EXCHANGE SEMESTER 3, 2014
RMIT UNIVERSITY VIETNAM
A TALENTED TALKER RMIT Vietnam student Phan Minh Tri has an enviable talent
VIETNAM’S FAST FOOD INDUSTRY PIONEERS Three RMIT Vietnam alumni look to be the next big thing in fast food
CULTURAL IMMERSION Exchange student Inés De Condé is having the time of her life
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CONTENTS 3 CPA AUSTRALIA STUDENT AMBASSADOR Accountancy student builds networks
4 VIETNAM’S FAST FOOD INDUSTRY PIONEERS
Alumni sink their teeth into the convenience food business
6 HANOI CREATES STUDENTS’ BRIDGE TO STUDY A new idea reaps rewards for students
7 AN OPEN BOOK ON VIETNAM’S IT INDUSTRY Brand new case studies offer industry insight
8 CULTURAL IMMERSION
On study exchange in Ho Chi Minh City
9 RESEARCH CONTRIBUTES TO INTERNATIONAL ROAD SAFETY Solutions for safer roads in Vietnam
10 GOING GREEN FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Simple and effective actions for anti-littering
11 ENABLING HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ALL An inclusive learning environment
12 A TALENTED TALKER Communication student has an enviable talent
13 CLUB Q&A
A student club to inspire all
14 NEW INITIATIVES FOR THE NEW YEAR
LEADERSHIP TALK “As we join with our families for the wonderful festivities of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, it’s timely to take a look back and celebrate the success across the RMIT Vietnam community over the past twelve months.”
We shared in the excitement and achievement of over 1,800 students at graduation ceremonies at Saigon South and Hanoi late last year. We saw individual student success, with high performing students achieving wins in competitions across diverse disciplines, including the RMIT Vietnam teams taking out first and second place in the annual RMIT Business Plan Competition. Our students aimed high, with many securing sought after internships and graduate positions with local, national and international organisations. Over 190 exchange and study abroad students were welcomed to our campus, connecting students with their peers from across the world and strengthening the pathways for our own global study opportunities. Our presence in the wider community expanded and flourished, with more than 32,000 high school students engaging with RMIT Vietnam across the country to learn more about potential careers and the higher education opportunities available. Congratulations to all on your achievements in 2014; we all look forward to another year of success in 2015.
Innovation is high on the agenda
15 ON THE FRONTLINE The friendly faces greeting RMIT Vietnam students
16 CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING
Professor Gael McDonald President RMIT University Vietnam
Award winning creative campaign
(Access the link using the
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Watch a video of the year’s highlights www.tinyurl.com/Look-back-at-2014
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CPA Australia STUDENT AMBASSADOR CPA Australia student ambassador Lam Ngoc Trang (pictured) said she is the link between the professional accounting body and RMIT Vietnam students. Story by Anh Bui
Lam Ngoc Trang supports CPA Australia by promoting the accounting body’s resources in RMIT Vietnam libraries as well as running student information sessions on the accounting and finance profession. The high-achieving 22year-old is also president of the RMIT Vietnam Accounting Club in Hanoi. According to Senior Accounting Lecturer Ng Chee Yew, Trang is an active, enthusiastic accountancy student with strong organisational abilities and group work skills.
“Trang was selected because of her outstanding academic results and voluntary roles,” Mr Yew said, who nominated Trang for the ambassador position.
“And because the curriculum is similar to the CPA Australia 12 course program, RMIT Vietnam students are already eligible for credit for part of the course.”
Trang, who was also selected as a parttime student advisor for students studying commercial law, aims to attract more students to CPA Australia events.
In 2014, Trang interned at CPA Australia as a Business Development Support Assistant.
“RMIT Vietnam’s commerce and accountancy students are CPA Australia’s target customers,” she said.
