DO, Tuan

Degree

Masters of Business Administration

Graduation year

2010

Current position

Planning and Commercial Analyst

Employer

Repsol, Ho Chi Minh City office

Do Thanh Tuan graduated from FedUni’s Master of Business Administration degree in 2010. He now works as a Planning and Commercial Analyst at the Ho Chi Minh City offices of Repsol, one of the world’s leading energy companies.

‘Before I went to Australia’, says Tuan, ‘I did a lot of research to choose the best university for me. I read a lot of websites and visited a lot of agents. In the end, I chose FedUni because I was attracted to the idea of living in a smaller city and studying at a university renowned for small class sizes and personalised learning. I hoped that would help me to get more from the course and learn more about local culture. And that’s how things worked out.

‘The small class sizes – a maximum of 20 people – made learning more interactive. The MBA had a lot of local students with strong work experience, and all the lecturers were extremely helpful and experienced. They helped us discover things for ourselves and build knowledge through discussion and practical experience. For example, one of the Australian students in my class had just bought a nature reserve near the Great Ocean Road. As part of the course, a group of us visited the reserve and came up with a marketing plan to help her develop the business.’

Despite Tuan initially feeling lonely, Ballarat quickly came to feel like home. ‘It’s not easy to move by yourself to such a different environment, but after a week or two in Ballarat, I’d found a house, I’d begun my classes and started to adapt to Australian life. It helped that I had a few Vietnamese connections, who offered support and helped me find somewhere to live.

‘The lifestyle’s really enjoyable. It’s a wonderful town and I made great Aussie friends and got strong support from the Uni. There was a great mix of people on campus and a well-organised social club for international students. We played badminton together every week and enjoyed a wide range of activities and trips – I remember a camping trip, a river cruise, a ski trip and a tour of Victoria. I also learnt a lot by working in part-time hospitality jobs with local people. It gave me enough money to pay all my living costs and really built my confidence and independence.’

After returning to Vietnam, Tuan found that his experiences at FedUni had widened his career opportunities. ‘I got a job in a subsidiary company of Petrol Vietnam and then moved to a Canadian oil and gas company that was subsequently taken over by Repsol. Having good English gave me the chance to work with international companies, and the skills that I learnt on my MBA – creative thinking, financial management and economic analysis – have played a crucial role in my work.’