GemLabs Hà Nội Buildathon — Build a real app with AI in one day

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What this is

Three coffee chats in Saigon, and now the fourth gathering moves north — the first ShopX Coffee Chat in Hà Nội, and the first as a Buildathon.

A coffee chat is three hours; you leave with ideas. A Buildathon is a full day; you leave with a real app running on a live URL — one you built yourself, for a real problem in your own shop or work. No coding background required. You bring the problem and the judgment; AI does the typing.

By 15:00 you’ll have opened your own app on your phone, from a link you can send anyone.

Who’s running this

I’m Chris, founder of GemCommerce / GemPages, one of the larger page builders on the Shopify App Store, used by sellers worldwide. We’re also building GemBoss, a Self-Driving Storefront platform.

For about the last year I’ve built most of my internal tools (dashboards, research tools, automations) by talking to AI instead of hand-writing every line. I do have an engineering background, but that’s not the point: what matters is knowing how to describe what you want and understanding what’s really going on under the hood. Get that, and anyone can build software for themselves. Today we trade ideas, chip in, then split into teams to build our own workflows.

Who this is for

Shopify sellers, agency operators, founders, or anyone curious about building with AI — no code needed. Bring:

• A real problem worth an app — an ops headache, a tool you keep wishing existed.
• A laptop with a full charge (MacBook ideal; we’ll have a couple of backup machines).
• A willingness to break things, ask loud, and ship something ugly-but-working.

How the day runs — three parts

Part 1 · Collect the questions. We open by writing down, together, the real questions and problems in the room — what you actually want to build, and what’s been stopping you. That list steers the whole day.

Part 2 · The basics, in plain language. Enough foundation to stop being scared: what an app is really made of, how to direct AI to build it, databases, agents, and the handful of terms you need — no jargon, no memorizing.

Part 3 · Build & setup, hands on. Everyone gets their machine ready and ships their first live page:

• Install and set up VS Code — where you’ll sit and talk to AI.
• Create your own GitHub account and first repo — your save-game.
• Set up Docker and get clear on localhost vs live — the two most confusing words for beginners, made simple.
• Connect to Railway — where your app goes to run 24/7 for other people.
• Deploy your first HTML page to a real URL — the moment it stops being “on my machine” and becomes a link.

From there, the build sprint: each person turns their Part 1 problem into a working tool, with AI doing the heavy lifting and me roaming the tables to help.

The full-day run

Time	Block	You leave with
09:00–09:20	Welcome · who I am · how the day works	The shape of the day
09:20–09:45	Part 1 — Collect questions + split teams (Notewave)	The room’s problems + teams grouped by shared interest
09:45–11:00	Part 2 — Foundations: build with AI · app anatomy · terms · database · agents	A clear mental picture, no fear
11:00–11:15	☕ Break
11:15–12:00	Part 3a — Setup: VS Code · your GitHub · Docker · localhost vs live	A machine that’s ready to build
12:00–13:00	🍜 Lunch at the GemCommerce office	A fed room
13:00–13:40	Part 3b — Ship: connect Railway · deploy your first HTML page	Your first live URL
13:40–14:40	Build sprint · turn your problem into a tool · I roam to help	A working app taking shape
14:40–15:00	Deploy final · 2-min demos · group photo	An app on a link + a room of builders

What you take home

• A real app on a live URL — open it on your phone, send it to anyone.
• A working setup — VS Code, GitHub, Docker, Railway — ready for the next thing you build.
• The mental model — enough to keep building on your own after today.
• 40 Hà Nội builders who just solved real problems in the same room — not a card swap.

Before the day

After you register, you’ll get an email with:

• The exact GemCommerce office address and how to find the door.
• A short checklist to install the tools ahead of time (so we don’t burn the morning on setup).
• A group link for questions before we meet.

Where

See you in Hà Nội.