New partnerships forged at alumni conference in Vietnam

By Christine Teh

NTU alumni from eight countries convened in Hanoi for the second instalment of NTU Singapore’s Alumni Regional Conference.

Larry Woo (NBS/2005) manages an audio-visual equipment company in Shanghai. At the second instalment of NTU Singapore’s alumni regional conference held in Hanoi on 22 June, he was pleased to meet a fellow alumnus in the same trade, Guntapong Boonyanupong (MAE/2006), an audio-visual consultant from Thailand. 

The duo will meet again at a trade fair in Bangkok this month. 

“It feels welcoming to know that we have many friendly and outstanding alumni in our midst. Guntapong and I agreed to jointly develop market opportunities in the industry in Thailand. This is a very good start. Such activities are invaluable for career development of alumni and for building connections between alumni,” said Larry who also attended last year’s inaugural alumni regional conference in Indonesia as the Vice President of NTU Alumni Association (Shanghai).

Guntapong, who is the Vice President of NTU Alumni Association (Thailand), agrees. He said: “We have a strong alumni network. I came alone, and I connected with many other alumni, made new friends and met mentor figures. We get to exchange business ideas, hang out and have fun regardless of our career background and nationality.”

Larry Woo (second from left) and Zhu Hao (third from left) enjoyed networking with alumni from other countries. 

Other than China and Thailand, there were alumni from Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and UAE. The oldest alumnus in attendance was a 70-year-old Nanyang University graduate from the Class of 1969 who runs a business and is from Hong Kong. 

Prof Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost, said that the annual alumni conference, held in different ASEAN countries, endeavours to strengthen ties, inspire collaboration, and support the professional growth of NTU’s alumni community. Gracing the conference was Singapore’s ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Jaya Ratnam, who highlighted the excellent bilateral relationship between both countries.

NTU Singapore has nurtured 1,800 graduates working in diverse fields in Vietnam, including the government, e-commerce, logistics, technology and aviation sectors. 

Chu Viet Cuong (middle) and Pham Quoc Anh (right) said that Vietnam is attractive to foreign businesses. 

One of them is Chu Viet Cuong (NBS/2001), a board director of VietJet Air and Sovico Holding. During his panel session on how foreign investors can make forays into Vietnam, he said that the country welcomes AI specialists, industrialists and skilled workers. He noted that Vietnam’s economy has recovered quickly after the pandemic, and there are plenty of opportunities for foreign direct investments as Vietnam has land, industrial parks with good infrastructure and a young workforce. 

Another speaker, Pham Quoc Anh (CCDS/2008), has been in the energy sector for over 10 years and has risen through the ranks to helm Pacifico Energy Vietnam as its CEO.

He said he took his first flight to Singapore from Ho Chi Minh City and found that the country was totally different from the one he came from.

“Studying at NTU Singapore opened a world of opportunities for me. I not only honed my skills in computer engineering but also cultivated an international perspective. 

“I see similarities between Singapore and Vietnam. Singapore is a hub for trade and financing while Vietnam has a good geographical location and trade agreements in place. Vietnam is growing to become a hub for the semiconductor industry, high-tech manufacturing, electronics, artificial intelligence and data centres. They complement each other,” said Pham. 

Under the moderation of Prof Boh Wai Fong (left), alumni speakers discussed how businesses can make good use of AI. 

The second panel discussion was on how new technologies have disrupted businesses and the ways AI can be applied effectively in different industries. 

The conference participants also broke into smaller groups to discuss topics relating to international business and e-commerce on a deeper level. 

Zhu Hao, an alumnus based in China who has businesses in education and private investment, was impressed by the learning visit to KiotViet, a business management software company set up by a Vietnamese alumnus. 

He said: “China and Vietnam are geographically close. On a macro level, Hainan is also exploring the construction of a free trade port and hence we can learn from Vietnam. Meeting many outstanding alumni in different fields also gave me a new understanding of Vietnam.”

The conference delegation also visited the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park located in Bac Ninh.

Delivering the conference’s closing remarks, Prof Boh Wai Fong, NTU’s Vice President for Lifelong Learning and Alumni Engagement, announced that the third regional conference will be held in July next year in Malaysia. She also thanked the alumni associations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for partnering the university to organise the conference. 

Ha Van Phan, alumnus president of NTU Alumni Association (Hanoi), opened the conference on 22 June.

Professor Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost, gave an opening address.

NTU alumni, Carrine Teoh and Liew Han-Young, moderated a breakout session at the conference.

Tran Hai Linh (middle), CEO of Sendo, moderated a breakout discussion on e-commerce. 

For more event photos, please visit Facebook.