Trang said the internship was a great opportunity to gain experience working with CPA Australia experts. “As an intern I was treated as a full-time CPA Australia officer and had opportunities to meet several industry professionals,” she said. Trang’s first steps in the field have earned her an internship at KPMG, one of the Big Four professional services networks. Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 3
` VIETNAM’S
FAST FOOD INDUSTRY
PIONEERS
Three RMIT Vietnam alumni are well on their way to be the next big thing in the country’s rapidly rising fast food industry. The past year saw the launch of Mr Potato by Nguyen Le Minh Nhut, Beets by Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet and Taco Cart by Nguyen Viet Anh.
Humble potato A graduate of RMIT Vietnam’s Bachelor of Business (Business Information Systems) program, Nguyen Le Minh Nhut (pictured), 25, is founder and CEO of Outside the Box, which runs fast food restaurant Mr Potato.
Story by Anh Bui
Nhut, who previously worked for Atlantic Commodities, opened his third Mr Potato in December at 100 Hung Vuong Street, Hung Vuong Square, District 5. Unlike the big names in the business who serve fries on the side, Nhut’s business makes the humble potato the main attraction by applying Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 4
various cooking styles and offering over 20 sauce options. The originality flows from the food to the theming at Mr Potato, with its light yellow paint and quirky decorations inspired by iconic architecture from around the world. “Fries are a popular street food in large cosmopolitan cities in the United States so I decided to introduce it here,” Nhut said, who spent three months eating the potatoes he learnt to cook as well as a month to make the sauces.
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See more alumni achievements at www.rmit.edu.vn/profiles/alumni
the familiar Vietnamese trà đá (cold tea).
Queen of salad Also taking inspiration from popular convenience foods in cities worldwide is alumnus Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet (pictured top left), a graduate of RMIT Vietnam’s Bachelor of Commerce program. Nguyet is bringing healthy and fresh salads to Ho Chi Minh City as founder of Beets at 98 Ham Nghi Street, District 1. As the only salad bar in the city, Beets is seeing the benefits of being a pioneer in this type of convenience food. Since its opening in October 2014, anyone with a craving for a healthy and tasty meal now have their destination thanks to the restaurant’s diverse salad options.
“Beets aims for success as a business but to also be a trend-setter in healthier and greener lifestyles,” Nguyet said, who has plans to open more salad bars in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Taco ambassador In Hanoi, recent graduate of RMIT Vietnam’s Bachelor of Commerce program Nguyen Viet Anh (pictured bottom left) has seen four months of successful operation for his business Taco Cart at 106 Chua Lang, Dong Da District.
Viet Anh has made some tweaks to his dishes to suit Vietnamese tastes, such as reducing the cumin powder for a softer tortilla. “From the very start, I wanted to introduce something totally new in the fast food market and I’m lucky to have made it happen with Mexican cuisine,” Viet Anh said, with his business targeting a small audience of curious passers-by, university students and foreigners who miss their home cuisine.
Given the city’s northern climate and heavy traffic, Viet Anh’s cart, which is the first and only in Hanoi, remains in the one spot where it offers tasty Mexican dishes along with
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to begin students on the career planning process, along with the library and the student engagement office. The students’ reaction? Towards the end of semester two last year the Head of RMIT Vietnam’s Hanoi site, Phil Dowler, had a problem. Story by Sharon Webb
“It was six weeks before the start of the September semester and we had a large number of potential students who wanted to begin studying English as soon as possible,” he said. “I knew if we didn’t do something to keep them engaged, RMIT Vietnam would lose these students to a competitor because we couldn’t put them into a course for six weeks.” Mr Dowler’s solution was to create a four-week transition course to run Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 6
before the real course began. “The course we constructed was like an orientation program,” he said. “I looked around the campus to identify staff who could run one-hour workshops – a mix of academic staff and support service staff who could run English-related shopping games, trusting games and sporting competitions.” Careers staff also got in on the act with activities
“My impression is that they loved it,” Mr Dowler said. “When it’s a non-assessed course and 80 per cent of students turn up, you’ve got to suppose they’re enjoying it. “Only two students dropped out in four weeks.” The proof of the pudding of course is in how many eventually enrolled. “More than 40 students enrolled in the English program,” Mr Dowler said. “The transition course idea seems to have worked and we’re looking at its feasibility in the long term.”
