Female students in Nghe An province enjoy international exchange and promoting the image of their country.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Hai Dang always feels fortunate to have been involved in international exchange activities. This is fertile ground for young people to voice their opinions and personal views on common issues of the region and the world .

Trinh Hai Dang (23 years old, from Nghe An) is a student in the Sociology Department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, she is also a speaker and advisor at programs for youth and the community.

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The female student possesses a radiant appearance and is well-liked by teachers and friends for her kindness, friendliness, and eagerness to learn. (Photo: Provided by the subject).

International exchange offers many opportunities for development. Hai Dang has shown a passion for international exchange activities since her early years of university. Therefore, she has continuously strived to seek opportunities to participate in these multinational activities. She hopes that through them she can connect with many talented people, gain more valuable knowledge, and experience new journeys. To date, Hai Dang has participated in more than 15 fully funded international scholarship programs and conferences. Notably, she had the opportunity to represent Vietnamese youth at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo (Indonesia) in 2023.

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The international exchange program has opened up many opportunities for Dang (on the right, position number 9) that she never dared to dream of before. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

The female student happily shared: "Attending the 42nd ASEAN Summit and meeting with the ASEAN Secretary-General and the heads of state of Southeast Asia is a great honor that I am fortunate to have." "Within the framework of the Summit, youth delegates had a separate session to meet with the heads of state of Southeast Asia to present policy recommendations and receive direct feedback. The ASEAN Secretary-General also emphasized that in the coming years, they will promote the design of many more platforms for youth in the region so that young people can have their voices heard, be listened to, and develop," Hai Dang added.

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Hai Dang also had the opportunity to speak before the President as a student representative. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

Furthermore, recently, this Gen Z female student surpassed nearly 11,000 candidates worldwide to be one of the 100 official delegates to attend the 2024 Yenching Global Symposium (YGS) at Peking University, China. There, Hai Dang had the opportunity to meet, interact with, and work with many reputable experts and scholars from around the world, as well as young leaders from diverse fields and specialties, discussing the theme "Equilibrium: Our World in Balance." She also experienced Chinese culture through cultural exchange sessions such as calligraphy, opera, boat racing, traditional dance, martial arts, and networking sessions with scholars from Peking University.

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Even on days when he's overwhelmed with work, Hai Dang still motivates himself to persevere, taking advantage of every opportunity to practice writing essays and speaking English to improve his skills. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

From every opportunity she has, Hai Dang always takes advantage of it to voice the opinions of young Vietnamese people and promote the image of the nation to international friends. In meetings, she always proactively expresses her opinions and actively participates in discussions to offer solutions. At cultural exchange events, Dang also prepares traditional ao dai dresses and conical hats, performing folk songs as a way to bring national identity closer to friends around the world. Her efforts to conquer scholarships to explore the world: Despite her impressive achievements, Hai Dang started as an ordinary student, somewhat lacking in self-confidence. Therefore, to create impressive scholarship applications, Hai Dang constantly strived and improved herself. This preparation process revolved around three main issues: building a multidisciplinary knowledge base; developing essential skills such as leadership, problem-solving, and writing; and improving her foreign language skills. Her diligence, enthusiasm in studying, and active participation in youth union activities have laid a solid foundation for her leadership skills. In addition, Dang proactively acquires knowledge from competitions and updates herself with information from reputable scientific articles. Regarding her foreign language learning methods, the student confided: "I have no other method than to practice regularly. Because if learners don't cultivate their skills, they will quickly forget what they've learned, wasting their efforts. Therefore, I also take advantage of opportunities to participate in English public speaking competitions and proactively study Chinese at home."

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Hai Dang has also had the opportunity to try his hand at various roles such as advisor, judge, and speaker at youth and community activities. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

Furthermore, according to Hai Dang, the key to applying for full scholarships is understanding yourself and the program. A successful application will demonstrate a strong connection between yourself, the program, and the community. "In my first few applications, I often tried to present myself as a very suitable, very 'perfect' candidate with impressive achievements, a very high GPA, etc., without really delving into what my true personal identity is and what kind of candidate the program is actually looking for," Hai Dang said. Looking back on her journey, the female student shared: "Initially, I just wanted to participate out of curiosity and a thirst for learning. However, the more involved I became in this journey, the more I realized that my way of thinking and my concern for the community had transformed. I truly want to contribute something, however small, to my community. Especially to accompany other students on their journey of self-discovery. And once again, I affirm that international exchange to serve the community is the overarching spirit behind my application." With the mindset of someone who has experience applying for scholarships to participate in international forums and conferences, Hai Dang hopes that young people will not hesitate and let the opportunity slip away. If you feel afraid, be afraid but still try. Because when you dare to try, you have already given yourself a 50% chance of achieving what you desire.

Trinh Hai Dang has participated in more than 15 international scholarship and conference programs, all of which were fully funded, including: