With an insatiable passion for music, art and media accompanied by long-term efforts, Nguyen Dac Hoang has been chosen to be one of the two Fulbright students participating in the exchange program at Bard College, USA in the upcoming Spring semester of 2024.
Nguyen Dac Hoang is currently a third-year student majoring in Art and Media Studies at Fulbright University Vietnam. With 5 years of experience in the field of Communication and Journalism, Hoang is a pioneer in founding the Communication Club (COMEDIA) at Fulbright. Here, Hoang and his friends have been striving to create either internships, work opportunities, or sharing sessions of knowledge and experience for students passionate about Communication.
Hoang’s journey is one of self-reflection and aggressively exploring one’s own yet-to-be-discovered abilities with the knowledge he obtained at Fulbright.
Nguyen Dac Hoang – a third-year student majoring in Art and Media Studies at Fulbright University Vietnam
“The Arts and Media Studies Major at Fulbright helps me be more open-minded”
By the end of my first year, I realized that the Art and Media Studies program at Fulbright is not solely focused on providing practical skills in communication, entertainment, marketing, and so on. In addition to that, we gain knowledge of independent thinking, social critique, and multidimensional analysis through theoretical topics and challenging philosophical questions. In the context of the rapid development of science and technology, I believe that these skills equips me with the ability to self-learn and keep up with the new demands of the profession in the future.
For example, I’ve always thought that processing spatial and visual information was not my strong suit because I struggled with geometry and had difficulty memorizing images.
However, after taking the Introduction to Visual Studies course instructed by Dr. Tram Luong, it was as if a switch was turned on in my visual thinking. Through theoretical lessons on visual culture, the gaze, reproduction, and so on, I was given powerful “tools” to perceive, analyze, and evaluate the visual world with critical thinking and a multidimensional perspective. In the final exhibition, I even took part in ideating the exhibition space and creating visual products with my group.
Final exhibition of Dac Hoang and his teammates in the Introduction to Visual Studies class.
Expanding further, as an Entertainment journalist, I always proactively apply the knowledge instructed by professors and lecturers to examine popular cultural products from various perspectives such as history and tradition. As a result, my music critiques are more profound and persuasive to readers.
Dac Hoang’s music critique was published in Hoa Hoc Tro newspaper – issue 1410.
Utilizing knowledge and the community at Fulbright to proactively create opportunities for myself.
At Fulbright, I actively create opportunities for myself. My primary goal when I develop COMEDIA is for it to be a place that provides Fulbright’s students opportunities to apply academic knowledge, share their experiences, as well as internship and career possibilities for students passionate about Communication. Moreover, COMEDIA aims to promote a pay-it-forward spirit. We have had opportunities to collaborate with individuals, organizations, and programs to disseminate the message of communication, such as the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – Fulbright University Vietnam, the TECx event – Technology Entrepreneurs Creative Arts Mix 2023, and the Mekong Water Challenge. Additionally, COMEDIA often organizes internal training sessions and knowledge sharing to enhance the professional skills of our members.
Dac Hoang and COMEDIA’s members
Similarly, during my upcoming exchange semester at Bard College in the United States, I plan to take classes in in-depth music research and its applications in socio-cultural life. I hope that the knowledge I gain at Bard College will enrich my theoretical understanding, critical thinking, and knowledge of music, which will enable me to write valuable and insightful analytical articles for readers.
Furthermore, I also have aspirations to connect COMEDIA with student clubs and media organizations at Bard College. I aim to create more opportunities for exchange and development between students from both institutions to enhance their experiences and skills.
“There is not any school that can fully define who I am. But it can create an environment that helps me find my own definition.”
I believe that there is not any school that can fully define who we are. Schools should only provide resources, a safe environment for trial and error, and a platform for students to explore their strengths, weaknesses, and desired development in the future. Most importantly, you should keep an open heart and a proactive learning spirit.
The knowledge gained from classes at Fulbright has liberated the limitations in my thinking and mindset. From someone who solely enjoyed pure art, I now pursue majors in Social Studies and Vietnamese Studies alongside Arts and Media Studies. To undergo these “shocks”, I believe that an open heart, and a willingness to learn and change while maintaining a critical spirit, is an essential asset for every Fulbright student.
Personally, I believe that university is not the sole place that provides us with knowledge and opportunities. Instead, I value the spirit of proactive learning, creating opportunities for ourselves, and utilizing the available resources at university to enhance our individual learning journeys.
Dac Hoang and Fulbright’s student in an extracurricular activity
Learn more about Arts and Media Studies at Fulbright at: https://fulbright.edu.vn/vi/major/nghien-cuu-nghe-thuat-va-truyen-thong/
Như Ý
Tuong Nguyen is currently a student at Fulbright University Vietnam and a YouTuber with 300,000 subscribers. Her journey of growth, personal understanding, and a passion for educational pursuits have been recorded by her time at Fulbright.
Tuong Nguyen’s educational journey at Fulbright has witnessed her growth, self-understanding, and passion in her educational pursuits.
Concerns are progressively addressed as they are exposed to the new knowledge
Since her middle school years, when Tuong Nguyen observed her classmates struggling with the same aspects of self-study, she formed a strong desire to pursue an education of her own. With the message “Try to become a better version of yourself” and the intention of assisting the youth community in maximizing their individual potential, she was determined to create a YouTube channel devoted to learning and sharing study strategies.
Tuong Nguyen further disclosed that her education at Fulbright University Vietnam has helped her “enlighten” on numerous matters, which has been of great assistance in her YouTube product development pursuits. Motivated by the passion for painting and media production, during her freshman year of college, she enrolled in Mr. Aaron Toronto‘s Film Production course – director of the movie “Brilliant Night!” won the Best Story award from the 2022 Santa Fe Film Festival.
Tuong Nguyen vividly recalled the first lesson: “Visual storytelling techniques are among the most crucial elements when creating a product”. She stated that prior to enrolling in his course, she encountered challenges in comprehending the techniques behind shot compositions that conveyed significant meanings through their camera angles. With the assistance of the instructions and the insightful advice provided by Mr. Aaron, who possesses a multitude of knowledge, her inquiries have been satisfactorily resolved.
Visual storytelling techniques are among the most crucial elements when creating a product.
The results of those lessons were immediately applied by Tuong Nguyen to her next video or blog products. The changes that make she feel the most clearly are that the video quality is getting better and better, the camera angles look more artistic and “cinematic”, and most importantly, she can use the camera angles to convey information in which the core message reaches the audience without having to say too much like before.
“I feel happy because what I learned at school has been applied a lot to my personal projects. What’s more special is when that knowledge falls right into the things I love and want to develop further.”
Tuong Nguyen is working on a final project for his Film Production class
From everything around back to one’s self – a journey of understanding
“To compare my journey at Fulbright, I believe that it is a journey where I can step by step maximize my potential and aim for people, because of people.”
While pursuing a degree in Art and Media Studies and maintaining a YouTube channel that focuses primarily on the development of the youth community, Tuong Nguyen realized that the goal in any artistic creation is to take materials from life to raise a life value to the audience. This causes her to have an intense desire to comprehend her surroundings, and this is, by chance, also the genesis of Tuong Nguyen’s new journey: majoring in Social Studies.
