Fate with the second 'home'

I first came to the Lion Island at the age of 18, in July 2007, to study at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on a full scholarship from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs .

The author (top right) with Netflix colleagues in Southeast Asia.

I still remember clearly the moment when the plane gradually descended to land at Changi Airport, my friend from Hanoi and I kept wondering: Have we come to the right city?

From above, Singapore is covered in lush green tropical plants, making us mistakenly think we were landing in a remote natural area rather than one of the most modern cities in the world .

Fifteen years have passed by so quickly. As fate would have it, I left Singapore, then returned to this beautiful island nation before returning to Vietnam at the end of 2021 to start my own business. Singapore has given me unforgettable experiences and opportunities during my passionate youth, where I studied, grew up and found my happiness.

Cultural diversity and harmony

Singapore is a land of unique cultural fusion of Asia and the world. At first, Singapore was both familiar and strange to me. In the first semester, I met friends from different countries, including faraway countries that I had never heard of. The professors in the first semester were a marketing teacher from the US, a funny Statistics teacher from Taiwan (China), a Singaporean Accounting teacher and a Singaporean Law teacher of Indian origin. In the classroom, I not only learned knowledge but also "absorbed" the culture of each professor.

During that time, I discovered a thriving Vietnamese student community here. Whenever I felt homesick, I would go to the Vietnamese restaurant in the campus cafeteria to have a delicious bowl of noodles and chat with friends from different departments.

The author took a photo with actress Ngo Thanh Van at Netflix Singapore headquarters.

Cultural diversity and harmony are also felt on every street in Singapore. There are probably few places in the world where you can find an ancient Hindu temple next to a mosque in the middle of a bustling Chinatown. Or wherever you step on the MRT, you will hear announcements in three languages: English - the language of work and education, Malay - the official language of Singapore and Chinese - the language of the Chinese people.

After graduating, I lived in a small, pretty flat overlooking the harbour in a HDB public housing estate. More than 70% of Singapore’s population lives in HDB blocks, with the government cleverly allocating each block to ensure that each house was a melting pot of ethnicities and cultures. Occasionally, I would enjoy the cooking of a gentle elderly Chinese couple and a lively Indian woman who lived next door.

Special cuisine

The dish is a source of national pride for Singaporeans and also brings back many memories for me. Even now, when I meet my university friends, we still remember the lunches of Hainanese chicken rice for only $2, or the late nights when the whole group of friends would go to the Indian restaurant next to the school to enjoy prata (South Indian flatbread).

Another culinary culture that I particularly love here is Peranakan cuisine, with its fusion of Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese ingredients and cooking methods. Peranakan cuisine is rich in traditional Malay spices and coconut milk, and familiar Chinese ingredients such as soy sauce and pork, giving it an unforgettable rich flavor.

Garden by the Bay is sparkling in the lights.

"Fate" is hard to end

After graduating from university in 2011, I worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Co., then participated in the development of Yale-NUS, Singapore’s first liberal arts college. In 2016, I went to the US to study for an MBA at Harvard and returned to Singapore in 2018 to take on the role of Southeast Asia strategy manager for Netflix.

To me, Singapore is a dynamic, developed, civilized and modern country. As the gateway to Asia, life here is always busy with a fast pace, also bringing many opportunities for me to develop and assert myself.

While at Bain & Co., I had the opportunity to work with senior leaders of large companies around the world and in the region, participating in important meetings to determine development strategies or mergers and acquisitions. That meant working long hours at high intensity. My colleagues who “shared the hardships” at that time also became my closest friends to this day.

Singapore has a remarkable ability to change and adapt, especially in times of crisis. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the city became quieter and quieter. Previously bustling shopping malls were now filled with people rushing to the supermarket, and the once well-groomed trees along the streets were overgrown. In just a few weeks, my company, like many other agencies and companies, quickly and efficiently switched to remote working...

Singapore is a modern and dynamic city.

Even as I was about to leave, this island nation still left me with surprises. I still remember clearly that in mid-2021, when I was preparing to return to Vietnam to start my startup, the vaccination program in Singapore had just started. I registered to get vaccinated in advance to make it in time for the trip. Just one day after registering, I was very surprised to receive a call from the Ministry of Health at 9pm to schedule an appointment for the earliest vaccination time, the procedure was very quick.

Now that I have returned to Vietnam to live, I still believe that my “fate” with Singapore will continue through regular meetings with friends and partners. The Lion Island not only holds beautiful memories of my youth, but has also become my second home.

(*) Co-founder, product manager of Poko Inc.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/singapore-duyen-no-voi-ngoi-nha-thu-hai-235075.html