
Storytelling
Public speaking, leadership, pitching, communication. The bridge between ideas and impact — telling stories that move people toward understanding and action.
"I do not separate sport, research, and technology.
They are simply different ways of understanding the world."
My Philosophy
Compete Deeply
Approach every challenge with full commitment. Embrace difficulty as the only path to growth that matters.
Think Systemically
Look past isolated events to understand the interconnected structures that govern behavior, data, and outcomes.
Build Meaningfully
Create tools, research papers, and experiences that advance understanding and serve people with clarity and empathy.
Featured Project
Heritage Guessr
An AI-powered cultural intelligence platform that challenges users to identify Vietnamese cultural heritage through data-driven visual recognition.
The Problem
Vietnamese cultural heritage is disappearing from collective memory, especially among younger generations. There is no engaging, technology-driven way for people to learn and connect with the diverse cultural landscape of Vietnam — from temple architecture to traditional dress to regional customs.
- Cultural knowledge is fragmented across disparate, inaccessible sources
- Educational tools are passive and fail to create lasting engagement
- Young Vietnamese and global audiences lack interactive bridges to cultural heritage
The Solution
The Personal Website App is a full-stack heritage exploration platform where players identify Vietnamese cultural heritage locations, earn points, and receive AI-powered cultural guidance — all in an immersive, gamified experience.
- VR Discovery Mode — Leaflet mini-map + spatial audio for immersive heritage exploration
- Savannah AI Chat — Gemma 4 (DeepInfra) conversational guide with 30-word focused responses
- 3D Avatar — Three.js + VRM avatar rendered in real time via AvatarCanvas
- Gemini TTS — Audio narration via gemini-2.5-flash-preview-tts (Despina voice)
- RAG Validation — Qwen3-35B rejects non-heritage community contributions via ChromaDB
- Google OAuth + JWT — Secure auth with httpOnly cookies, 13-min refresh cycle
Technology Stack
Frontend
React 19 · Vite 7 · TailwindCSS 4 · Framer Motion
Backend
Node.js · Express 5 · MySQL2
NLP Server
Python · FastAPI · MarianMT · Sentence-Transformers · ChromaDB
AI Models
Gemma 4 (DeepInfra) · Gemini TTS · Qwen3-35B (RAG)
Auth
JWT httpOnly cookie + refresh · Google OAuth via Supabase
Storage
Supabase (images) · MySQL (game data)
Security
reCAPTCHA v2 (register) · reCAPTCHA v3 (login) · Helmet CSP
Impact & Results
31
Vietnamese Heritage Docs in RAG (UNESCO + National Sites)
10+
API Endpoints — Auth, Chat, TTS, NLP, Location
Top 3
AI Innovation Competition Placement
The Personal Website App combines gamified cultural learning, real-time AI guidance (Gemma 4 + Gemini TTS), VR discovery, and RAG-validated community contributions — a full-stack demonstration of human-centered AI in action.
Lessons Learned
- Data quality > Data quantity: Curating accurate cultural data required deep domain expertise, not just scraping at scale
- User delight drives retention: The game mechanic made learning feel rewarding — engagement sustained far beyond typical educational tools
- Cultural sensitivity is technical: Representing heritage accurately requires community partnership, not just algorithmic confidence
- Ship early, iterate with users: Early prototypes revealed assumptions about user knowledge that completely reshaped the difficulty curve
Research & Practice
Where Curiosity Meets Intelligence
A modular exploration of the AI and data science domains I actively research, build, and apply.
Core Domain
Data Science
Statistical modeling, exploratory analysis, and insight extraction from complex datasets. Transforming raw data into decision intelligence.
Specialization
NLP
Natural language processing for sentiment analysis, text classification, and language understanding. Applied in cultural and educational contexts.
Foundation
Machine Learning
Supervised and unsupervised learning models, feature engineering, model evaluation, and deployment pipelines for real-world applications.
Applied
Sports Analytics
Quantitative analysis of athletic performance. Combining sport intuition with data-driven insights for coaching, strategy, and player development.
Impact Area
AI in Education
Designing intelligent learning systems that adapt to student behavior, improve engagement, and make quality education accessible at scale.
Philosophy
Human-Centered AI
AI systems designed for human dignity, cultural respect, and meaningful outcomes. Technology in service of understanding, not just optimization.
Discipline & Performance
Built Through Discipline
Athletics is not separate from my intellectual life — it is the training ground where mindset, resilience, and precision are forged daily.
