Reviews

While I did not receive an overwhelming amount of tasks, I was certainly given a lot of responsibility as I was the only designer within the company and there was a lot dependent on my decisions. This made me nervous at times, and since there was no designer to work under and I was still learning about the field, I found the work to be really difficult. Still, I learned a lot and am very satisfied with my time at the company and the impact that I have made.

While I was remote for a good portion of my time at the company, I was able to gain a lot from the workplace environment when we were in the office and the people I worked with. The fellow interns at the company were amazing and taught me a lot about the organization as well as Vietnam. I really enjoyed spending time with them, and more importantly, I was very comfortable with them. Whenever I would struggle or run into issues, they were there to support me.

The host organization puts a lot of trust in its interns, something that I don’t see often in internships. They give the interns a lot of responsibilities and a lot of care, and their work is valued. This was a wonderful environment to walk into, and I felt that my work and opinions were truly valued.

I really enjoyed spending time with the ABROADER team and the entire cohort, so maybe there could be more group activities. I feel like I enjoyed coming to the dance practices as well, which was how I was also able to spend more time with the team and other students. 

I was satisfied with the responsibilities and rules that I was expected to accomplish and follow. I have developed my interests in the subject area and now I can extrapolate this information to classes I am taking this upcoming semester. 

The host company has clearly outlined the expectations of me as an intern, and the host company has been helpful and adjusting at all times. 

Thank you so much for everything! I am so grateful. 

I was particularly pleased with the cultural immersion activities and orientation and continuous support throughout the program by the program staff and local buddies. I do not have any feedback for ABROADER. I think the whole program has been very smooth sailing.

I was satisfied with the tasks that I was assigned. I was able to get experience working on a broad range of tasks and experience what software engineering is like in industry. I am very satisfied with the support I received at Nash Tech. My Product Manager was very helpful during the onboarding period and through the internship she made sure to periodically check in on me in particular during company happy hours. My Team Leader then became my main point of contact during the training and for the rest of my internship and I also had a buddy within my sub-team. 

However I do not feel like I was limited to just my sub-team who were very helpful but rather I felt confident to ask anyone in the whole project if I had any question and they were always eager to help and tried their best to explain things to me. I even made friends outside of my own project team.

I think the onboarding and technical training was done very well and was very comprehensive to give me a good high level understanding of the business and the architecture of the project. The support was also excellent throughout the whole program. When I was working on tickets I could always ask questions.

My only feedback which is very minor would have been to get started on tickets (tasks) earlier, like straight after onboarding and technical training. I did the majority of my learning through hands on working on tickets. I think it was quite hard to learn when shadowing someone or even during the technical training without something concrete like a ticket to refer to.

Thank you so much for all your hard work to help make Vietnam as enjoyable as possible!

ABROADER was very attentive to any needs, easy to communicate with, and only enhanced my experience here.

I found this experience quite interesting and learned a lot from working at Indefol. For the most part, communication was good, with clear responsibilities. The team was very open to including us in discussions and encouraging us to utilize our strengths.
The host company created a welcoming environment, with many people getting to know us in the beginning, and we all ate lunch together every day. They facilitated research assignments that kept us engaged and helped us develop a clear understanding that we could apply to new tasks. They also held weekly meetings to reflect on our progress and set goals for the following week.
It was a great learning experience that provided a truly enriching environment and a smooth transition period. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I especially appreciate Min D and Phoebe (local buddies), who made an effort to meet up with us—I really enjoyed hanging out with them.

I was extremely satisfied.

During my program at the host placement, the level of support has been excellent. On-the-job training has been thorough, with detailed guidance provided for each task. 

The workplace facilities are well-maintained and conducive to productivity. Communication responsiveness is high, with supervisors and colleagues promptly addressing any questions or concerns. The attitude of other staff members in the office has been welcoming and supportive, creating a positive work environment. Overall, I am very satisfied with the support I have received and feel well-equipped to succeed in my role.

The host company has excelled in several areas. Firstly, their on-the-job training is comprehensive and well-structured, ensuring I understand my tasks and responsibilities clearly. Secondly, they provide a supportive and collaborative work environment, where colleagues are approachable and willing to help. 

This program is amazing and will be amazing in the future.

I am most satisfied with ABROADER’s comprehensive support, especially their dedication to ensuring a smooth transition and providing continuous assistance. Their help with accommodation, cultural immersion activities, and local orientation has been invaluable. 