“Studying multiple majors based on my interests and graduating with two bachelor’s degrees at Fulbright has brought me great joy, as it allows me to pursue diverse fields that share many similarities. This allowed me to complete studies in sociology, media studies, and the arts within just 4 years.”
When she was in Ethnographic Research Methods class and was required to complete a midterm research paper on human culture, Tuong Nguyen returned to Xom Mut, where she lives, to observe and report. This is one of her most memorable experiences. An intriguing development is that as Tuong Nguyen explores further, she no longer perceives the miserable existence she once believed in. However, due to the inherent sense of community and solidarity in her birthplace, she grows even more in love with it.
“At this time, learning encompasses not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the process of self-discovery through a deeper understanding of my origins, upbringing, and the cultural influences that shaped me.” Who we are can be profoundly influenced by our living environment”, Tuong Nguyen sentimentally remembered.
As she reflects on her previous journey, Tuong Nguyen feels delighted to be standing at the intersection of two supposedly separate fileds —that of art and humanity. Now, if someone asks who Tuong Nguyen is, she will not hesitate to answer: “I am a small link, connecting two fields I love to bring positive things to everyone.”
Let’s explore majors that Tuong Nguyen is pursuing:
As one of the few female C-Suite leaders in the United States, Sheryl Sandberg has a surprisingly down-to-earth persona. On March 5, she dedicated her time for a conversation with Fulbright community about her take on the importance of education and preparing for a future of uncertainty post-pandemic.
Known as a leading executive, Sheryl shared that she is a big fan of liberal arts education for a number of reasons, one being its nature of interconnected and multidimensional training across trades. Moderating this insightful discussion was Mr. Cuong Do, Senior Advisor and former President of the Global Strategy Division for Samsung Group, member of Fulbright’s Governing Board.
The importance of well-rounded education
Ms. Sandberg started the conversation with an old adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” As Sheryl emphasized the importance of liberal arts education, it is not a coincidence that amongst all Vietnamese educational institutions, she chose Fulbright to pay a virtual visit.
Resonating with Fulbright’s vision of reinventing higher education for Vietnam, Facebook’s COO exclaimed: “I’m just a big fan of liberal arts education, because I think it teaches you to think, and it teaches you to think hard. It teaches you to structure ideas and make arguments.” Rather than continuing the traditional vocational education that has helped Vietnam to pick up the economy post war’s devastation, higher education must be reimagined with transformative core values, aiming to nurture foundational skills, critical thinking, and lifelong learning ability for creative breakthroughs, which are essential for the 21st century. That is the core pillar of liberal arts education and is also the profound mission that Fulbright University Vietnam carries.
Mr. Cuong Do reminisced when he was Sheryl’s senior, after she first joined McKinsey & Company, he was impressed with her ability to lead and work with people. Sharing her approach to leadership, Sheryl strongly advocates for the educational environment that Fulbright fosters, where the questions are more important than the answers, where all ideas are valued, and every student is to freely explore and progress to the best version of themselves. She added, “not only did liberal arts education teach me to critically think, but it also taught me the importance of hard work, discipline, being open to new ideas, and knowing that you are always learning.”
Recalling the trajectory of Facebook, Sandberg stressed that the learning and growing piece is one of the key components in a well performing team, that “we have to learn to think and think again.” Echoing her close friend Adam Grant in his new book Think Again she mentioned, “intelligence is generally thought of as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world there are other cognitive skills that may be more important: the ability to rethink and unlearn.”
Curious about how Sheryl has grown through her career path, Ninh Quynh Anh (Class of 2023) asked Sheryl to share what she would regard as the most important skills in her development. Upon reflection, Sheryl identified the hard skill to be communications – how to get ideas across clearly, how to write effectively yet simply – and the soft skill to be empathy – how to share compassion with others.
Breaking the glass ceiling
As the moderator applauded her for being “a beacon of light supporting women in the workplace and at home,” Sheryl addressed the obstacles that women still face in the 21st century. Although there are many differences across cultures, there is one thing that exists everywhere in the world, some places prominently, some more subtly: the glass ceiling. “We are culturally biased against female leadership… The word ‘bossy’ and its equivalent are used in every country in the world,” Sandberg asserted. She explained that girls are often called out as ‘bossy’ and ‘aggressive’ while boys are praised for their ‘leadership skills, and that happens everywhere.
This cultural stereotype against female leadership still exists because women do the majority of caregiving. Sheryl’s foundation, Lean In, published a survey in October 2020 reporting that 25% of women were considering downsizing their careers or leaving the workforce due to burnout. The pandemic threatens to undo decades of progress that professional women have made.
Answering Nguyen Thuy Linh’s (FSPPM student) question about how to conquer gender-based obstacles and break the glass ceiling, especially in traditional Asian societies like Vietnam, Sandberg advised students to be explicit about being ambitious and to earn their seat at the table.
A message to aspiring young minds
From Google to Facebook, Sandberg is known to have a keen eye for spotting “rocket ships”. When asked by Jack Nguyen Lam (Class of 2023) for tips on how to recognize “rocket ships”, Sheryl shared that a “rocket ship” can mean two things: one is the personal value – you must truly believe in the company’s mission and its impact, and second is the potential to grow. “For me, I’ve always wanted to work on things that would actually impact a lot of people,” Sheryl confessed.
As the pandemic came sweeping in, the whole scene of working is changing more rapidly than ever before. Jobs and skills that are in demand now may be obsolete within the next few years, and many future jobs do not yet exist. Vu Hai Truong (a graduate student in Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management) asked Sheryl what skills she would pinpoint as crucial for students to focus on building in preparation for this dynamic environment. The COO answered: “Don’t try to plot your career out. Because if I tried to plot my career when I was your age, I could never be here, because there was no internet and Mark Zuckerberg was in elementary school. So, don’t plot it out. Instead, work on critical thinking skills, writing, communication, math, etc. Those are the things that really help us.”
Sandberg encouraged Fulbright students to find their own “rocket ships” in the green space, contending that it is impossible to find a “rocket ship” by following somebody else who has already done it. Mr. Cuong Do added: “If you want to grow, you have to make things happen, you have to create it. If those things didn’t exist, just apply the critical thinking skill I mentioned at the beginning and make it the ‘rocket ship’ you aspire it to be.” Both quoted their favorite poet Robert Frost, encouraging young minds to take ‘the road less traveled ’. Sheryl credited liberal arts education for cultivating entrepreneurial spirits, in which students are empowered with the requisite interdisciplinary skills for success in the fast-paced, unorthodox work environment.
Mr. Cuong Do concluded the chat with a heartfelt remark: “There’s nothing so great in the world that cannot be solved by people with great will. At a university like Fulbright, we are not training followers. We are not training people to go and pursue the path that has been created by someone else, we are training the future leaders to go and solve big problems in the world. So, go and do the hard things, because they need to be done. Don’t do the easy things.”
