Recap: Hanoi Cardano Builder Series Meetup #1 — Projects 101: From Bear to Bull
The first meetup of the Hanoi Cardano Builder Series took place on 23 November 2025 at Biblio Book Café, Hanoi.
Organized by Sky3Team x Cardano Vietnam, the event introduced foundational ecosystem knowledge for new builders and provided a runway for the community to prepare for Project Catalyst Fund15.
Key Highlights
- Total registrations: 49
- Actual attendance: ~40
- Builder ratio: ~20%
- Engagement: Active participation throughout keynote & Q&A
- Community takeaway: Hanoi shows strong potential for recurring, builder-focused meetups
- Registrations link: Hanoi Cardano Meetup Series #1: Projects 101 – From Bear to Bull · Luma
1. Opening
The meetup opened with a warm welcome from the Cardano Vietnam team, marking the launch of the Hanoi Builder Series.
Following recent momentum from communities across Vietnam, this first session focused on giving newcomers a clear and structured understanding of:
- What Cardano is built for
- How its governance works
- Where the opportunities lie for builders
- How Vietnamese teams can participate in upcoming funding rounds
Mr. Jimmy Le – Cardano Ambassador — shared that the goal of Meetup #1 is to serve as a strong foundation before deeper technical workshops roll out in Hanoi.
2. Keynote Session — “Projects 101: From Bear to Bull”
Speaker: Jimmy Le – Cardano Ambassador
The keynote provided a beginner-friendly yet insightful introduction to the Cardano ecosystem, focusing on four main themes.
Formation & Vision
An overview of Cardano’s scientific foundation, long-term roadmap, and design principles aimed at building secure and sustainable blockchain infrastructure.
Governance & Voltaire
Jimmy explained the essentials of Cardano governance, treasury, voting systems, decentralized participation, and why governance will be a defining strength in the next cycle.
Opportunities & Challenges
Builders learned about:
- Market timing and why this phase is ideal for building
- Current ecosystem gaps
- The realistic challenges when launching a blockchain product
- High-impact areas for Vietnamese teams
Catalyst Fund15 Overview
The session concluded with guidance on Fund15:
- Funding tracks and how to choose the right category
- What’s new in Fund15
- Common mistakes in proposals
- How to strategically prepare a strong submission
This gave newcomers a complete roadmap from Idea → Proposal → Voting → Implementation.
3. Community Q&A
In true “Builder Series” spirit, the Q&A was active and engaging, covering:
- Biggest opportunities for new teams in the Cardano ecosystem
- Funding and support beyond Catalyst
- The readiness of Cardano for consumer applications
- Career paths for marketing and non-technical students
- High-potential narratives for builders
- Common mistakes new teams should avoid
- Recommended learning resources for beginners to advanced developers
These questions reflected the strong curiosity and ambition of the Hanoi community.
4. Community Networking
The meetup shifted into an open networking session, where participants enjoyed light refreshments and exchanged ideas.
Builders, students, and newcomers discussed:
- Ideas for Fund15 proposals
- How to start building small MVPs
- Realistic paths for learning and joining Cardano
- Ways to collaborate on future workshops
The atmosphere was relaxed yet highly focused — a great sign for Hanoi’s emerging builder community.
5. Community Reflection
Feedback from the community highlighted:
- Greater clarity about Cardano’s structure
- Better understanding of Project Catalyst
- Renewed confidence to participate in Fund15
- A stronger sense of connection within the local builder ecosystem
Participants expressed enthusiasm for more technical and builder-oriented workshops — reinforcing that Hanoi is ready to grow alongside Cardano Vietnam’s national builder roadmap.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Cardano Foundation, Project Catalyst, and the global Cardano community for their continued support.
To all contributors and participants — thank you for your time, your energy, and your enthusiasm.
Your presence is what made this meetup a meaningful milestone for the Cardano builder community in Hanoi.
Together, we made this first gathering special.
Stay Connected
Follow us for upcoming meetups and community updates:
- Cardano Vietnam Community (Telegram): https://t.me/CardanoVNCommunity
- Cardano Vietnam Twitter: https://x.com/VietnamCardano
- Ha Nguyen – Cardano Ambassador: https://x.com/Hahero7
See you at the next Cardano Vietnam event!
On behalf of the organizing committee,
Ha Nguyen – Cardano Ambassador
Cardano Vietnam Community
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