Regarding ABROADER’s support, I really appreciated the efficiency in answering my concerns and supporting me through any challenges along the way.

I’m very satisfied with my responsibilities and the guidelines I was given based on my experience. The responsibilities were not overly restrictive and allowed me to approach my final project with more creativity.

The level of support offered by Payoo was unreal. Everyone was very friendly and supportive of my concerns and questions. My supervisor understood that fintech can be a difficult industry to grasp and gradually introduced us to the work and the industry before assigning any projects. Communication was always timely and descriptive.

I am most satisfied with the friendliness and helpfulness of ABROADER staff. Whenever I had any questions or ran into any issues, the staff was always quick to respond and immediately resolve the problems. This was especially helpful when I was sick or when my hot water wasn’t working. Additionally, the orientation/city tour and Mekong Delta trip were both a lot of fun.

At my workplace, I received a great deal of support. Everyone was very friendly and responsive. Supervisors always helped with any issues, ordered lunch for us, and provided guidance during training sessions. We had a food tour dinner, which was a lot of fun.

The working environment was very clean, with good Wi-Fi and modern technology (including a monitor, desk, keyboard, etc.). Supervisors were understanding about taking time off when I was sick. The team was always responsive whenever I needed help debugging code or had questions about a project. They organized a food tour and ordered lunch for us every day. The one remote day per week policy was also very flexible.

Thank you so much! I really enjoyed getting to know all of you. I will miss everyone!

Culture and Emerging Economy Program

The entire two weeks of the program was conducted well beyond my expectations. In addition to being informative and relevant to what I am currently studying, the trip exposed me to a completely new environment. Whilst this may, typically, be quite an overwhelming experience, the very kind people at Abroader made us feel at home and ensured that we were on track with the program from day one. Thanks for the great memories and see you soon:))

Pros: Friendly local buddies, food

Vietnam Immersion Tour

The trip was extremely unique, guided by locals to ensure as “local” and authentic a trip as possible. Our tour was diverse and having left Vietnam I feel as though I have, because of this tour, a genuine grasp on Vietnamese culture, society, food and way of life. This trip has allowed me to make amazing friends I never thought I would and for that I am most very grateful. I would suggest to anyone who is unsure about embarking on a tour such as this one … take the step, you will find as I did that it will be well worth it

Pros: Authentic experience, diverse activities, make new friends

Cons: Quite busy days

About work: I enjoyed my internship with UEF university. Our supervisors were really supportive and explained to us about teaching templates a lot. One of the challenges was the language barrier when I communicated with my teachers and also with students. Quality of students depends on classes. Sometimes I got confused and didn’t know if the students understood the lesson or not because students didn’t respond or react in class. So I use pictures, using simple japanese to teach and try to be more patient with them.

ABROADER side: We think ABROADER’s level of support is great. However, we suggest that they inform us while updating information on Japanese entry requirements and making sure the information is accurate.

About work: I think it’s good. We have enough work. I have to make a presentation once or two times a week. My supervisor is so great. He always cares about us. I feel I can communicate with students.

About host family: Alright with host family but I didn’t talk with my family. I sent contact only in Zalo. For a reason Me and Takafumi are hang out with our friends and go back home little bit late so we can’t make time so I never mind to talk with host family

About work: I spent a great time at UEF. My university teacher asked for some slides such as Japanese grammar and Japanese culture. Also, we fix the Japanese sentences which were written by Vietnamese students. My supervisor whose name is Mr. Quyền supports us a lot. For example, if we want to change or check about the schedule, he changes the plans which we want as soon as possible. I communicate with Vietnamese students by teaching, playing, and chatting, like eating dinner together.

About host family: We don’t have enough time to talk with the host family because I often go to dinner with Vietnamese students. However, it’s comfortable for me every day. For this, I don’t have any complaints about them.

ABROADER side: We think ABROADER’s level of support is great. However, we suggest that they inform us while updating information on Japanese entry requirements and making sure the information is accurate.

About work: I feel that teaching Japanese to students at HIU is a very valuable experience. There were many problems that I didn’t think about when I was in Japan, but I think my internship was very good thanks to the two people who are assigned to the same school. Not only do I teach my students, but I also have work to do after class, which gives me a sense of accomplishment. Students have various levels of Japanese, and there is an image that they are extremely divided between those who can speak and those who cannot speak. In order to be able to handle both of these two patterns, I try to have conversations in English and use simple Japanese.