“There are no ‘right’ answers although each case has a strong and weak response to the situation described. Information Technology (IT) students are getting an inside look into the country’s IT industry, thanks to the launch of a new book by RMIT Vietnam staff. Story by Tran Tran
It’s a significant learning resource for students as it’s the first time case studies on IT practice in Vietnam have been published. The studies previously used for discussion covered examples from the United States, where it’s a different market. Released in early November 2014, the book Information Technology in Vietnam (and Southeast Asia): Discussion Cases, covers ten carefully researched and locally situated discussion cases optimised for classroom use.
senior lecturers Narumon Sriratanaviriyakul and Pham Cong Hiep and research assistants Vo Thi Trung Trinh, Le Khoa Huan and Vo Xuan Hung. Associate Professor Nkhoma said the cases are authentic because they describe an actual situation faced by a key decision-maker. “The ten cases provided in the book are all open,” he said. (Access the link using the
“They’re a great basis for discussion in the classroom, with this teaching technique known as the case method.” Senior Lecturer Narumon Sriratanaviriyakul said the case method is an ideal approach to improve students’ critical thinking, creativity, teamwork and problem solving. “These are essential skills expected by employers,” Ms Sriratanaviriyakul said. “Resources such as this book help students connect and apply their interdisciplinary education.” button)
View details on the Bachelor of Information Technology at www.rmit.edu.vn/programs/bachelor-information-technology
Companies involved include Mox Deals Viet Nam, Ti Ki Corporation, An Binh Paper Corporation and KinikSales (Thailand). Authors of the book are Associate Professor Mathews Nkhoma, Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 7
Cultural IMMERSION Despite an initial shock with the heat and heavy traffic, Inés De Condé said she’s having the time of her life as an exchange student at RMIT Vietnam. Story by Ha Hoang
Inés (pictured), a business student from ESG Business School in France, said she initially felt overwhelmed on her arrival as she travelled by taxi from Tan Son Nhat Airport to her hotel. “All I could see were streets packed with motorbikes rushing in every direction,” the 20-year-old French woman said.
culture and become more independent while living in a foreign country on her own. Inés’ decision to study in Vietnam also came from her memories of living in the country’s north as a teenager. “My father worked in Hanoi seven years ago and I’ve always remembered Vietnam as a beautiful country with many open-minded, friendly and smiling people,” she said.
“At the time, I never imagined I would one day be in the thick of it.”
“A study exchange gives me the opportunity to discover more of this wonderful country and culture.”
But eventually she did, immersing herself in the traffic just like a Vietnamese woman.
After four months of living and studying in Vietnam, Inés has discovered many things about herself.
When asked about the reasons for choosing RMIT Vietnam for her study exchange, Inés said part of the program at RMIT Vietnam relates to her dream career in the wine industry.
Renting an apartment with two other French friends close to RMIT Vietnam Saigon South, Inés said she has become more responsible as well as independent. (Access the link using the
But mostly she wanted to discover a different Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 8
“A motorbike has made my life easier when I need to travel somewhere,” Inés said. “It’s so different to Paris where we have to catch the underground train to get between places. “Learning to ride a motorbike in this crowded city was challenging but interesting at the same time. “Now I blend into this crazy traffic and can drive anywhere on my own,” she said. “I can’t wait to give my mother a city tour in the near future.” Inés is now planning a long holiday around South East Asia and a trip back to Paris before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.
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Read about the options to study overseas at www.rmit.edu.vn/international-mobility
Research contributes to INTERNATIONAL ROAD SAFETY An RMIT Australia researcher has produced a practical and innovative star-rating system for international road safety that has the potential to help to make roads safer in Vietnam. Story by Deborah Sippitts and Karen Matthews
The International Road Policing Assessment Program (IRPAP) will enable traffic police jurisdictions to self-assess, and continually improve their capacity for road safety reform. RMIT Australia’s Dr Raymond Shuey (pictured with Ho Chi Minh City police officers) examined road policing and traffic law enforcement in low to middle-income countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia and Thailand. Dr Shuey said there have previously been no international benchmarking criteria, star-rating systems or models for road policing and traffic law enforcement.
