Electrical Engineering: Automation and the future of work in Southeast Asia

My internship has been a very fruitful journey, and I have learnt many things from my colleagues at NashTech Hanoi. Many of my skills have improved considerably, especially my communication skills. The working environment in Hanoi is very different from my experience in Singapore, and it has been a breath of fresh air for me. The staff and local buddies at ABROADER have also been immensely helpful! They always go the extra mile for us, and my time in Hanoi would have been very different if not for them, thank you very much!

The people at ABROADER helped me transition into moving to Hanoi and beginning my internship. They helped me find a homestay at this place called Bui Xuyen Viet Travel Coffee, which is a small coffee shop that is all about travel. I really love my home stay. The people are some of the kindest I have met in Vietnam and extremely helpful in helping me navigate through the city and experience a local perspective of life in Hanoi. As for my internship, the staff has been very supportive and encouraging. They have helped challenge me and encourage me at the same time to contribute in any way I can to the company. After only a few days there, I could tell that I would really like my co-workers. They are a young, energetic, and sarcastic bunch who truly care about the company. It definitely feels like a team at the office. I know that I can talk to them about any questions I may have, and they are patient in letting me learn along the way. The experience that I have so far at ABROADER has been helpful in get a better idea of what I want to pursue after I go back home to the U.S., and my experiences overall in Vietnam that were very much made possible by ABROADER are experiences that are invaluable and that I will cherish for a lifetime. Vietnam is a beautiful country, with its breathtaking nature and tropical beaches, there is no doubt about it. But what really makes Vietnam feel like home and a place that I have become fond of is the people, the friends that I have made along the journey.

I was very appreciated and valued at the host school, they were extremely welcoming and friendly. The teachers provided me with plenty of opportunities to interact with different year levels and observe classes. In addition, even though it is not their responsibility to, they were also very keen on showing me Vietnam and making me comfortable, I got to go on a trip to pagodas in Ho Chi Minh where I got to wear ao dai and get to know more about another aspect of Vietnamese life. One inconvenience I had would be that my accommodation was quite far from the school and I was by myself. But overall, this can be improved on and I would recommend the internship program to anyone interested.

Great experience and not so complex documentations for a smooth process. It will be better if they can expand their business due to lack of manpower to showcase their capabilities. We came during the period where the world had a Corona virus outbreak and ABROADER managed the situation well where they informed us of the numbers and giving us masks to ensure that we are safe and healthy. Whenever we need help, we know we can approach them and be open to our opinions because we know they will listen and try to help whenever they can.

I was happy with everything else including in-country logistics and visa support, orientation and city tour and I would definitely recommend this internship in Vietnam to my friends or students who are interested. Though most of my work was limited to observation depending on what department I was placed in, I was able to contribute to the nursing staff by other means (i.e. sorting through medicine to be used for the next day). However, in the ICU, I got to perform all nursing tasks except for mixing drugs as only head nurses could do that task. In addition, I found it really helpful that I had many supervisors at work and they all cared that I learned from this experience. Regarding my experience with ABROADER Vietnam service, what I appreciated the most was probably the local buddy they paired me with here.

I feel satisfied about the services provided by ABROADER Vietnam while I was here; almost everything was sorted out before arrival so there was definitely no messing around with organizing things. The accommodation they provided me was good but I personally prefer one that is closer to my place of work. Before starting my internship in Vietnam, I was informed of the work that I will be doing and the skills involved, therefore there was time allowed for me to learn certain CAD programs to help my work. As for the workplace environment, the company where I got an engineering internship in Vietnam was a company that is in the Aerospace Engineering field, all the employees here helped me settle in by talking to me at work and sitting with me at lunch times. I got on well with my co-workers and my supervisor and they were there to help during my internship. Regarding my responsibilities in the company, I felt like even though it was not the most critical work, it sure was of great use to the company. If there is one thing I would recommend them do for the new interns the next time was to have them go on a welcoming tour to show off the office facilities e.g toilet, kitchen appliances available etc which makes it easier for them to navigate around the office. Beside this, I think I am overall very satisfied with my internship placement and the services provided by ABROADER Vietnam and I would highly recommend it.

I would say that it is best for people who are trying to learn outside of their own country. I had a wonderful time spending time by learning their culture, exploring places that you have been before. Getting to know well how to be responsible once in a while. Learning the language was a little tough but was able to understand with the help of the local buddies. The working environment in Vietnam is actually pretty good. The food was quite interesting to me as most of the people like seafood instead of poultry. Overall, I would say people need to visit these places to understand more about the world where their own country is not only a place to gain opportunities. In your life, this might be a chance to give it a shot if you get this opportunity.

All in all, to say I learn a lot is an understatement. I’ve gained precious insights and experience into the development process by getting the opportunity to work with an industry-leading company. I’ve improved my technical skills in JavaScript and updated my skills to the latest technologies. For future interns working for here, I advise that you come with open arms and the willingness to learn. You should be open to making new friends and learning new things, and I assure you that you will have a great time here just like I had. If I could redo my experience, I would’ve taken the opportunity to make friends outside of my circle. To socialize with more people here in Vietnam. I would also love to immerse myself more in the Vietnamese culture and explore Vietnam more, experiencing new food and places.

I just wanted to say a Warm Thanks to the ABROADER team for creating an amazing experience for Zach. Kasia and your team went above and beyond and should be so proud of bringing the amazing experience of living in Vietnam to my son. Your buddy program was amazing and we met his Buddy several times. He even came to the airport at 7 AM this past Saturday as Zach left Vietnam. Zach learned so much about Vietnam this summer - about its amazing culture, food, how people live and of course Grab, and the crazy life of the traffic. This family has fallen in love with Vietnam.

I was very impressed with how organized ABROADER Vietnam was in preparing my internship in Vietnam. The Skype meetings before coming to Vietnam made me feel confident about my safety and expectations during my internship. The Program Coordinator met me at the airport, even though my flight arrived at 1 a.m. The orientation was very thorough and outlined expectations from both myself and the University of Economics HCMC – where I would be working as an intern. During the summer ABROADER checked in with me often to see how I was doing. They even came down to Ho Chi Minh City a few times to visit the other interns and me. Whenever I had a problem, they were always available on Facebook and did their best to resolve it. It is clear that ABROADER Vietnam is a reliable organization that cares about its participants.