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Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick speaking at the ceremony |
These alumni are part of a dynamic network of nearly 60,000 alumni of Australian education in Vietnam. They represent a wealth of knowledge, expertise and influence and are making valuable contributions to Vietnam’s sustainable socio-economic development and strengthening linkages between Vietnam and Australia.
“Australia’s experience in harmonizing economic development and environmental protection really made an impression on me throughout my studies in Australia. I think that Australia’s lessons learned are very helpful to Vietnam to sustain its socio-economic development and I am incorporating these lessons into my work,” shared Alumnus Hoang Xuan Thin, Researcher of Scientific Technological Center for Environmental Protection in Transportation.
“With knowledge and skills gained in Australia, I will develop the Disability Resources and Development (DRD) as a professional social work practice center to provide social services including counseling, mental health treatment and information to people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. I thank Australia for the knowledge, experience and confidence to return to Vietnam and make a difference,” said Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen, Founder cum Director of the DRD, on behalf of more than 60 newly returned postgraduates at the ceremony.
“Australia Awards recipients are a remarkable and talented group of Vietnamese scholars. They go through a very challenging and competitive process to win the awards and then must meet the rigorous academic requirements of Australia’s world-class education system with many examples of outstanding performance. However, this is just a part of their success. When they return home, they strive to apply the knowledge, experience and links gained in Australia to help Vietnam realize its aspiration to be a more prosperous, secure and inclusive country,” said Ambassador Craig Chittick.
The Australian Government has a global strategy to mobilize, connect and celebrate Australian alumni and this is represented in Vietnam through the Australian Alumni in Vietnam Strategy. We strengthen and grow the network of Australian alumni in Vietnam through various social and professional activities such as building professional groups, and organizing networking activities, seminars and workshops.
The Australian Government’s commitment continues upon the alumni’s return to Vietnam through support to assist them apply the knowledge and skills gained in Australia to their workplace, community and Vietnam’s development.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Craig Chittick encouraged the alumni to actively participate in the Australian Alumni Small Grants Fund, an initiative to empower alumni to consolidate their professional knowledge and skills and strengthen linkages between Australia and Vietnam, through undertaking applied research, organizing training courses and workshops and improving their workplace systems and processes.
“The Small Grants Fund has enabled me to organize the training course on Empowering girls through life skills program - Shine. The training helped girls discover their strengths, become more confident and lead a useful life. As a trainer of the course, I had an opportunity to put theory into practice and sharpen my actual ground experience when engaging with the girls through their life stories,” said alumnae Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, Lecturer of Social Work Faculty, Thang Long University.
Last year, the Australian Government provided nearly AUD 500,000 in grants for alumni through the Australian Alumni Small Grants Fund. The 2018 round recently closed and results will be announced later in the year.
Song Anh