Active Vietnamese youth in Australia

TIN LIÊN QUAN
	Young dynamism of the APEC future
	Vietnam’s youths active in Sochi

What inspired you to move to Australia, and stay for nearly 10 years?

I went to Australia to study a bachelor's degree in finance, economics and strategy at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. When I was a child, through the stories of my father, I had the chance to learn things about living abroad, and later through books and movies about developed countries. I’ve always wanted to study abroad to know and learn more about the good things of the world.

Nguyen Anh Vu.

There are 3 reasons why I chose Australia. First, it takes just 3 years to complete a BA, thus shortening the study time so I could do more work (here, students can work part-time for 20 hours a week). Secondly, Australia is a developed country and one of the world's largest economies, the people here speak English, are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, environmentally-friendly and human-friendly, and it’s only an 8-hour flight from Vietnam. Third, I have friends who are also studying here to help me feel closer and less homesick.

What is the secret to successful integration?

There are a number of ways, depending on the circumstances and background of each person, but in my opinion, there needs to be three basic elements: An open mind, an eagerness to learn about the culture and country, as Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”; and an unique identity that creates diversity for the community and the place where you live, because foreigners are also very curious and interested in other cultures.

You are known for your passion for social and community work, especially volunteering and fundraising in both Vietnam and Australia. Can you tell us about this work?

During my studies, I participated in extracurricular activities, organising activities for Vietnamese students in Australia such as artistic, cultural and other activities to promote Vietnamese culture. In addition, I also participated in Australian student clubs and gave friends from around the world the opportunity to learn more.

Ever since my school days, I have been involved in fundraising and volunteer work. After working for a while, I’ve set up or ran a few charities such as “Com Co Thit” (Meal with Meat) in Sydney and a programme helping homeless children in Australia.

At present, I am running two projects and working with people who share the same passion: NamPhut (namphut.vn) - an active communication channel for young Vietnamese and Vietnam Center - a nonprofit organisation with the purpose of promoting the culture, people and images of Vietnam to the rest of the world.

What motivates you to establish projects to help your home?

First of all, because I am Vietnamese, I want to do something within my powers for my country and people. Moreover, I think every Vietnamese person has the responsibility to promote their country to international friends, depending on their circumstances. This also helps protect your identity when you’re exposed to other cultures abroad. Furthermore, it also helps me to satisfy my thirst to experience many other aspects of life, in addition to my daily work.

An open mind, an eagerness to learn about the culture and country and an unique identity that creates diversity is the secret to successful intergration.

You’ve just been named as the first Vietnamese on the Schwarzman Scholars program. Can you tell us more about this prestigious scholarship as well as your future plans?

The Schwarzman Scholars program, founded by the billionaire Steven Schwarzman, is a full scholarship for leaders, inspired by the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. This is a leadership program aimed at promoting international understanding and peace, and it was designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The program will be taught at Schwarzman School on the campus of Tsinghua University (Beijing, China).

As a new scholarship (2018 is only the third course), Schwarzman Scholars are taught by Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford and Tsinghua teachers. The scholarship advisory board also includes former world leaders and successful people such as former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, James Wolfensohn - 9th President of the World Bank, and others. The program is taught entirely in English, and there are Chinese classes for scholars. After completing the one-year course, scholars will be awarded a master's degree in one of the three programs: public policy, economics and international relations.

There are two application rounds: a CV submission and interview in 3 different locations depending on your home country: Singapore (Asia-Pacific), New York (the Americas) and London (Europe and Africa). My interview was conducted in Singapore with the presence of five people, including the Australian Ambassador in Singapore, former Mitsubishi President in North America, a professor at Tsinghua University, a president of the US - China Consultation and a deputy director of the program. This year, they selected 142 scholars from over 4,000 profiles. I was very fortunate to be the first Vietnamese to win this scholarship.

About my future plans, in August this year I will go to Beijing to finish the Schwarzman Scholar program. It is my deepest desire to go back to Vietnam after finishing my studies to further educate myself and work for the Vietnamese community as well.

7th CLV youth forum opens in Binh Phuoc Delegates from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (CLV) have come together at the 7th CLV youth forum, which opened in the southern province of Binh Phuoc ...

Name changes in Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's history The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union has changed its name six times to suit the requirements of youth movements in each revolutionary period.

Party, State and people have always put their trust in young generation The Vietnamese Party, State and people have always placed their great trust in young generation, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized this at the ...