Leading With Resilience: Hanh Tran’s Leadership Story At NAB Vietnam

Six years ago, NAB Innovation Centre Vietnam started with just 10 engineers and a big question: could Vietnam become a trusted technology hub for NAB? Today, that question has been answered with a resounding yes. Under Hanh Tran’s leadership, the centre has grown into a global capability hub of more than 2,400 talented people, delivering world-class technology, nurturing local talent, and inspiring the next generation of women leaders.

When Hanh Tran started her journey at NAB Vietnam six years ago, there were only a few engineers and a shared sense of uncertainty. The plan was simple, almost cautious: test whether Vietnam could become a viable technology hub for National Australia Bank (NAB). Today, that “project” has evolved into a thriving global innovation centre with over 2,400 employees, becoming one of NAB’s key engines for transformation.

At the center of that journey is Hanh Tran, General Director of NAB Vietnam, whose leadership blends quiet conviction with an unwavering belief in the country’s potential. For her, success was about building resilience in teams, in culture, and in the way Vietnamese talent sees themselves on the global stage.

A Quiet Revolution In How Vietnam Builds Global Tech

When Hanh returned to Vietnam to help establish NAB’s presence, she wasn’t thinking in grand terms of “transformation.” The challenge was clear: build a technology capability that could support NAB in Australia and prove Vietnam’s potential as a strategic innovation hub.

As Hanh recalls, “In 2019, we opened the Centre as a project to test the market and see if Vietnam is ready.”

The answer came faster than anyone expected. Within a few years, NAB Vietnam was no longer just an offshore extension. Its teams were delivering mobile banking functionalities, digital lending tools, and cybersecurity solutions that directly supported millions of NAB customers.

As Hanh puts it, “We stopped being a project to NAB.”

That subtle shift, from a pilot project to a pioneering global capabilities centre, was the turning point. Hanh understood that headcount and delivery metrics, while important, would never be the true measure of success.

“After you have scaled up at an accelerated pace, numbers don’t matter as much as impact,” she says. “The question becomes: What difference are we making to the customer experience?”

Impact, for NAB Vietnam, meant embedding innovation into the everyday. Teams began collaborating directly with business units in Australia, co-designing digital experiences and accelerating transformations. Engineers were empowered to question, challenge, and propose solutions – a mindset that didn’t always come naturally in traditional hierarchies.

The Resilience Advantage: Culture You Can’t Copy

If one word defines Hanh’s leadership and Vietnam’s role at NAB, it’s resilience.

For Hanh, resilience isn’t just the ability to endure challenges. It’s the quiet determination to keep building despite uncertainty. It’s also a distinctly Vietnamese quality from thousands of years of adapting, recovering, and reinventing.

“Resilience is what makes us us,” she says. “It lies in our Vietnamese culture as we’ve been having years and years of difficult history, but we thrive anyway.

That spirit was tested during the pandemic, when NAB Vietnam had to scale operations while working remotely. Instead of slowing down, the team accelerated digital transformation projects. New platforms were launched, the level of productivity peaked, and engagement remained high. Adversity became proof of what the organization could achieve under pressure.

“I really see the resilience in my people,” Hanh adds. “And that's how we stay ahead of the game.”

As NAB Vietnam matured, the next challenge was sustainability. In an industry where turnover is notoriously high, NAB’s retention rate has remained remarkably stable. The secret, Hanh insists, lies in culture.

“What is really hard to replicate is culture, the workplace that allows your people to bring their best selves to work,” she says.

At NAB Vietnam, culture is built into rituals, leadership mindsets, and the way voices are heard. The centre organizes regular “Town Halls” where anyone can question executives directly. Managers are encouraged to discuss not only targets but also wellbeing. Newcomers go through a “Culture Onboarding” program focused on collaboration, ownership, and customer centricity – the same values practiced across NAB Group.

“At NAB, your opinions or ideas are heard regardless of your level of seniority.” Hanh explains.

But building culture across borders is never simple. NAB Vietnam works closely with Australian counterparts to align values while respecting local nuances. It’s a delicate balance of global standards and local authenticity, a working culture that Hanh believes successful multi-national corporations always need to build and promote.

Growing Vietnam’s Next Generation Of Tech Talent

Perhaps Hanh’s proudest achievement isn’t the scale of NAB Vietnam, but its impact on Vietnam’s broader talent ecosystem as Hanh and her team continuously focused on building local capability, not just filling roles.

One example is cybersecurity, a field where NAB Vietnam has invested heavily in training local professionals. “We started with very few experts,” Hanh recalls. “But what we did find out is we have a huge population of young technologists. So we started to train our own and that's where we grow the team of today.”

Such a mindset naturally leads to a focus on the people who are responsible for every product launch and software release. And Hanh often reminds her teams that technology is only meaningful when it serves human needs.

“We want to put the customer in the heart and mind of everyone. Think about what they deliver, is it the thing that the customer wants or helps the customer have a better experience.”

That customer-centric mindset extends beyond the product team. Even employees in support or back-office roles are encouraged to think of themselves as part of a bigger purpose which is helping people live better financial experiences.

Leadership Lessons: Empowerment, Empathy, And Evolution

For Hanh Tran, leadership is about building people – building capabilities, building foundations and then giving them space to grow their own career.

Her leadership style blends empathy and structure, giving teams clear direction but allowing flexibility in how to achieve it. She believes Vietnamese professionals are at their best when trusted with autonomy, a philosophy she’s reinforced through every stage of NAB Vietnam’s growth.

The result is a team that’s not only capable but emotionally invested, a rare quality in a market where job-hopping is often driven by salary rather than long-term purpose.

As NAB Vietnam continues to expand, Hanh is more interested in depth than breadth. The goal is not to chase headcount, but to strengthen end-to-end delivery and give the team greater autonomy. She also envisions a future where NAB Vietnam’s practices could inspire other innovation centres in the region.

This vision is inseparable from Hanh’s leadership philosophy: empowering talent, nurturing resilience, and creating a culture where everyone, regardless of background, can contribute, innovate, and thrive. NAB Vietnam’s journey demonstrates that innovation can come from anywhere and that strong, inclusive leadership can redefine what’s possible for people and for an entire ecosystem.