Embracing your heritage: A student’s co-op experience in Vietnam
By: Emily Totzke (she/her)
Faculty of Arts student’s international co-op experience helped her connect with her culture while gaining valuable international work experience.
When Noelle Nguyen (she/her) first began searching for co-op work opportunities, she knew she wanted to pursue an international work term. It was serendipitous that her desire to work abroad led her to an opportunity in Vietnam, the birthplace of her parents.
Nguyen is a third-year Arts student double majoring in Psychology and Social Development Studies with a specialization in Social Work. Since she hadn’t visited Vietnam since she was a child, Nguyen was excited about the opportunity to explore a bit of her heritage while gaining valuable work experience.
“I would consider it my first authentic experience because I was actually able to live here (in Vietnam) for four months. This has, so far, been one of the best experiences of my life!” Nguyen says.
Emerging economy
Vietnam is a rapidly emerging economy with significant energy, supply chain and labour productivity expansion. As the country continues to grow, the opportunities for co-op students are also expanding. Vietnam offers diverse opportunities for co-op students in a variety of industries including technology, manufacturing, finance and education.
Nguyen is working as a teaching assistant at the , where she teaches English to students. Some of her daily tasks include assisting the professor with lesson plans, providing feedback on student presentations, marking and joining group discussions.
While she works closely with the professors, her main focus is on the students themselves.
“My biggest responsibility is to bring students out of their comfort zone,” Nguyen says. “Most of them have never spoken with a foreigner before, and this is the best way for them to learn English.”
I really improved on my cultural competency skills during this work term. I learned how to interact in conversations with the students and really discovered how different their culture is compared to what I am used to.
Immersive experience
Vietnam boasts a dynamic and rich culture that allows students to immerse themselves fully while working in the country. Although many students and young professionals are attracted to Vietnam for its historical landmarks and friendly people, they also gain valuable professional and personal growth.
“Everyone here is very open-minded and excited to meet you,” Nguyen says. “I’m living in an area with a lot of locals, so I really get to experience the local way of living.”
One thing that Nguyen had to adapt to is the custom of gift-giving as a common gesture of thanks and appreciation – something that she doesn’t experience as much back at home.
“I was always gifted little treats like candy, snacks, coffee or bubble tea from my students and professors,” Nguyen says. “I’m not used to being gifted with so many things and very frequently too, but here in Vietnam, they do it out of kindness and as a way to welcome us without expecting anything back.”
Nguyen has also used her co-op work term in Vietnam to expand her knowledge of the Vietnamese language and find new ways to communicate through a language barrier.
“I can understand Vietnamese while listening and reading, but speaking is a bit harder for me,” Nguyen explains. “I’m usually able to find a way to describe what I’m trying to say, and the locals will teach me how to say it for next time.”
Nguyen has also benefited from tools like Google translate and used body language to help her navigate language barriers. By paying attention to non-verbal cues, actively listening and building on her Vietnamese language skills, Nguyen has built valuable communication skills that she can use in the workplace.
Discovering heritage
As a second-generation Vietnamese, Nguyen used this work term as an opportunity to discover more about her family’s roots. She travelled to Vietnam with her father, who hadn’t been to his home country in over 20 years.
“I learned that my parent’s home province, Dak Lak, is very popular for coffee,” Nguyen says. “Living with my extended family, I got to learn their way of living in the countryside and how coffee farms are such a huge factor in their hometown. It was so nice to learn so many new things about this side of Vietnam and also allowed me to reflect on myself and truly understand the privilege I have.”
At the time of Nguyen’s arrival, the country was celebrating the Vietnamese Lunar New Year – the most important and widely celebrated holiday in Vietnam.
This three-week festival is a time for families to gather to honour their ancestors, exchange gifts and enjoy meals together. The holiday is rich in symbolism, with many practices aimed at bringing good fortune, health and happiness.
“I arrived during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, so the University was shut down for the first three weeks of my term,” Nguyen says. “Everyone went back to their hometown to celebrate with their family, and I used that chance to explore my dad’s hometown.”
It was one of the best experiences I’ve had. It was amazing to have an authentic experience of such a huge festival that is part of my culture that I didn’t have much awareness about. I loved it and would love to come back again next year to celebrate!
Advice for international work terms
Now that Nguyen has completed her work term in Vietnam, she wants to take every opportunity she can to explore new places.
“This is definitely a stepping stone for a whole new journey for me,” Nguyen says. “I want to go out and explore the world more.”
When thinking about doing more international work terms, Nguyen’s one piece of advice is to always keep an open mind.
“No matter what foreign country you go to, you are going to experience some culture shock,” Nguyen says. “You’re immersing yourself in a whole new environment, and it’s going to be scary at first. Just keep an open mind and use it as a learning experience.”