Bảo Trâm
Rewatch the conversation:
Co-founded Misfit Wearables, a technology start-up that was acquired for $260M in 2015, and now Alabaster investment funds as well as Arevo 3D printing company, Mr. Sonny Vu and Mrs. Christy Le are ideal role models for many young people. Not only are they successful entrepreneurs, but both of them also have admirable educational backgrounds. With great passion for learning, Sonny and Christy spent some time last December to sit down and do an “If I were you” fireside chat with Fulbright community to share their inspirational stories about lifelong learning.
Buckle down, study, and enjoy it
‘One in eight of the Forbes 400, which are the 400 richest billionaires in the US, are college dropouts’ is one of the many headlines that have been floating around the internet, stirring the idea that a college degree is not necessary to become successful. People malign on and on about how college is a waste of time and that what’s learned in these programs are rarely relevant to the actual job. Invigorated by the stories of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, a number of students decide to not invest in their higher education but instead go straight into the workforce, or following their entrepreneurial spirits. However, Mr. Sonny Vu deliberates that they might be missing the point: “College education is about having an environment, we have the time, space, and peer learners that will enable you to focus on learning and building the habits and skills for learning that you’ll have for the rest of your life. So enjoy it, savor it, don’t drop out and do that startup, don’t leave to learn something more practical, you will regret it.
“The foundation for lifelong learning is more satisfying than any money or status could ever give you… Start early! Start now! Because the reward of learning is like compound interest, it multiplies over time,” Sonny expands.
Sonny Vu and his wife – Christy Le at the fireside chat at Fulbright
But learning is not easy, it requires grit and takes a lot of work to really excel in it. Even as a Valedictorian and a Legatum Fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management, with Double First in Economics from Oxford University (Bachelor of Arts and Master of Philosophy), two of the most prestigious institutions in the world, Mrs. Christy Le admitted that she, too, hit stumbling blocks to her academic career. Christy confessed that she once studied just because her mom told her to do so, or in hopes that it would help her make a lot of money in the future. She assured that those are not strong enough reasons to get you through the rocky roads of the learning journey. “It is difficult, boring, and painful. If you have the root, the true reason that ‘if I know that I can do more things and become a better person, contribute more to society,’ then the journey will be way more interesting and pleasant. Trust me, the difficulty level is still the same, but at least you will do it with joy.”
Researches confirm that intrinsic motivations lead to the most positive outcomes because you would be driven from within, doing things for ‘all the right reasons” instead of following money or status like extrinsic pushes. Mr. Sonny Vu also agreed that these pretentious motivations would never last, so “Let’s feed your curiosity now! If you’re curious and wondering let’s dive into it. You are students, you’re in college, you can take all sorts of classes, it’s amazing… Learn many things, be a generalist for sure, but also allow yourself to be obsessed about some topics, be a specialist with passion.” This resonances with Fulbright’s liberal arts approach to education in that Fulbright students do not have to decide their major right of the back, but instead, they are encouraged to explore different fields before finding one to commit to.
Emphasizing the importance of college education, Sonny said: “If I had one piece of advice, I could go back in time and tell my 18-year-old self, it would be to buckle down and study. Even though it sounds really contrarian, I would tell myself to sit down, study, and enjoy it.”
Always be hungry for knowledge
Learning isn’t just a shared passion between the two co-founders of Alabasters but also amongst the millionaires of the world. Surprisingly, the one thing in common of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Charlie Munger aside from the fact that they all have billions of dollars is that they all know quantum physics. That is not to say quantum physics is the key to success, but being able to sit down and spend time to really learn something is how one advances in life.
But the concept of being a learner has shifted. With the fast pace at which industries, business, and technology evolve, modern careers become nonstop conveyor belts — you need to keep moving and learning no matter what the stage of your career. Being content is a mindset that puts us at risk. Mrs. Christy Le reiterated: “Over time you realize that learning skills will become one of the most important skills in life because that’s how you grow. It never ends, you don’t stop, you keep going.”
The question is, how to keep that fire of desire for knowledge in you burning? While many people think that financial circumstances could pose a hindrance to the learning journey, Christy begged to differ. She reasoned that when people settle to be on a good track of their careers, it is way harder to be curious than when they are materially deprived. “The time that people usually learn the best, is when they don’t have enough, when they’re hungry. To keep going when you have enough, is usually unusual. And by the way, even when you are trained for trade, it may not be the trade that you will work on. You will learn so many things, you have plenty of time to learn, try to be curious, and feed that curiosity for a long time. That’s what will give you the most happiness of learning.”
Both Sonny and Christy believe the ability to learn is a gift that everybody has. The reason people don’t learn is mainly because out of fear, or because of lack of inspiration – people are afraid of failing, of trying new things, of pushing beyond their limits. Say, learning to swim is scary, but you just have to overcome that fear, jump in the water, get soaked up, and only then you learn how to swim. Mrs. Christy Le made a comparison: “To me learning is just like going to the gym, you have to do a lot of exercises, and you become really good at learning, then learning becomes a skill. And the better you are at learning them, the more you can learn, and the more you will enjoy learning.”
Reflecting upon the experience of changing her work environment many times in the past five years, Christy said that she learned new things from each place. While she could have stayed as the CFO and COO of Misfit, she decided to venture out and take executive roles at tech companies including CEO of Facebook Vietnam, Fossil Vietnam MD, and VP of Operations for Fossil Groups, CEO of GoViet, etc. Christy shared: “It was scary at first. And it’s a lot of work because you don’t build on something that you are familiar with. But trust me, coming out of that experience, you learn way more than you would otherwise do.”
Echoing the love for learning, Mr. Sonny Vu wished he would have the superpower to learn anything. “With the power to learn, you can build marvelous things, experience the full range of human conditions, meet incredible people you probably never have the chance to, and see the wonders of the world. And you can understand yourself and others in profound ways. Like Gandhi said: ‘live as if you’re going to die tomorrow, learn as if you’re going to live forever’.”
Looking at his heroes of learning: Bill Gates is 65, Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger are in their 90s, yet they spend all day learning. So, there is no reason for us to ever stop. “Learning one of the greatest and most satisfying, deeply satisfying gifts that we can give ourselves and to our friends and our children,” Sonny exclaimed.
Make technology serve you, not the other way around
We have seen more crises and unexpected events in recent years than ever before, and parts of that are due to the high speed of technology development. The rise of social media and digital platforms has revolutionized our way of life. And as a respected entrepreneur and founder of many successful technology companies, Mr. Sonny Vu professed that it is incredibly easy for these outlets to consume your time. In order to save time and focus on learning, Sonny shared with Fulbright students a few tips to be indistractable: turn off most notifications (only leave the emergencies), timeboxing social media out, and timeboxing learning in. Also, having a physical space associated with learning is important – a desk, a comfortable chair, with lighting. “Make a ritual out of it, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day, start from there and build on it.”
Given how much information is out there every day, especially when we mindlessly scroll through Facebook or TikTok, with information flashing, we need to create a system to absorb information wisely via multiple layers. To learn in a fast-changing world like this, we have to be picky about the things we learn. “Learn something with substance that would give you the opportunity to think, to wonder, to ponder, and to draw some conclusion. So choose things to learn wisely to help you adapt and create impacts in this ever-changing world,” Mrs. Christy Le added.
