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Nguyen Chi Hieu on his graduation day. |
Balance relax and study, and like to travel to experience the life. These are some characteristics about Nguyen Chi Hieu, a Ph.D student in America.
Family supports my dream
Q: How do you feel when coming home in Tet holiday?
A: I visited my old teachers and friends during my three weeks in Vietnam. I also spent time helping my family prepare for Tet. I did nothing special but still felt happy. All Vietnamese people wait for Tet and so do I.
Q: Does your family always help you in studying?
A: My parents who were teachers are concerned of their children's studying. They made us study but we didn't have to stay up late. That's the reason why I neither study a lot nor relax too much.
I don’t know whether it's a secret or not, but I know how to balance my study and relax. After moving to study in Ho Chi Minh City, I've decided everything. Even when going to England, I myself decided. My parents only contributed their ideas without imposing.
Go abroad
Q: Do you think that studying at "world leading universities" is lucky?
A: I think so. The environment for studying in England and America is quite similar despite their different cultures. Comparing to England, however, conditions for studying in America are much better.
A university in America seems a small society which includes everything such as hotel, restaurant, shops, and so on. All my demands are immediately met. If I want a bottle of washing-up liquid, for example, I can buy it on the Internet, and it will be delivered to my room next day.
Q: Is your scholarship enough for your studying?
A: The scholarship worth US$375,000 is used for my studying and daily activities. When coming to America, I bought many things for my own use. I also used my scholarship to come back to Vietnam this holiday.
Q: It is said that you love traveling. Did you travel a lot when studying in England?
A: I traveled alone to all parts of England, France, China, Singapore, and other countries. I'm interested in the life in places where I visited. When coming to a rural area in China, I saw two old people enjoying their creams, and I suddenly wanted to be like them.
For me, the life is to enjoy every second happily without regretting. Traveling helps me think and relax.
Q: How about intentions for charity?
A: When being at the university, I loved raising funds for charity by holding art performances. Coming back to Vietnam, I also held seminar on studying abroad in HCM City and Hanoi City.
After joining "future leaders" program, the wish of doing something great for the community has urged me, but I spent all the time on studying. I'm determined to make contributions to the community.
Perhaps, when I go to work, I hope that I will be able to spend a part of my salary aiding poor students who will help the others after they are successful.
The future
Q: How are Vietnamese students evaluated abroad?
A: My university is in California. Many Vietnamese students are studying here but there are only 10 coming from Vietnam. Four are Ph.D students and I'm the only one studying at Department of Economics.
All are outstanding because Vietnamese students are industrious. They are good at Maths and natural sciences. Meanwhile, international students have wide social knowledge.
Q: You have gained many great achievements in studying. What do you think about your future and purpose?
A: When studying, I always try to study well without thinking of any rewards. During my school years, I participated in many clubs and social activities. I couldn’t study all day with a fixed schedule.
My future aim is to finish my Ph.D course in four years. After graduating, I'm traveling to Africa and Latin America in three or six months. Later, I will be able to work in fields of finance – banking and economic consultancy.
Q: Do you intend to come back to work in Vietnam?
A: What I've studied is still new in Vietnam. I, therefore, don’t intend to work in Vietnam but I will work as a trainee for several months when I'm studying.
In my opinion, helping your country doesn’t mean that you have to return to your country. There are still many practical things that you can do for your country.
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