“Using the IRPAP star-rating model, jurisdictions can benchmark their capability against an international standard – with the grading within the model determining improvements for building capacity and capability.” The research complements two international road safety benchmarking models already in place: iRAP – the International Road Assessment Program, five star ratings for safer roads; and NCAP – the New Car Assessment Program, five star ratings for safer cars. “IRPAP aims to provide a practical benchmarking self-assessment tool and, by developing and enhancing police professionalism and leadership with strategic, operational and tactical capability, the ultimate aim is to prevent death and injuries,” he said. The new star-rating system has allowed Dr Shuey to make a meaningful contribution to international road policing, exchange practical policing experiences across borders and use the knowledge gained to directly assist road police.
“The newly developed program provides road policing organisations in any country with a practical means of assessing their current police enforcement capability, including efficiency, effectiveness and safety,” he said.
A separate study by RMIT Vietnam researchers has delved into motorcyclists’ psyche to stem road carnage. Motorcyclists coursing through Ho Chi Minh City’s streets believe they are perceived as foolish if they heed road laws around those who do not, research has found. Read more about the study by RMIT Vietnam lecturers Duong Trong Hue and Assistant Professor Lukas Parker, RMIT Australia’s Professor Linda Brennan and Chevening scholarship recipient Nguyen Hong Hai Dang at www.rmit.edu.vn/news/road-risks. (Access the link using the
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for a
GOING GREEN
GOOD
CAUSE
RMIT Vietnam students proudly wore green ribbons around their wrists as part of a recent campaign to raise awareness of anti-littering.
Story by Thuy Le and Minh Khuu
The students’ efforts are the result of an initiative by the University’s Green Ribbon organisation, also known as Ruy Bang Xanh or RBX in Vietnamese. As well as wearing and handing out green ribbons, the campaign featured activities called Clean 4 Green and Green Lesson. Clean 4 Green involved student volunteers collecting and sorting rubbish on the streets with the aim to clean up the space as well as get the attention of the public. Practices for a clean and green environment through Green Lesson were shared with young people at workshops across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and the Central Highlands. RMIT Vietnam student Nguyen Tran Khanh Chi,
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Project Leader of the Green Lesson, said it’s important for the future generation to understand environmental issues. “We’re really inspired to drive action within our generation towards protecting the environment,” Chi said. RMIT Vietnam Senior Lecturer and RBX founder Mr Nguyen Huu Nhan has always been concerned about litter in Vietnam and focused on how to raise awareness about the topic. “We often talk about significant environmental issues such as global warming, sustainability, and climate change but we also need to consider simple but effective actions for the environment such as stopping littering.”
ENABLING HIGHER EDUCATION
FOR ALL RMIT Vietnam’s Disability Resource Centre provides an inclusive learning environment and opportunities for study success for students with disabilities, long-term medical conditions and mental health conditions. Story by Thuy Le
Le Hoang Minh Nhat, a Bachelor of Design (Digital Media) student at RMIT Vietnam said the centre provides solutions for challenges he faces with exams. “I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which makes it difficult to focus during exams,” Nhat said “In any other environment, it would be very difficult for me to take a break or extend the exam hours.
Also using the services provided by the centre is student Nguyen Tuan Tu (pictured right). The Bachelor of Business (Business Information Systems) student said the centre services had been invaluable with supporting his study. “I’ve had a problem with my vision since a child and it has frustrated me in all things in life especially my study,” he said. “Before the centre’s launch, I had managed my study and found my own support options. “But now, working with Ms Witney, I’ve been given advice and support on how to get through my study faster as well as having software installed on my computer to help with reading on screen.” Since opening in late 2013, the centre has supported more than 40 students across both Saigon South and Hanoi with resources on disability, diversity and equality as well as referring to other services within the community where required.