In the digital age where everything is available online, people can learn anything like science, arts, history and so on. Resources are easily accessible on many platforms such as YouTube, Khan Academy, Coursera, etc. It can be for beginners with no prerequisites, for example, it can take you through intro to algebra to calculus and advance to number theory. There is even an entire MIT education for free on OpenCourseWare, all it takes is commitment – people just have to make time for it and put in the hours to do the diligence.
Sonny believes that nobody is incapable of learning. Definitive “I can’t” or “I will never” statements are often self-fulfilling prophecies. He advised the students to nurture a growth mindset, embrace challenges, change and critique on the way to learning goals. People should accept that skill acquisition requires effort, that improvement is possible and that obstacles and others’ success are not reasons to stop your progress. “It also requires a certain attitude: humility. Who cares if a 12-year-old genius is smarter than you, just get started. And the most important thing is persistence – don’t ever stop learning,” Sonny concluded.
Bảo Trâm
A day in mid-2007, in the office of Ben Wilkinson, Harvard Vietnam Program representative of Fulbright Economic Teaching Program (FETP), a candidate for a part-time librarian position was waiting for a job interview.
The candidate was Truong Minh Hoa, a bachelor’s degree holder from Library and Information Science Faculty of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City. Hoa’s experience was still limited; having only worked as a full-time librarian at Van Hien University, HCMC.
Hoa looked anxious and nervous as he had never talked to a foreigner before, while he was the third candidate to be interviewed for this position. Much to his surprise, Ben spoke fluent Vietnamese; it made the interview much more comfortable and warm. Hoa wanted to be polite and called Ben “Sir,” making the latter laugh. Ben corrected him immediately: “I’m not that kind of high-ranking officer!” It turned out to be Hoa’s first memory about FETP.
Hoa got accepted for the position. In the library inside FETP’s small campus on Vo Thi Sau Street, District 3, his desk was set next to that of Ms. Mai, the full-time librarian. It was beyond his expectation that he would work here for 13 years, in a small library where he experienced the most exciting days of his work life.
For the pursuit of knowledge
Although the library of FETP was not home to a vast collection of books like those of old universities, it took Hoa by surprise in his first days of work. The library welcomed anyone seeking information, even if they were not FETP students. They could access all kinds of books, including the rare ones. Later on, Hoa realized it was part of Fulbright school’s culture: a student-centered approach for the pursuit of knowledge.
It was totally different from what Hoa experienced at other libraries, where books were strictly kept and the distribution of books to library users was restricted. Therefore, Hoa felt very pleased with FETP and quickly fitted in this new environment.
According to Hoa, FETP’s library also had a different approach towards its users compared to other libraries. Traditionally, students in Vietnam keep a certain distance with librarians; they feel reserved and uncomfortable when interacting. When they talk to librarians because they wish to borrow a book, librarians are addressed as if they were superior.
“They might think librarians are grumpy and unfriendly. But here at FETP, students could search and look for the books they wanted themselves, in a totally open library. They just had to sign up with the librarian if they wanted to bring the books home,” Hoa recalled.
The open library gradually grew the bond between Hoa and the students. Their interactions and mutual support formed a friendly and comfortable academic environment at Fulbright school, where the relationships between faculty and staff, library officers and students were more akin to a big family.
“FETP completely changed the way I think about my work, the way I interact with my colleagues and students, and made me understand that librarians can contribute to building the culture of “serving for the pursuit of knowledge,” Hoa emphasized.
A turning point in his career path was when Ms. Mai resigned from her position at FETP. Hoa became the full-time librarian, working very hard to keep up with all the responsibilities by himself. He classified the books, labeled them with barcodes, put them on the shelves… He settled into a routine in which he found excitement and inspiration.
After a while, he found the perks of being a librarian were not just helping students find the information they needed. It brought him endless opportunities to learn, immersing into knowledge in the wonderful academic environment of Fulbright.
Founded in 1995, FETP, which has now become Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM), was a partnership between the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City and the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). IT was initially designed to teach applied economics for Vietnamese policymakers, with the curriculum “imported” from HKS. Books and other documents used at FETP were updated constantly by HKS.
“In an attempt to build the academic space at Fulbright, we bought a huge volume of books on modern economics and market economy, including macroeconomics, microeconomics, econometrics, development economics, and a vast literature reviewing economic development in East and Southeast Asian countries and in the world,” said Prof. Nguyen Xuan Thanh.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Amazon had just began operating internationally, and it was not easy to source books for FETP. Imported books were also subjected to strict censorship before entering Vietnam. HKS supported FETP in accessing the latest books and other economic documents from abroad. FETP translated these books into Vietnamese for students, mostly public officers from various cities and provinces across Vietnam who came to FETP for public policy study and had limited mastery of English.
Since the early 2000s, the bilingual library of Fulbright school has been home to a vast collection of newly published books on modern economics, something you may not find in other libraries across Vietnam.
True to a student-centered approach, there was a close connection between faculty members, academic affairs officers and the librarian at Fulbright school. Hoa actively assisted faculty members to find documents and prepare for translations. Sometimes, Hoa would go out himself to source the books students could not find in Fulbright’s library.
“The Fulbright environment changed me completely, from someone who just sits passively waiting for students to borrow books to an active, multi-tasking librarian,” he reflected.
It was not just the books that consumed Hoa’s time and efforts. The librarian was also heavily invested in building and maintaining OpenCourseWare, an important online platform for FETP’s teaching and learning program built in the early 2000s. At that time, Vietnam’s internet landscape was dominated by internet cafés all over the big cities. FETP began to publish its teaching and research materials online.
Inspired by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s OpenCourseWare Initiative (OCW), FETP, and now FSPPM, publish course syllabi, lecture notes, reading lists, assignments and case studies online. Both teachers and learners can access these resources and freely download documents.
The OpenCourseWare requires constant updates on a yearly basis, from majors, lectures to assignments; for cases studies, updates are more frequent. For more than one decade, Hoa has kept a steady course at the helm of OpenCourseWare, a unique legacy for those learning and working in policy-related fields offered by Fulbright school.
Nowadays, the booming development of technological platforms allows easier access to knowledge. But Hoa still dedicates his time and efforts to the platform, with a systemized approach and in accordance with copyright laws.
“FSPPM’s OpenCourseWare is up to date and hits over 1.5 billion page views each year, not just from FSPPM students and users inside Vietnam. We also have users outside the country,” Hoa added.
Warm-hearted librarian
In 2008, FETP shifted from a one-year training program on applied economics to a complete Master in Public Policy. Hoa actively helped students find statistics for their research and graduation theses, though it was not part of his job. As students came from various cities and provinces and their graduation theses covered different areas, the statistics they required differed greatly. Each year, Hoa would contact the Bureau of General Statistics of Vietnam and the statistics offices from cities and provinces across Vietnam, collecting data from statistical yearbooks. So far, FSPPM has owned a collection of statistical yearbooks from all cities and provinces, providing a comprehensive compilation of statistics on social and economic conditions and activities at local level with constant updates.
“The collection of figures and statistical yearbooks has been a very interesting experience for me at Fulbright. In my first days here, professors taught me to search for official data from the databases of international organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations Development Program, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, Economist Intelligence Unit and more, all for the research and reports on macroeconomics; at that time, the data was not widely available online like today. That experience helps me a lot when I am assisting lecturers and students with their research and learning,” he explained.
Dang Thi Manh, former MPP2 student, remembered how busy she was in 2011, juggling her graduation thesis and a new job. Her thesis compared public finance models in Da Nang and Binh Duong provinces in relation to a socio-economic development model. She needed figures regarding the two provinces’ budget, revenue, and spending, and turned to Hoa.
“The collection of statistics became a burden for me given the pressure and time constraints. I deeply appreciated Hoa for his care and his willingness to help me gather the data for my thesis. I remember waiting for the release of the 2010 Statistical Yearbook to get the updated figures. As soon as the yearbook was available at the library, Hoa called me. Thankfully, I managed to use the figures to finish my thesis on time,” she recalled.
Hoa experienced memorable moments both bitter and sweet with the students of FSPPM who share the motto “Work hard, play hard.” He remembered the students of MPP4 class usually gathered to eat sweet soup after lunch under the tamarind tree when the campus was located on Vo Thi Sau Street. One of them would enter the names of all students present in an Excel file and use the Randbetween function. The random number indicated the person numbered would have to pay for all the sweet soup servings that day.
FSPPM students said they always remembered the 8:20 a.m. deadline to submit their daily assignments. Hoa was tasked with labeling the assignment papers as “Late,” in red letters, if they missed it.
Former students like Manh said they cherished the moments spent together and thought of Hoa as a sincere, warm-hearted, and dedicated person.
“He knew very well the topics that we were interested in and recommended books related to those topics to us. Whenever the school or each class hosted an event, he quietly held the camera and sneaked into different corners to take photos for us. When we had free time or took a rest, he always talked to us. During the lunch breaks under the tamarind tree, we chatted about our studying, our life, our family and our hometowns. Hoa became close to us. Looking at the number of former FSPPM students who attended his wedding, many people were so surprised and asked how come that young librarian had so many friends!” Manh recalled.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep, a student of LM2020 class, also shared her warm feelings for Hoa, ‘the guy with the unforgettable smile’. “I wonder how he managed to finish so many tasks in such limited time. He has a lot of work to do, and many of us ask him for help, but he always smiles.”
“After the graduation ceremony on August 6, Hoa wrote a note to say goodbye to us on his Facebook page; he made me cry. I think our students may forget this or that person in school, but Hoa is always remembered. Thanks to him, I realized that a humble job done wholeheartedly is really valuable. The way Hoa is doing his job each day, the way he is serving students is a pillar of Fulbright,” she added.
Xuan Linh-Doan Hang
In June 2019, Master of Public Policy (MPP) Graduate of 2019 Phan My Dung and Dr. Bae Yooil attended a seminar in Korea on the topic of public governance. Together, student and professor introduced their research findings on young Vietnamese career choice motivation between the public and private sectors, a deep look into the millennial workforce in Vietnam’s emerging economy.
What originally began as Phan My Dung’s MPP Master’s thesis under the direct guidance of Dr. Bae Yooil eventually earned the first prize for the best Master Thesis of MPP 2019 and will soon be published in an academic journal. The work was appreciated as a quality contribution to research, and for its practical applications for the policymaking community in Vietnam: if young Vietnamese graduates overwhelmingly choose to work in the private sector, what are the implications for governmental workforce replacement?
Through a fruitful collaboration between professor and student, the scope of the research was expanded, destined not only for internal dissemination within the Fulbright community, but also for a broader distribution through the extended academic network of Dr. Bae Yooil, and finally presented at a policy research seminar in Korea
Phan My Dung recalled how anxious she felt on the trip as she had to present her findings in English. She was afraid that her command of the language would not reach the standards expected by her Korean and international policy research peers. But Dr. Bae Yooil’s encouraging words, his continued assurances so she may remain confident, and his determination to see her complete her task left a vivid impression on the newly minted researcher.
“After the lecture, I came to thank him. He just hugged me and said: ‘I see you as family’. He told me how much he recognized my efforts, ” shared Phan My Dung.
Mentoring a New Generation
Dr. Bae Yooil has worked at The Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM) for the past two years as a senior lecturer, researching and teaching comparative politics, public policy, public management, urban and local political economies, and international development assistance. The professor joined the FSPPM faculty at a critical juncture, just as the school transitioned from the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP), under the University of Economics and with the cooperation of Harvard Kennedy School, to become its own academic institution, Fulbright University Vietnam.
After 10 years working with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy as a Postdoctoral Fellow, and at Singapore Management University as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Bae had decided to further his academic career in a deeply international environment. Leveraging his strong academic background, Dr. Bae had set his sights on public policy education institutions in developed countries, interviewing for posts in multiple European countries, including the UK and Finland, in Hong Kong, and Korea. Dr. Bae only applied to one university in a developing country: FSPPM, Vietnam.
An interview with Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh at the end of 2017, then Dean of FSPPM, convinced him to seriously consider joining the faculty. For Dr. Bae, it quickly became evident FSPPM was shaping to become a strong player in the field of regional public policy analysis through a combination of a unique historical background, academic heritage, and bold vision.
“The school already had a strong legacy in FETP. Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh shared his ambition to build up public policy programming in Vietnam, nurturing this institution to be a leading research and education institution at the center of economic development and modernization. I believe this is true. Together with other FSPPM faculty, we can nurture students for the future of Vietnamese society and governance,” recalls Dr. Bae.
As Dr. Bae explains, public policy schools are currently experiencing fast growth around the globe. Policy programs in Asia in particular are garnering much attention, with fast growing schools such as Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, KDI e-Globe Institute in Korea, or the Public Administration Program at Tsinghua University.
But FSPPM possesses some unique advantages. On an interpersonal level, Dr. Bae Yooil describes a tight-knit community of students and researchers, current graduates and alumni that share a common enthusiasm for new knowledge, conducive to academic collaboration. FSPPM faculty are also determined to guide and closely advise student research, while the varied profiles of FSPPM students provide a trove of practical insights and experiences to better serve policymakers at every level, whether in the public or private sector, from local authorities to the central government.
On an institutional level, FSPPM is uniquely positioned to fulfill its ambitions as a regional hub of policy research. “FSPPM is celebrated as the best policy hub in Vietnam, and our links with global and regional organizations are quickly growing,” says Dr. Bae Yooil.
Building on Global Research
Dr. Bae Yooil first discovered Vietnam with his family in 2015, when a sense of kinship was impressed upon him by cultural elements familiar to his Korean sensibilities. But Dr. Bae’s eye for public policy also saw a strong potential for development in a country placed at a synergistic juncture of Eastern and Western influences.
