AI-Native
Software Engineer
I build AI agents and the backend they run on, from the database to deployment.
Claude Agent SDKRAG · pgvectork3s · GitOpsAbout me
$ whoami --verboseI'm Dat, cicca on the internet. I love the moment an AI stops being a demo and starts doing real work, and I'll take it from an empty repo all the way to production. I like tinkering with new things, lately robotics and virtual assistants, and I polish them until they're done. Off the clock, I look after kittens. Where I'm headed: a real studio with Zillexa, research I'm proud of, open-source tools people use, and a voice in AI engineering.
NEXT QUESTS
- StudioGrow Zillexa into a real team
- ResearchA paper I’m proud of
- Open sourceTools people install
- VoiceWrite, speak, share
Systems in production
Live or delivered to a paying client. The full stories live on the blog.
Siz
AI assistants that book your tickets, then hand payment back to you.
Bank AI Gateway
One governed gateway between a bank’s teams and every LLM.
Bảo Bối
A cat that takes your coffee order by voice.
- Education · Apr – Sep 2026
Admissions chatbot
A 24/7 advisor that never invents a course.
- Accounting · 2025 – Sep 2026
Accounting SaaS
Multi-company books, built to Vietnamese standards.
- Healthcare · Jun 2025 – Jan 2026
IPBMS
Spots falls and seizures on live camera streams.
- Fintech · Oct 2025
NEURADAO
A live AI trading platform, shipped in 20 days.
On the desk
Repos I'm in
Sneak peek
Tools I made
Stack, stamped
- Next.js
- NestJS
- React
- Python
- Go
- MCP
- PostgreSQL
- pgvector
- Redis
- Claude SDK
- Claude
- OpenAI
- Gemini
- AWS Bedrock
- LiteLLM
- LiveKit
- YOLO
- AWS
- k3s
- ArgoCD
The path so far
Banking, education, healthcare, food & beverage and fintech — plus the homelab this site runs on.
Full CV- Aug 2026 – PresentEnterprise banking client · Outsourced contract
AI Gateway Platform Engineer
NOW2-engineer team: I built the extension layer and own delivery and planning; the lead engineer reviews and merges.
- May 2026 – PresentF&B and AI-commerce company · Contract
Backend & AI Engineer
NOWTwo products: Siz, an AI commerce gateway (MCP), and Bảo Bối, a voice ordering assistant.
- 2024 – PresentZillexa · Independent dev studio
Co-founder
NOWIndependent dev studio of five members.
- Apr 2026 – Sep 2026Hướng Nghiệp Á Âu · Freelance
AI Agent Consultant Engineer
Sole developer; handed over.
- 2025 – Sep 2026Enterprise accounting SaaS · 3-engineer team
Core Full-stack Developer
Top contributor in a 3-engineer team; handed over.
- Jun 2025 – Jan 2026Whammy Tech · Contract
AI Team Lead, Computer Vision
Led 4 engineers (backend, frontend, mobile) and did all the AI work.
- Oct 2025NEURADAO · Contract
Team Lead, Software Engineer
Led 3 engineers.
- Jan 2022 – Dec 2024FPT University IT · Part-time
IT Support Technician
Supported IT operations across academic and administrative departments while studying.
Education & awards
- 2026
Chord — Runner-up, TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon
TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon 2026, Singapore: runner-up on the main track, US$10k AWS credits.Read the case study - 2026
Viettel AI Race 2026 — Runner-up (Top 4)
Finalist out of 1,628 teams, organised by Viettel Group.Read the case study - 2026
B.Eng. Software Engineering — FPT University
FPT University, Ho Chi Minh City · GPA 3.47 / 4.0 · 2026.View CV
Behind the scenes
Hackathon stages, finals and the people I met along the way.
Frequently asked
Who is Le Tran Minh Dat?
Le Tran Minh Dat (Lê Trần Minh Đạt), known online as cicca, is an AI-Native Software Engineer (Agents · Backend · LLM Infrastructure) based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He builds AI agents and the backend they run on — LLM gateways, MCP servers, RAG systems and voice agents — and since 2025 has taken projects from an empty repository to production, on his own or leading teams of two to four. Current roles: AI Gateway Platform Engineer (Enterprise banking client); Backend & AI Engineer (F&B and AI-commerce company); Co-founder (Zillexa). Education: B.Eng. Software Engineering — FPT University.
