Before being awarded my Fellowship, I was working in Danang City’s Department of Planning and Investment, specialising in policy development for the municipal Government. My tasks included coordinating with the related agencies and advising Danang People's Committee on programme issues and plans to support for enterprise development within the province. Also, I had to coordinate, instruct and inspect performance of supporting programmes after they were approved. I had the opportunity to work closely with SMEs and other enterprise associations in Danang City as part of supporting programmes’ implementation.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Irish Aid, I am studying a Master of Business programme in Athlone Institution of Technology, Ireland. The course gives me more insight about how to start and run a business, and provides me with the chance to work closely with start-up companies in Athlone, facilitating their development of business in Ireland. Since graduating from university, I have been working in the public sector for almost 5 years; so, this course is enabling me to extend my knowledge and experience to the private sector, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of business and enterprises in term of operation, strategic planning and development. Therefore, it is not only relevant to my job but also helps me to approach the issues from the opposite sides.

I strongly believe that, the programme is extremely beneficial to my current job, my future career goals, and personal development as it allows me to meet and work with people from different backgrounds and enhances my intercultural competency. The best thing about my Master of Business programme in Athlone Institution of Technology is that this year I only have 13 people in my class from 7 different countries. Therefore, the class is very culturally diverse, but as it is small, the lecturers are able to know each of us individually.

For my thesis, I plan to find out how personalities affect the students’ entrepreneurial intentions, and what should higher education institutions and other related parties do to help and encourage them. With the research skills and experience I gain during the course, when I come back, I hope to come up with some solutions from public sectors to support and improve the entrepreneurs and SMEs in my city.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” I am grateful for the opportunity given by Irish Aid and the Irish Government, and the generous support by ICOS in my endless journey in learning, improving and transforming myself to be a better person.

In the future, I hope to find more opportunities to work with Irish Aid and other international organisations in the projects which help to improve the entrepreneurship situation in Vietnam. As an alumni, I will try my best to strengthen the Irish alumni network in Vietnam as we are the educational and cultural ambassadors who help to bridge the gap between two countries.