Academic Inquiry
Researching Human Behavior Through Data
My research sits at the intersection of human psychology, digital behavior, and AI impact — searching for evidence-based answers to questions that matter.
AI & Education
AI Impact on Student Learning Outcomes
Investigating how AI-assisted tools change the quality, speed, and depth of student knowledge acquisition across different educational contexts.
Psychology
Mental Health & Academic Performance
Examining the bidirectional relationship between psychological wellbeing and academic achievement, with focus on student-athletes navigating dual demands.
Digital Behavior
Social Media & Identity Formation
How digital platforms shape self-perception, social comparison, and identity development among Vietnamese youth in an AI-accelerated information environment.
Information Science
Fake News Detection & Misinformation
Applying NLP and machine learning to identify and classify misinformation patterns in Vietnamese-language social media content and news ecosystems.
Educational Psychology
Student Self-Efficacy & AI Tools
Whether AI assistance enhances or undermines students' belief in their own capabilities — and what conditions determine which outcome emerges.
Cultural Technology
Technology for Cultural Preservation
Documenting how AI and interactive media can serve as tools for cultural heritage preservation and transmission across generational and geographic divides.
Public Communication
Ideas Matter When They Move People
The stage is where ideas become real. I speak to challenge assumptions, tell stories that create empathy, and build bridges between complex technology and human understanding.
Featured
AI & Tương Lai — Hà Nội 2026
Presenting research on the intersection of artificial intelligence and human potential at one of Vietnam's leading youth technology conferences. Explored how AI can serve as a tool for cultural connection and educational equity.
TEDx Participation
Engaging TEDx audiences on human-centered AI and the role of Vietnamese youth in shaping the future of technology.
Pitch Competitions
Presenting the Personal Website App and AI research projects in high-stakes innovation competitions — showcasing real full-stack AI, NLP, and cultural tech to judges, investors, and peers.
MC & Moderator Roles
Facilitating conference panels, youth forums, and academic events with precision, energy, and command of complex technical subject matter.
Recognition
Achievement Wall
A record of milestones earned through sustained effort across sport, research, technology, and leadership.
0
AI Projects Built
0
Competitions Entered
0
Awards Won
0
Public Talks
AI & Innovation
- Top 3 — National AI Innovation Competition 2025
- Heritage Guessr — Featured at Vietnam Tech Summit
- AI Research Grant Recipient — Youth Research Foundation
Research
- Published study on social media and identity formation
- Co-author on AI in education research paper
- Student Research Excellence Award — 2024
Sports
- Selkirk Pickleball Sponsored Athlete
- Regional Pickleball Champion — Junior Division
- Tennis Club Captain & Coach
Leadership
- Student Government Vice President
- TEDx Speaker & Organizer 2025
- Youth Leadership Summit — Featured Speaker
Robotics
- National Robotics Competition — Top 5
- Robotics Club Founder & Technical Lead
- International Science & Engineering Fair Participant
Community
- Founded Tech for Youth mentorship program
- 200+ hours of volunteer community service
- Cultural Preservation Initiative Coordinator
Timeline
The Journey
From a young athlete in Vietnam to an AI builder, researcher, and storyteller — a path defined by curiosity, discipline, and purpose.
2017
The Beginning
Started competitive tennis and developed a deep love for discipline, precision, and the mental game of sport. First encounter with the power of practice and repetition.
2019
First Code, First Curiosity
Wrote first lines of code and discovered that programming, like sport, rewards patience and systematic thinking. Began exploring robotics and computational problem-solving.
2021
Research Begins
First academic research project on student wellbeing. Discovered that data could tell human stories — and that good research is a form of deep empathy for people's lived experience.
2023
Discovering Pickleball & AI
Transitioned to pickleball as primary sport with Selkirk sponsorship. Simultaneously began deep dive into machine learning and NLP — the year sport and technology found their parallel rhythm.
2024
Heritage Guessr & The Stage
Built Heritage Guessr, presented at TEDx, won research awards, and began speaking publicly about AI and cultural identity. The convergence of all threads — sport, technology, research, story.
2025
National Recognition
Top 3 at National AI Competition. Published research. Speaking at major conferences. Building a platform as Vietnam's next generation of AI researchers and builders who care about culture and humanity.
2026 →
The Future
Pursuing advanced study in Data Science and AI. Building tools that matter. Competing at elite levels in sport. Telling stories that move people. The journey continues — with full intention.
Connect
Let's Build Something Meaningful
Whether you're a researcher, recruiter, fellow builder, or curious mind — I welcome genuine conversations about ideas, opportunities, and collaboration.