Science and technology aspirations of young Vietnamese people

Nguyen Thi Hai Yen (26 years old) and Dinh Tran Man Tuyen (34 years old) are both working in Ho Chi Minh City. Recently, both won Fulbright scholarships from the US government, studying for master's degrees at major universities in the US. Notably, both of them are the first students to study abroad in the STEM field ( science , technology, engineering, mathematics) - the field that is recruiting students for the first time under the Fulbright scholarship this term.

LOVE DATA SCIENCE

Nguyen Thi Hai Yen graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Economics , Foreign Trade University (Hanoi). While traveling in Ho Chi Minh City, she almost got "stuck" on the roof of the Thu Thiem tunnel. Yen was picked up by a Grab motorbike taxi driver and brought home safely. Yen secretly hoped that she would have the opportunity to work here in the future. In 2021, after graduating from university, Yen chose Grab, partly because at that time Grab was a technology unicorn in Southeast Asia, and at the same time, she wanted to contribute to developing technology to solve social problems.

- Ảnh 1. — Yen *(left cover)* and her group are presenting at the Fulbright program.

Yen initially applied for the Management Trainee program, but did not have the opportunity. Then, she was unexpectedly accepted as a Growth Specialist for Grab's expansion in tier 1, 2, and 3 cities in Vietnam. At that time, the Covid-19 epidemic began to break out in Ho Chi Minh City, Yen worked remotely in Hanoi. She was assigned to ensure the supply of drivers in areas such as Binh Duong (now part of Ho Chi Minh City), Dong Nai, Can Tho, Da Nang, etc.

With the number of Covid-19 cases constantly increasing, regulations on regional isolation are constantly updated. In this situation, to ensure vehicle supply as well as the health of drivers, Yen and her team work directly with the driver operation team in each province to continuously change and adjust drivers in each region according to user needs and the number and quality of drivers. To optimize this plan, Yen's team makes the most of data in observing the supply and demand levels in each region, evaluating effectiveness, detecting which areas have problems, finding out the causes to build the most timely response plan.

"This is when I saw the beauty of data - when data not only has the magical power to help people make quick, accurate decisions. Data can also help create direct changes to the lives of thousands of people: drivers need to maintain their income and health, people need to travel safely during the dangerous period of the fight against Covid-19," Yen said.

Yen's love for data grew. In addition to her main job, she spent her free time learning more analytical tools and applying them to her work, increasing productivity and improving the quality of her reports.

After more than 1 year, Yen applied for an internal transfer to the Analytics department, the data department, to serve larger data problems for Vietnam and the entire Southeast Asia region. Here, she learned directly from seniors with high expertise in the data industry, and worked on many interesting data problems that directly affected society. For example, improving driver productivity through in-depth analysis of behavior and work area; optimizing the process of allocating trips to drivers; supporting the development of Vietnamese tourist cities through identifying and analyzing tourist behavior... With each project, she values the level of impact on the company and society, thereby making optimal recommendations for strategic and operational departments.

Currently, Yen is a senior data analyst at Grab, and she has seriously chosen a career in data science. Applying for and winning the Fulbright Master's scholarship in data science is proof that Yen is determined to go further in the industry, hoping to better solve difficult problems, especially those related to smart mobility.

"The US is the world's technology playground. I want to come here to learn from leading experts in the field of data science and computers, and access the latest research and scientific achievements in the industry. I want to go there and see directly how cities and large companies in the US use data to improve smart mobility problems - for example, Google has cooperated with cities like Seattle and Boston to apply data and AI (artificial intelligence) in optimizing traffic light operations to direct vehicles and reduce congestion. Besides, smart mobility is a global issue. I hope to not only learn from experts in the US but also from friends from all over the world, as well as bring my practical work experience in Vietnam to share with smart mobility forums in the US," Yen confided.

ARCHITECT PASSIONATE ABOUT DIGITALIZATION OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Dinh Tran Man Tuyen, who has just been awarded a Fulbright Master's scholarship in computer science, has another interesting story. Tuyen came to the US to study with the belief that "science, technology and information data are the only way for the construction industry to transform, to build greener and more efficiently".