As the professor explains, public policy research is crucial to Vietnam’s development, harnessing other countries’ experiences to limit pitfalls – or avoid them entirely. If properly adapted to Vietnam’s unique social, political, and economic landscape, developed countries hold valuable lessons that can help Vietnam keep its rapid, sustained pace of development. According to him, one of the biggest misconceptions in development research is to try and impose “recipes” from one country to another.
“Strategies that were successfully applied in developed countries are unlikely to bring about the same effect in Vietnam. In fact, each development stage of a country has its own characteristics and is governed by countless different factors and variables,” emphasizes Dr. Bae Yooil. This is why FSPPM plays a crucial role. As Vietnam’s foremost policy research center, the institution has much to offer, namely research and practical experience in public policy, public management and economics based on global knowledge, rethought for the local context.
As a foreign lecturer at FSPPM, Dr. Bae said one of the biggest challenges for him is socio-cultural differences. After a lecture on cultivating creativity and innovation in business, he received feedback from students that although the lesson was very good, those concepts were difficult to apply in workplaces in Vietnam. At that time, the professor likened how ideas change the world to falling snow: “If one snowflake falls, it melts. But repeat the process enough times and there is an inflection point where suddenly the entire landscape changes. In the beginning, your changed attitude in your organization doesn’t make any big change, but if you continue, your neighbors and co-workers will be influenced by what you practice. In the end, your organization’s entire culture gets changed. That’s the power of an idea.”
In the classroom, Dr. Bae Yooil often explores innovative teaching methods. When he realized that students needed to build their skills in conveying their message to the public, he developed a presentation format based on press conferences. Students were assigned to produce a 4 to 7-minute video presenting a given topic as if they were conducting a real press conference and post it on YouTube. Recently, Dr. Bae Yooil also started to introduce design thinking principles, placing participants in the shoes of their study subject to observe and handle situations.
At FSPPM, graduates come from many different fields and careers, sometimes with very different personal opinions. This contributes to a diverse learning experience, giving students the opportunity to exchange and see from new perspectives. To balance the flow of opinions in a group is not easy, especially with seasoned professionals, but Dr. Bae Yooil hopes the experience will assist the students in becoming wise leaders, developing their ability to assess problems from many angles, whether in the public or private sectors.
“If everyone really has completely different experiences and practices, I think academic institutions cannot play their role. Yes, we should try to reconcile differences and accept diversity, but at the same time we must acknowledge and understand historically proven, factual truths. We are living based on the accumulated experiences of our ancestors. That means we have to sort through information, even if seemingly contradictory, to find the common patterns.”
This does not imply that this accumulated knowledge should be taken at face value. Indeed, the professor always exhorts his students to think critically, no matter how authoritative the source seems, always reaching for both better factual understanding and better modelling. This is similar to his approach to international development: development theories from America and Europe were lionized while their countries of origins experienced unprecedented growth in the 1950-60s. But they did not necessarily correlate with success in the countries that subsequently adopted them. Dr. Bae emphasizes nothing should be taken at face value.
“When I teach development policy, I introduce students to development models of several countries, and then we discuss what were effective policies and how the country can develop from there – everything from public services to infrastructure. With specific issues such as urbanization, public health or public welfare, I always ask questions such as ‘what’s the challenge here?’, ‘what can we do to deal with it?’… My principle is that we shouldn’t be afraid of the big names, like Elinor Ostrom, or Robert Putnam for example. I am a supporter of Karl Popper’s philosophy that there is no perfect theory, only theory closer to the truth. That is why I often encourage students to ask ‘why’ questions and never believe too much in a certain opinion. Just never stop questioning,” Dr. Bae Yooil commented.
Nguyen Thi Xuan Huong, a former student of the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course of 2020, shared that Dr. Bae Yooil’s teaching style helped her form necessary comparative thinking skills. For example, regarding gaps in the management of land use rights in Vietnam, participants have to answer a series of questions such as ‘Do other countries have a similar problem? ‘,’How have they solved them? ‘, or ‘What can we learn from those solutions, and how can we apply them to domestic problems?
“Professor Bae Yooil would lead us through the steps, thinking through difficult problems so we can find our own solutions. His strict standards have made my graduate research more professional and comprehensive. But what I treasure and admire the most about him is his kindness, patience and tolerance,” confided Xuan Huong.
Do Minh Tam, enrolled in MPP2021, shared that Dr. Bae Yooil’s classes help her not only gain theoretical knowledge, but also form the ability to see the problem from a multi-dimensional, and multi-level perspective. Thanks to selected, regularly updated case studies “localized” to suit the Vietnamese context, she gained a deeper understanding of the development problems facing the country.
“Dr.Bae always brings to class a professional demeanor and carefully prepared lesson plans. Even in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, his Public Management class went smoothly both online and offline because he always tries his best, redoubling in effort to deliver quality lectures. Whenever I need help, he always answers in detail, opening up deeper avenues of analysis,” said Minh Tam.
“At Fulbright University Vietnam, we believe in education being accessible to all, and in ensuring the success of all our students. This is only possible in a diverse and inclusive learning environment, where students thrive through each other’s unique contributions,” said Dam Bich Thuy, President of Fulbright University Vietnam.
A 2016 UNICEF study found out there are 6.2 million people with disabilities in Vietnam, accounting for 7% of the country’s population. Meanwhile, although children with special learning needs or disabilities share the same curriculum as their peers, only 2% of primary schools and secondary schools in Vietnam were found to be suitably equipped. This problem continues through tertiary education, with only 0.1% of Vietnamese youth with disabilities attending college.
Since its early design, Fulbright University Vietnam’s Crescent campus was intended to be wheelchair accessible – from the visibly flat floor plan and Crescent Plaza’s elevator access, to smaller details such as softer rugs that allow for better wheeling. But as a growing “start-up” university, Fulbright must continuously strive to improve the educational experience of students with varied learning needs. As we prepare to receive our first visually impaired students, activities have gone into full swing to prepare for their arrival.
“To refine and perfect our renovation efforts, I contacted several visually impaired people working or studying in Vietnam, from visually impaired students graduating from RMIT to visually impaired people working at Sao Mai Center for the Blind, Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the Blind, a Disability Rights Officer at Hanoi’s UNDP office, and more. We have also received invaluable feedback from our new students as they attended the Bridge program. It was important to get their perspective and discuss how to create a truly inclusive teaching and learning environment for visually impaired students,” explained Hoang Thi Nhat Tam, learning specialist at Fulbright.
Learning Support Specialist Hoang Thi Nhat Tam
This process mobilized many facets of Fulbright’s organization. Under advisory from Tam, Fulbright’s Facilities Team implemented braille signage throughout our Crescent campus and Waterfront dorms. Fulbright even prototyped an embossed map of campus to their peers with orientation.
On the 5th floor, our student center is further undergoing major renovations to thoroughly enhance the student experience. There, Fulbrighters will benefit from a variety of services, from learning, career and counselling support to wellness amenities, or registrar and student life offices. The student center will incorporate tangible improvements for disability access, such as guiding lines along the wall, rounded corners on furniture, and improved wheelchair accessibility, under guidance from Student Life and Learning Support.