Lê Trần Minh Đạt là ai?
Lê Trần Minh Đạt (Le Tran Minh Dat, tên trên mạng là cicca) là kỹ sư phần mềm AI-native (AI-Native Software Engineer) tại Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam. Đạt xây dựng AI agent và hệ thống backend phía sau chúng: lớp mở rộng cho AI gateway (LiteLLM) của một ngân hàng doanh nghiệp, máy chủ MCP cho thương mại AI (Siz), trợ lý gọi món bằng giọng nói (Bảo Bối) và chatbot tư vấn tuyển sinh dùng RAG. Đạt là đồng sáng lập Zillexa (studio phát triển độc lập), tốt nghiệp Kỹ sư Kỹ thuật phần mềm tại Đại học FPT TP. Hồ Chí Minh năm 2026 (GPA 3.47/4.0), đạt Á quân (Runner-up) main track tại TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon 2026 ở Singapore và đạt Á quân (Top 4) Viettel AI Race 2026. Sẵn sàng làm việc từ xa (GMT+7). Liên hệ: [email protected].
What does Le Tran Minh Dat work on?
Right now: AI Gateway Platform Engineer (Enterprise banking client); Backend & AI Engineer (F&B and AI-commerce company); Co-founder (Zillexa). Projects: Siz — AI Commerce Gateway (MCP) (MCP, Go, OAuth 2.1); AI Gateway for an Enterprise Bank (LiteLLM, Python, AWS Bedrock); Bảo Bối — Voice Ordering Assistant (LiveKit, Go, Python); Admissions Chatbot & Advisor Cockpit (Hybrid RAG, pgvector, Self-hosted VLM); Multi-company Accounting SaaS (React, REST API, PostgreSQL); IPBMS — Real-time Patient Monitoring (YOLO Pose, OpenCV, RTSP); NEURADAO — AI Trading Platform (TypeScript, Python, PostgreSQL); Chord — TOKEN2049 Origins Runner-up (Hackathon, Pitch); Viettel AI Race — 3D Gaussian Splatting (3D Gaussian Splatting, PyTorch, gsplat); Cicca Fleet — Multi-site k3s Cluster (k3s, ArgoCD, Tailscale).
What technologies does Le Tran Minh Dat work with?
AI AGENTS & LLM: Claude Agent SDK & MCP, LiteLLM gateways & cost control, RAG (pgvector + full-text), LiveKit voice agents, YOLO / OpenCV, Claude · OpenAI · Gemini · AWS Bedrock. BACKEND & FRONTEND: TypeScript, Python, Go, SQL, Node.js / NestJS, React / Next.js / TanStack, PostgreSQL / pgvector / Redis, REST & agent API design. CLOUD & DEVOPS: AWS, Docker, Kubernetes (k3s) + ArgoCD, GitHub Actions · GHCR · Watchtower, On-prem / VPN deployment, Observability.
Where is Le Tran Minh Dat based, and is he open to remote work?
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is remote-ready (GMT+7, async-first) and open to freelance and contract work.
What awards has Le Tran Minh Dat won?
Chord — Runner-up, TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon: TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon 2026, Singapore: runner-up on the main track, US$10k AWS credits. Viettel AI Race 2026 — Runner-up (Top 4): Finalist out of 1,628 teams, organised by Viettel Group.
Where did Le Tran Minh Dat study?
Le Tran Minh Dat holds a B.Eng. Software Engineering from FPT University, Ho Chi Minh City · GPA 3.47 / 4.0 · 2026.
What is Zillexa?
Zillexa is an independent dev studio Le Tran Minh Dat co-founded in 2024: five engineers who take on product and AI builds together and compete in hackathons as a team.
Is "cicca" the same person as Le Tran Minh Dat?
Yes. cicca is the online handle of Le Tran Minh Dat (Lê Trần Minh Đạt); he also goes by Minh Dat and Dat Le. His canonical site is https://letranminhdat.com/.
How do I contact Le Tran Minh Dat?
Email [email protected], or use the contact form at https://letranminhdat.com/#contact. GitHub: https://github.com/letranminhdat1516. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dat-le-139a85284. Full CV: https://letranminhdat.com/cv.
READY FOR THE NEXT QUEST
Have a system that needs to reach production? Open to collaborations, freelance missions and full-time roles — send a signal.
Contact me