More than 100 Australian alumni attended the “Welcome Home” ceremony in Hanoi, hosted by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.
The joy of returnees
Speaking at the ceremony, the Australian Deputy Head of Mission to Vietnam Mr. Andrew Barnes said: “I am very proud that Australia not only offers world-class education but also supports its alumni in the application of the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired in Australia to realise their ambitions in Vietnam”.
“I have the privilege of meeting many leaders, influential experts and outstanding members of the Vietnamese community, who like you, are alumni of Australian universities. You all are now a part of a network of over 70,000 Australian alumni living in Vietnam, who are working across a wide range of professions and contributing to Vietnam’s success in a number of different fields. Of this, over 6,000 alumni belong to our elite network of Australia Awards Scholarships recipients, each with their own wealth of knowledge and expertise”.
The Australian Head of Mission to Vietnam Mr. Andrew Barnes at the ceremony.
At the ceremony, 11 outstanding projects funded by the Australian Alumni Grants Fund were also introduced. All of them clearly reflect compassion, practicality and community-oriented values.
Sharing experiences between alumni and the Australian official
Alumna Phung Thi Lan Phuong, MSc from Adelaide University, Head of the Free Trade Agreement Office under the WTO and Integration Centre, VCCI, shared: “Returning to Vietnam, let’s connect and grow together to not waste the new knowledge, experience and connections we’ve gained. For a better Vietnam and a better Australia-Vietnam relationship”.
Having completed a Master’s program in Australia, alumnus Tong Lien Anh, an expert from the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), said: “We found our time in Australia to be a really useful period. With my job at the Department of Continuing Education, MOET, I will try my best to apply the knowledge gained in Australia to successfully complete assigned tasks”.
Tran Hai Yen, who has just received a Master’s degree from the Australian National University, shared: “I have learned a lot about life skills, about community and social responsibility. Especially now when I am pursuing a major in Natural Resources and Environmental Economics, directly researching on issues including sustainable economic development and climate change response and adaption. I just returned to Vietnam in September. While living and working in my home country; I will do my best to apply what I have learned for a more sustainable development of the community”.
=======================================================================================
Since 2017, the Australian Alumni Grants Fund (AAGF) has provided over AUD 1 million to 240 alumni to carry out 103 initiatives across Vietnam. Some projects implemented by alumni under AAGF were also introduced at the ceremony.
=======================================================================================
Source: Education and Times