“But at RMIT Vietnam, with the support of the centre, I can pass the exam as well as my peers because I’m allowed to take a short break every twenty minutes.” Disability Resource Centre Coordinator Carol Witney (pictured left) said the centre provides opportunities for students to access higher education where previously it may not have been an option. “This is the first service of its kind in Vietnam supporting students and staff with disabilities in a tertiary education institution,” Ms Witney said. Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 11
A TALENTED
TALKER RMIT Vietnam communication student Phan Minh Tri has an enviable talent. Story by Minh Khuu
Tri (pictured top) has a passion for public speaking. And he’s good at it too.
Culture Palace’s English Speaking Club,” he recalled.
For the 21-year-old, it’s a rush of adrenalin not fear, when he takes to the stage and speaks his first words into a microphone in front of a large crowd.
“Now I’m in charge of the club’s entertainment department which involves organising the summer camps, events and parties.”
His skills have been put to use with his role with RMIT Vietnam’s Student Ambassador Team (SAT), where Tri is responsible for hosting and judging student events.
Tri’s passion started not long after completing high school and, just a few months into his degree at RMIT Vietnam, he was drawn to a hosting opportunity with the SAT.
Tri said his love of being the voice behind smoothly run events started during his final year of high school. “I needed a break from my exams so a friend and I decided to visit the Labour
“A friend knew I was interested in hosting events so he encouraged me to apply for the role,” he said. “I excitedly auditioned and was luckily accepted after my first try. “Since then, SAT has been a big part of my university life and a great place to satisfy my passion for hosting.” And it is an opportunity that has also given Tri leadership experience, with his current responsibilities with SAT coordinating other hosts and judges for University events as well as training newcomers.
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Club
1. What’s the club about?
Q&A
Since 2009, we’ve been empowering our members to use their business knowledge as RMIT Vietnam students to create economic opportunities for the wider community. Our club’s slogan is A head for business, a heart for the world.
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Club in Hanoi
2. How many members?
Club President: Vien Hoang Ha Club Vice President: Le Minh Thai Interview by Minh Khuu
Our club is one of the largest non-sport clubs in Hanoi with over 60 dynamic, enthusiastic and friendly members. We all share a common passion for enhancing our community’s sustainability and enabling positive social impacts with the work we do. 3. What are some of the activities? In 2014, we successfully organised an event called The Hunger Games, a food fair for RMIT Vietnam students in Hanoi designed to raise funds for charity as well as help students refresh their minds before exams. We also ran Mid-Autumn for You, a charity event for children who are at-risk and are being cared for at the SOS Children’s Village Hanoi. We have two ongoing projects called Eco-Bag and B2B Clothing, both with the aim to create job opportunities for people in need. Eco-Bag, a project which has been running for five years, had the initial idea to recycle used banners into banner bags. We’ve since expanded on this to use similar materials to make door organisers and pen bags. B2B Clothing is a project where we provide materials for people in need to make clothes. Afterwards, we sell their products and return 70% of the profits. 4. What has been a highlight? At the charity event for the SOS Children’s Village Hanoi, we sang songs, drank milk and played hide and seek with the children. As well as the feeling of making a contribution to this great organisation, it also connected us with our childhood. (Access the link using the
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New initiatives for the NEW YEAR Innovation is high on the agenda across all program in 2015. Story by Ly Nguyen, Catherine Peck and Melanie Brown
Improvement continues as RMIT Vietnam’s teaching teams focus on the student experience. Introduction to Management Course Coordinator Antoine Goupille said one of the improvements is providing early feedback through an online quiz as well as trialling Turnitin Grademark. Professional communication students will publish their first departmental newsletter as a way to practice workready skills, according to Acting Head of Department Tim Costigan. In economics, the program WinEcon will enrich student learning with key tools and concepts, according to Exchange RMIT University Vietnam 14
the discipline’s Associate Professor Bob Baulch.
simulator (pictured) from second semester.
“I found it very helpful for students studying economics in a second language.”
The discipline’s Associate Professor Karl Kluegel said the technology will equip students with financial market skills.
Business students will have a new security and risk management minor available from second semester. “It will increase the market appeal of our graduates and improve the currency of our programs,” Associate Professor Mathews Nkhoma, Head of Department, Management, BITL and Law said. Finance students will experience the real world data platform used by international corporations through the financial markets trading room
Digital media students will develop work-ready skills through studio teaching, with the digital media program also exploring potential student collaborative projects with professional communication and fashion and textiles. New courses in information technology will offer students diverse learning experiences according to Senior Lecturer Dr Edouard Amouroux. “Relevant soft skills will be developed through Building IT Systems and Usercentred Design,” he said.
On the FRONTLINE Hanoi’s Student Administration Team is the first point of contact for students at RMIT Vietnam in the country’s north.
Finance plus English and the academic centres.
Story by Van Doan
Frontline staff, such as our Student Administration Team, represent the face of RMIT Vietnam to the outside world and help to project and maintain our good image. The four team members (pictured from left), Hoang Thu Thuy, Vu Thuy Linh, Nguyen Thu Thuy and Pham Thi Bich Hue, provide administrative support and services to hundreds of students across the Hanoi site each year. They also help to guide students to other relevant service departments when required, such as the Career Centre, Student Advisement, Student Engagement, Learning Skills Unit,
For Student Administration Manager Nguyen Thu Thuy, it’s a rewarding experience to watch students progress through the academic lifecycle. “One of the most interesting things about our job is to help each student achieve their full potential,” Thuy said. “We work closely with the Registrar’s office to support students from their enrolment through to graduation. “Some of our specific tasks involve work on admissions, academic policies and compliance, student records administration, student services helpdesk, assessment and examinations.”
Senior APPOINTMENT
PROFESSOR RICK BENNETT HEAD OF CENTRE COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN
Professor Bennett is tasked with expanding the centre’s profile across the region as one of the most desired education choices for creativity and innovation. An alumnus of Bristol Polytechnic in the United Kingdom as well as Australia’s University of New South Wales and University of Sydney, Professor Bennett has had a highly successful academic career within the College of Fine Arts (COFA), the art, design and media faculty of the University of New South Wales in Australia.
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CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING RMIT Vietnam student Tran Thu Quynh saved the best for last with the creative campaign she developed for home-brew cider brand Backyard Elixir. Story by Anh Bui
It was the third and final assignment for the 19-year-old as part of her Bachelor of Design (Digital Media) program. And it also took out top prize in the Communication Design category in RMIT Vietnam’s recent design showcase competition. Quynh eloquently captured Backyard Elixir’s retro and rustic characteristics with her logo design and stationery pack. She said she remained focused on creating a design easily distinguishable from other factorybrewed cider brands. “I was inspired by the southern United States hand-lettering street signage in the 1950s,” Quynh said. “There are two colour versions, both using warm tones and vintage colour schemes.” Quynh also created a pattern for the stationery pack which includes objects and ingredients used in the cider home-brewing process.
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Exchange has been produced by the Press Office and Communications at RMIT Vietnam. RMIT University Vietnam 702 Nguyen Van Linh Tan Phong Ward, District 7 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Tel: (+848) 3776 1300 Exchange www.rmit.edu.vn RMIT University Vietnam 16
Publisher: Conrad Ozóg Chief Editor: Karen Matthews Images: Lam Le, cover. Trang Lam, page 3. Nhut Nguyen, page 4. Nguyet Nguyen, page 5, Anh Nguyen, page 5. Phil Dowler, page 6. Catherine Peck, page 7. Inés De Condé, page 8. Huyen Hoang, page 9. Ruy Bang Xanh
team, page 10, Lam Le, page 11. Tri Phan, page 12. Ha Vien, page 13. OUT-2 Design, page 14. Tuan Anh Dinh, page 15. Quynh Tran, page 16. Design and layout: Bratus Cover image: RMIT Vietnam student and student ambassador Phan Minh Tri