Growing up in Tuy Hoa (now Dak Lak province) in a family with a mother who was a doctor and a father who was a construction engineer, Tuyen thought from a young age that "when I grow up I will be an architect". Being introduced to computers early, reading his father's PC magazine (the only magazine about computers at that time), Tuyen loved information technology even more.

"I still remember vividly the feeling when I was in 5th grade, I explored and "went inside" the Pharaoh's tomb with a French encyclopedia software (Tuyen learned French from 1st grade under the bilingual program). Those were deep impressions on me about how technology can help convey knowledge as well as make life more interesting," Tuyen recalled.

- Ảnh 3. — Man Tuyen talks with students at the BIM Coordinator course organized by the Vietnam Construction Consultant Association

At the age of 18, while a freshman at the University of Architecture in Ho Chi Minh City, Tuyen learned about the software that serves the technology - BIM process (short for Building Information Modeling). This process allows users to create an interactive design on a 3D model with information and data of all components in the building, instead of the old technology where the design is only on "paper" and is points - lines - without information. The young architect realized that this is truly a great combination of engineering technology and the construction industry, allowing the creation of transparent, informative buildings and designs, exactly what you are pursuing.

Since then, Tuyen has always used BIM software to create design projects towards sustainable design. After graduating from university, Tuyen focused entirely on BIM - digitalizing the construction industry. Tuyen has experience at a BIM consulting company, participating in domestic and international projects, and then worked for the general contractor Coteccons. The job of BIM workers is to create 3D models that integrate construction information on computers, deploy BIM solutions for companies and projects, and promote that transformation to happen throughout the construction industry.

"I remember once going to the construction site of an apartment project on Ta Quang Buu Street, Ho Chi Minh City, when the brothers were arguing about a detail on the drawing. Luckily, that detail was built on a 3D model, I opened it for everyone to see. The information appeared clearly, intuitively and no longer confusing. The engineers and construction workers were all amazed at how the model made everything easier to understand. This helped me to be more steadfast in the efficiency and transparency that information can bring," Tuyen said.

Currently, Tuyen is in charge of BIM management for TLC Modular, a company that designs and manufactures modular assemblies. Tuyen and his teammates guide people to build models correctly, follow everyone's working process, create available libraries, train users to use new technologies and software... Designs are fully modeled and coordinated to check for any "virtual" construction conflicts (such as water pipes intersecting beams) before being constructed in real life. This helps to limit errors as well as waste in labor, time and materials.

Tuyen's team implemented the model to be accessible to all users across the project and company by using CDEs (Common Data Environments) that were set up and hosted in the cloud. This ensured that the model, drawings and information could be accessed from anywhere, anytime, as long as the user had internet access and was granted permission to view the project.

"My further wish is to be able to build a model in the future where AI can automatically perform the touch-check step, helping to increase the accuracy and efficiency of the project," Dinh Tran Man Tuyen shared.

VIETNAM AMBASSADOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES

Both Yen and Tuyen have many plans to contribute to Vietnam and the potential to create positive impacts when they finish studying in the US and return.

Yen hopes to contribute to the development of smart mobility in Vietnam - one of the six pillars in successfully building smart cities - by making better use of the role of big data in solving mobility problems for people. At the same time, she believes that when a Vietnamese citizen goes abroad, the first thing to do is to be yourself, demonstrating the valuable qualities of Vietnamese people, such as diligence, curiosity, and resilience in the face of all difficulties.

"This year is a special year for the country, the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2. As a young person with a global mindset and a Vietnamese heart, I feel even more motivated to continue to strive to learn, continue to contribute to society, and continue to contribute to the strong development of the country," she confided.

Meanwhile, Tuyen always believes that BIM and the digitalization process of the construction industry will help the construction industry in Vietnam become more efficient and transparent, and is constantly striving for that.

Tuyen cherishes the idea of building technology applications and AI models to perform specialized tasks in the construction industry in particular and develop the country in general. Such as participating in the DBEI conference specializing in technology in construction design in Melbourne (Australia) in 2024; working for a multinational company or studying for a master's degree in the US... all help Tuyen gain more experience. At the same time, Tuyen believes that this will also help international colleagues understand more about the country and people of Vietnam, which not only has a strong history but also develops strongly in the current era of science and technology.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khat-vong-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-cua-nguoi-tre-viet-185250827213257298.htm