Inclusiveness involves a multitude of factors, with varying degrees of synergy; although it is possible to find an ideal height to affix door signage so it can be both read comfortably by persons in wheelchairs, and touched by the visually impaired, facilities will include flexible as well as inflexible chairs to ensure the safety and comfort of students with varying needs. Most importantly, the center will feature an accessible study room.
Indeed, beyond ensuring our students can safely and comfortably get to their intended destinations, it is critical to establish an environment where learning happens as seamlessly as possible. Our IT Department collaborated to implement technical by equipping Fulbright with assistive technology, such as the screen reader Jaws, but also high-performance computers, large screen displays, a braille display machine, low vision lamps, headsets, and more.
Tam further ensured our professors were briefed on how to create digital materials accessible to all users and provided guidelines on inclusive teaching, with more virtual workshops coming at the end of this month, followed by student inclusiveness workshops come September. Those guidelines involve every aspect, from course design to document formatting, testing, and establishing a class climate that fosters belonging for all students. For example, handouts should always be in accessible PDF format, not scanned from documents, and provided as early as possible to offer time for visually impaired students to read at their own pace. Guidelines can also be shared with sighted students on how best to collaborate with their visually impaired peers.
“Our design philosophy always demands we strive for the latest advances in education research and technology. Accessibility and inclusiveness are 2 core pillars of this design. This is what we strive to exemplify in the very infrastructure we inhabit, but also in every aspect of campus life, from staff training to course design, education technology and student activities. In this way, inclusiveness requires of us exactly what it will of our students: empathy, cooperation, problem solving, and ultimately growth,” concluded Dam Bich Thuy.
Huynh Minh Trang was accepted by three different universities in the U.S.; she was hoping to start her college life in America this September. But like so many other students who planned to study abroad this Fall, she’s stuck in Vietnam because the Covid-19 pandemic has left her in limbo. Trang is among 190,000 Vietnamese students who put their overseas study plans on hold due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Yet, that was the situation a few months ago.
In July, the pandemic still shows no sign of abating and borders still remain closed. In the U.S., California’s two largest districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, recently announced that classes would be online-only in the fall. School administrators elsewhere are increasingly unwilling to risk crowding students back into classrooms until the coronavirus is fully under control. This uncertainty has left many Vietnamese students scrambling to find a solution for their upcoming college aspirations.
The Uncertain Future
Most students who plan to study abroad this year applied to their university of choice before COVID-19 started. Now, they have to face the reality of not knowing whether or not they can attend university this Fall. As universities around the world struggling to decide when and how to reopen, the feeling of bewilderment looms over all international students. For them, the uncertainty poses frustrating questions of logistics and how such disruption drastically alters their academic futures.
With the international borders remain closed for the unforeseeable future, first-year students find themselves in precarious situation of not being able to travel to their universities abroad or find proper accommodation for the next coming years. To complicate the already difficult situation, the second wave of outbreaks adds another level of difficulty and anxiety for international students and universities all over the world.
To help ease such anxiety, some universities are planning to offer a hybrid of in-person and online classes come fall, while some plan to move all their classes online. Although remote learning can help students stay on their academic track, it may come with some major drawbacks. One of the main reasons for students to pursue higher education overseas is for them to live in a new culture and the college life in addition to the education programs. Devoid of such fulfilled experience, the online program becomes less attractive for some students.
Time difference is also a problem for Vietnamese students if they have to take online courses this Fall. For example, if Vietnamese students take online courses which will be taught in America, they have to stay up during the night to attend classes. The time difference would be difficult to overcome.
Online classes lack interaction, which can be discouraging for students
Pham Hoang Boi, a freshman at University of Minnesota, shared: “My university offers online courses, which they encourage me to take. I took an online course during my quarantine when I first came back to Vietnam, and I think it i\was alright. But to me, it lacked human connection, so I procrastinated. I also encountered other issues: internet connection problems, time zone difference, and difficulty in teamwork.”
For parents, there exists a different type of anxiety: while facing the pressure from the people and even the governments, universities may be forced to open their doors to students sooner than may be advisable. Combined with the unique circumstances that the pandemic has created — including scarce flights, closed borders, and the elevated risk of getting infected, the prospect of sending their children off to a different country becomes much tougher for parents.
“Our entire family and Minh Quan himself agreed that he should stay in Vietnam. The fact that America is suffering from major damage from the pandemic, as well as the ongoing political turmoil make us believe he will be safer here,” explained Dao Minh Son, a father whose son got accepted to Clark University this Fall.
With so many uncertainties and no clear instructions, universities, students, and parents alike have been left with no other option but to hold their breaths and hope for a more comprehensive plan to be announced in the near future.
And the Alternatives
Once the pandemic is over, students will continue to travel abroad for their studies. However, according to many health experts, that time will not come any time soon. As their lives turned upside down, rather than endure a year online with little to no on-campus interaction, some students are choosing to take a gap year to work, learn a new skill or add experience to their resume.
Yet, in such culture as Vietnam, taking a year off is not traditionally done. Many students, such as Huynh Minh Trang, as well as parents, still prefer an uninterrupted education, even in light of a pandemic. These students have begun assessing other options, some closer to home. However, not all Vietnamese students, who planned to study abroad, are eligible to enter public universities in Vietnam. Local private universities, with flexible admissions cycle, became the destination of choice for these students. It is also notable that, for students and parents who decide to change their plans, the most important factor is the quality of the academic experience.
Students have begun assessing other options, some closer to home
“Our family supports Quan’s decision to apply to Fulbright because we know Fulbright is a university of international standards, which also receives recognition and support from the Vietnamese government. Hopefully, our son will be able to absorb all the precious knowledge that Fulbright has to offer. We also wish that he would have a special experience at Fulbright and enjoy the school’s extracurricular activities,” added Dao Minh Son.
Fulbright University Vietnam, nevertheless, does not have flexible admissions cycle. Yet, Fulbright takes pride in our co-design spirit and our ability to “build the plane while flying it.” That was why the University decided to launch the Visiting Student Program in June, with the original deadline for application being July 06, 2020.
“Although our Spring admissions cycle ended and Fulbright definitely does not encourage students to give up their opportunities to study at top international universities that they have worked extremely hard for, Fulbright understands and empathizes with the concerns of many Vietnamese families. We are deeply aware of our social responsibility to help find solutions to this crisis, including assisting students affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why Fulbright launched the Visiting Student Program, even though it means that the University would have to expand its resources significantly,” shared Ms. Dam Bich Thuy, President of Fulbright University Vietnam, last June.
Now more than ever, Fulbright understands the precarious situation Vietnamese students and their parents are in. Once again, the University stayed true to its co-design spirit and announced the deadline extension for the Visiting Student Program to July 31, 2020. Students who did not meet the previous deadline can now have more time to apply to this program, if they wish to.
To address the concern most visiting students have regarding their academic credits at Fulbright, Dr. Dinh Vu Trang Ngan, Dean of Fulbright Undergraduate Studies, advised: “Fulbright University will strive to work with international universities where students have been accepted, to make sure they can transition smoothly and have fulfilling learning experiences.”