About host family: They are very kind. We usually eat dinner together. I often eat breakfast and lunch by myself, and on weekends I go out to eat with my host family. My host family can only communicate in Vietnamese, so it was very difficult for me who can only speak English and Japanese, but it was an opportunity to learn simple Vietnamese.

About work: I got a great experience at the host university. I realized that it is difficult to teach Japanese to students who can speak only Vietnamese, but I will make an effort to teach it and I will make my own class without a professor this week to next week. My supervisor often supports me. I always communicate with students in English or Japanese.

About host family: I sometimes talk to my host family, because they’re so busy

About work: As a Japanese student, I came here to teach Japanese language and culture, but I also have a lot to learn from students’ questions. Also, I am happy to be able to interact with students who have become friends through classes and try many things in foreign countries. At first, I was full of anxiety, but thanks to the support of the people around me, I had a good time for about two weeks.

About host family: The host family is very nice to me. They always support me kindly and cook for me. My English ability is not good enough, so the conversation may get awkward, but I can only thank my host family.

About work: My host university is really great for me! Like teachers always support us so much and they try to get to know each other more! So usually we all hang out together! For students as well! I basically hang out or study with two groups of Japanese department students! We’re pretty close already 😁 I really like their atmosphere!!!

About host family: My host family is also kind and good enough. And we sometimes share our daily life. Not everyday but for me it is pretty comfortable so far.

ABROADER side: We think ABROADER’s level of support was great. We really enjoyed the hotel we stayed at on the first day of the program. However, we acknowledge that due to varying schedules, it is somewhat challenging for ABROADER to meet us during the program to check in. So, if it’s possible, come check us out at our university and see what we’ve been up to at work.

About work: I would say that I am having great experiences with teachers and students at my host university. My teachers are so friendly and cheerful, and they always have some Vietnamese cuisine for us. They also take us to many places and provide us with new experiences. The students are also very friendly and eager to learn Japanese and interact with us, which I am really appreciating. They always invite us to hang out and take us to so many different places, so I would say I am able to interact and communicate with both teachers and students well.

About host family: I sometimes find difficulties in communicating with my host family. Since my host family consists of a woman who can speak English very well and her parents who speak only Vietnamese, there is a big language barrier between her parents and me. When the woman is home, she’s going to be a translator for us, but when she’s not, I use a translator when I talk to them. but it doesn’t work smoothly and sometimes I feel uncomfortable. However, aside from the language barrier, I am staying with my host family comfortably.

ABROADER side: We think ABROADER’s level of support was great. We really enjoyed the hotel we stayed at on the first day of the program. However, we recommend providing everyone with information. At first, the Program Assistant only sent Shintaro the program overview as he asked her, so we believed it would be great if everyone could access the information.

About work: Life at HUTECH University is great! All the teachers are kind, lovely and very lively, and they help us a lot to find meaning here. They give us lots of advice, help us observe classes and do practical work. Outside of class, they feed us Vietnamese food and sweets every day and give us the opportunity to wear yukata and ao dai. They also invited us to play with them on holidays and we went to school almost every Saturday and Sunday. It was the best and the best thing that I could have done under such teachers and I am really grateful to them. I also played with the students almost every day. Every day my schedule was full and after school, everyone took me on the back of their motorbikes after school to have dinner and talk at my friends’ houses. They helped me a lot because I didn’t understand Vietnamese, and they contacted the Grab people to help me get home safely, and they translated my food and told me what I wanted to eat. Some of my friends promised to meet me when I came to Japan in the future and said we would keep in touch when I returned to Japan, so I was really happy to have come here.

About host family: In terms of my relationship with my host family, I was sometimes confused at first because of the cultural differences, but they were very kind to me, worrying about my return and eating with me. They took me to places where I could learn about Vietnamese customs and Vietnamese history. I took everyone’s advice and made my opinions known to them, which made them respect my ideas. They probably think of me as their sister. I think I have a very good host family, they communicate with me, they worry about my health, they help me when I’m on my mobile phone. In a way, I had a good cross-cultural experience.

ABROADER side: We think ABROADER’s level of support was great. We really enjoyed the hotel we stayed at on the first day of the program. However, we think it would be better if ABROADER worked more closely with APU and the host university. We didn’t have a class schedule at the beginning of the program, so it was hard for us to prepare for teaching classes.