Rising Sea & The Mekong Delta

My experience was very unique in the sense that it was first virtual internship. I was not expecting to have one so I was little sad at first but in the end it was really fun and educational experience. Even though it was virtual, I was engaging with local buddies at Vietnam all the time as if we were friends for the longest time and learning and talking about Vietnamese culture every week. We also had some good events amongst ourselves which I will cherish for a long time. The company I worked at was also great. The supervisor was helpful and communicative for the most time. I learned so much working wise also. What was the most surprising thing you saw or did? Singing happy birthday song in Vietnam was definitely one of things I was not expecting to do!

I realize that the key to develop yourself is to improve your competence in a whole new environment, and coming to Vietnam for an internship accomplished what I came for. I came here because I wanted to have more confidence to speak up my mind in front of other people and it is hard to accomplish these when you are still in your comfort zone.

What I love about my host company is the awesome supervisor, Ms. Lieu, that cares about me as a person. She frequently helps and supports me a lot in my work. Besides, the workplace was super close to the studio I stayed and I could walk to the company everyday. Though there weren't any windows in my room, it was totally fine. After the internship here, I think my ability to cope with unexpected situations has been levelled up and my interpersonal skills have been further developed. And most importantly, I could clarify my career and my educational goals in the future. Overall, I am satisfied with this internship as a whole!

Vietnam, from my experience, is a very work-oriented and relationship-oriented country. You must come prepared to work a lot, learn a lot, and you absolutely must not try to apply the logic or expectation that you would have in the West. This will do little to nothing to help you and will hinder your ability to learn. Come here with the mindset of a student, not an authoritative figure. There is much to learn in Vietnam that will be very valuable to you wherever you work or live, and it is important that you come to Vietnam with an open and unexpecting mind, so that when you go home you will have been able to learn, enjoy and apply your experiences to your future in a positive way. Come to Vietnam with the ability to motivate and add value to people’s lives. Set an example for people, and remember that you are at all times representing you country, university and culture, so make an impression that will stand out as a positive one. Make friends as much as possible and when you can try to study the language as much as possible, even if it is just the language that relates to your job. Doing these two basic things will make living and working here quite enjoyable.

No words can represent how much experience I have gained throughout my internship in Vietnam. Working at my host company as a research assistant, I have gained many technical and soft skills, such as participating in lab undergraduate training courses, doing lab testing services and also learning the culture of Vietnam with the Vietnamese people. After this internship, I realized that I could adapt myself to a different and foreign environment. This enables me to be able to work with a more diverse environment, even with colleagues with different background and knowledge. This pushes me as an employee to learn and work even harder to cope and manage with different people and adapt accordingly to the needs of the company. All in all, I feel that it was a breathtaking experience for me to have this opportunity to immerse myself with the Vietnam culture with the Vietnamese people, and I am really thankful to have taken up this internship experience with ABROADER for letting me experience such a new life. The funniest moment I had during my internship experience was that I had to CHASE down a bus when I was on the way to work. It was a really funny one as I have this mindset that the buses in Vietnam would wait for you to board before it starts to drive again. However, the bus did not even stop moving and kept on driving, and left me behind the bus stop. Since that day onwards, I ensure myself not to miss the bus by chasing the bus down before the driver closes its door on me. Thank you ABROADER for this memorable experience!

Incredible experience! Would recommend It was an incredible experience and made something valuable out of the difficult situation of Covid-19. I learned so much about Vietnam and was able to connect with a bunch of peers in Vietnam. It was also a great social outlet during a remote internship which can feel isolating sometimes. I am so thankful for all the support Abroader provided and all the work they put into making a really great program. If you are doing a remote internship or looking to learn more about vietnam, this program is perfect for you. What is your advice to future travelers on this program? Be engaged and talk during the zoom meetings! You'll only get out of it what you are willing to put into it!