From students to startups, how Australia’s education is influencing Vietnam

I want to write an article about the impact of Australian education on Vietnam’s developing economy, especially on the current business climate.

Higher education is one of Australia’s largest exports, with revenue of $51 billion in 2024. However, most of the focus has been on the number of international students and the impact on housing in Australia. I want to look at the bigger picture. Education is not only an export, but as a “soft-power” tool of diplomacy, and Australia is benefiting from this.

The unique angle here is looking at this from the perspective of Vietnam. From there, we can explore how Australia is impacting Vietnam’s growing economy and its entrepreneurial drive. Not only that, Vietnamese families are willing to spend upward of $100,000, a sizable amount of money, to send their children to study in Australia. I want to explore why.

 

Suggested interviewees:

• Minh Bui: A graduate of the University of Sydney. He chose to go back to Vietnam to start his career and eventually became “A shark” on Vietnam’s version of Shark Tank. I want to ask him how his time in Sydney benefits his career and why should Vietnamese students want to come here.
• A member of the RMIT Vietnam Executive Team. Ideally the current vice-chancellor, Professor Julia Gaimster.
• Thao Tran: A Vietnamese public servant working for the Ministry of Security, who recently graduated from RMIT in Melbourne. I will ask her how has her experience in Australia changed her perception and how it will benefit her career moving forward.
• A working member of the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute. I want to ask them what their role is and how this will benefit both Australia and Vietnam.
• Vi Tran: A graduate of RMIT Vietnam. After graduation, Vi decided to return to her hometown in Lam Dong Province, to expand her family’s flower business. I want to ask her what she learned while at RMIT and the impact that it has on her career choice.
• Lam Minh Chanh: An MBA graduate of UTS. After returning, he built a successful education company and became a well-known business figure.

 

Examples of published articles:

• At this Aussie uni, students are happy to turn up 7 days a week, according to Julie Hare, Australian Financial Review.
• Vietnam, brutalist architecture, fees and Gaza: how student protests shaped Australian universities, The Conversation
• The pros and cons of selling Australia’s education to the world, Crikey

Article proposal: How Australian education helps develop Vietnam entrepreneurs

Suggested publication: News dot com, Sydney Morning Herald, Crikey

Suggested heading:

• Australian education empowers young Vietnamese entrepreneurs
• From Sydney to Saigon, how Australia is educating Vietnamese entrepreneurs
• From students to startups, how Australia’s education is influencing Vietnam