“Among international universities in Vietnam, Fulbright’s program is the closest to that in the US. I hope I will be able to transfer my credits here to my school in the US. An international education is what I am looking forward to. I believe the Visiting Student Program will be beneficial for me and help me prepare for my studying abroad later on,” shared Huynh Minh Trang.
“Fulbright understands that the Visiting Student Program may not be ideal for all Vietnamese students who now have to face such an uncertain academic future. However, as an institution committed to provide Vietnamese students with a world-class education, we strive to provide them another option to consider,” added Ms. Le Thi Quynh Tram, Fulbright’s Director of Admissions and Financial Aid.
Thao Truong
“It can be extremely frustrating for students to come out of University with a degree and then find out that it’s not as applicable to the workforce as they thought it was. The way Fulbright enables students to gain experience within some of the best companies in Vietnam is really, really valuable.” Toby Scregg, Managing Director at Eve HR.
Eve HR is one of eleven partners to our Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s (CEI) Venture Fellows Program (VFP), a program that aims to address the delicate transition between school life and employment through quality, well-planned internships and continuous support.
On Saturday July 4th, 2020, Fulbright University Vietnam and our CEI celebrated the successful launch of the first VFP through a congenial “Summer Party”. The event gathered management and executives of some of Vietnam’s leading companies in digital technology, from innovative software solution start-ups such as Eve to established videogame corporation VNG, together with the participating students currently interning at their companies. Organized at the halfway point of the internship program, the summer event was the perfect opportunity for our students to connect with key actors in the entrepreneurial space. It was also a chance to share first impressions and assess the successes of a groundbreaking initiative that aims to deepen the link between education and the private sector in Vietnam.
Venture Fellow Mai Linh
Building the talent pipeline
“Vietnam is just now picking up on the trend of internships, but it is a crucial component linking education and the private sector. They are extremely important for workforce development, connecting future – or recent graduates with employers through a ‘talent pipeline’,” explains Ken Watari, Director of the CEI.
This talent pipeline should provide young graduates with better career opportunities, while addressing an increasing need for a highly skilled workforce. As Toby Scregg explains, “Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. What does that mean? That there’s a massive demand for good talent.” Recent research conducted by Fulbright University Vietnam and the American Chamber of Commerce further confirms Vietnam suffers from an “Employment skill gap”: employers overwhelmingly lack confidence that education institutions in the country will equip the future workforce with the necessary skills to thrive in tomorrow’s labor market.
Ken Watari, Director of the CEI
VFP addresses this problem by bringing both sectors into a collaborative partnership, where students can learn more about professional expectations while exploring their career options. Employers on the other hand are involved more deeply in educating the next generation of talents as they adapt to the demands of the real world. Where a classroom or an incubator tends to isolate student projects, internships force students to confront very real issues, such as how high the bar is for results, how hard it is to sell, or how difficult compromises can be.
Le Lan Chi, Managing Director of VNG’s ZaloPay Division, also understand the mutual benefits of tighter collaboration, saying, “the program allows employers to understand the value of Fulbright students. This exposure to the students helped me convince my company that this is such a great university for us to have a long-term employer relationship with. And for students who have that exposure, they understand what it’s like to be in a workplace environment and they go back to school and understand what skill set they have to build during the time in school to better prepare them for the future.”
As Le Lan chi explains, long-term partnerships would also foster better channels, allowing students to find productive internships more easily in the future. “I thought that as a first-year student, it would be difficult for me to go out and look for internships that would be really useful for myself, because students like us lack a lot of working experience. But VFP changed that,” says Venture Fellow Minh Tu.
Venture Fellow Minh Tú
CEI’s Venture Fellows Program also aims to lead by example to foster a culture of productive internships, as not all internships are created equal. Mismatching expectations or poor planning can hamper growth, especially in a country that is only beginning to adopt this model. As Ken explains, “the culture of talent development in Vietnamese companies is mixed. In a place like the United States, internships and how they are done is well established. People know you need a manager to support interns, you need to have a plan, you need to give them a concrete piece of work, provide them feedback and room to grow. That culture exists in some companies here, but other companies are still figuring out how to do that.”
“I had a terrible prior start up experience, so I would not have normally considered a start-up for my internship. But I applied because on top of the exposure to entrepreneurship, the VFP offered a scaffold to the learning experience, a plan for what would benefit us as interns and the partner organization in welcoming us, and continued support through the program,” relates Venture Fellow Phuong Thao.
Preparation is the name of the game
In the short amount of time students had to prepare, the CEI focused on some core skills that would help students adapt to their temporary work environment.
“We worked on two individual projects. One was data analysis, the other deep-dive research. We got divided into teams of 2-3 people, to eventually come up with a mock memo intended for a CEO,” remembers Phuong Thao. The self-led projects aimed to familiarize students with a combination of skills. The data analysis memo involved a variety of skills from project management to selecting and making sense of information, and presenting it in a compelling manner. The deep-dive research project drove students to learn detailed information about their partner company and reflect on their goal and place in their business to propose a mock strategy.
After practicing the core skills that would accelerate their integration into their partner organizations, our interns also received coaching on how to conduct themselves in an interview, a skill that was put to the test through several rounds of interviews, which were organized to find the best fit for their aspirations and skill-sets. The results showed.
“I look for three things in employees. One is logical thinking, two is clear communication, and three is a very good attitude. And I think that Fulbright students exhibit all three of those things. Even during the interview process, all the candidates greatly impressed me because they were so well-prepared with their research and they very clearly communicated in the interview process. If I could take all of them, I would,” asserts Le Lan Chi.
One step at a time
At their varied companies, students discovered many quirks of adapting to a workplace environment, and all found individual growth. For some, the hardest part was to shift in how they communicate information, from essay to emails, reports and presentations. Others felt embarrassed to ask for help or instructions. “The first week, I was told to install all this software to work on a project, but I couldn’t find much documentation on the process. I was afraid that if I asked for help people would judge me, so I was effectively out of options. Thankfully, my senior checked in on me and imparted to me that I should just ask if I don’t know, and it’s ok,” remembers Venture Fellow Nhat Khoi.
Tùng Lâm, Venture Fellow at VNG
Finally, some students discovered that even small things can lead to bigger projects. “I am a very independent person, and I’m very used to doing more personal projects in smaller groups. It was a challenge for me to work in a bigger team. When working at VNG, it is a big company, so it was paradoxically difficult for me to start small. I had to learn to follow instructions and fulfill my responsibilities. I learned that working small problems is essential, and how small missions add up to something bigger,” reflects Venture Fellow Tung Lam.
Indeed, for Tung Lam, maybe the biggest lesson of all is to realize that tackling the issues of the world starts one small step at a time: “At Fulbright, we are encouraged to think of the bigger picture, and the larger forces at work. My experience as a Venture Fellow gave me a better idea of how we can have an impact and improve things. Big issues are only big before they are broken down into smaller steps.” And for the Venture Fellows Program, this is only the first step.
Antoine Touch
