In a few days’ time, I will be embarking on my very first overseas trip to Hanoi and Sapa, as an NTU student and as a USP scholar. While I have travelled to other Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, and Seoul, I have yet to set foot in Vietnam. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to find out that this year’s TOPS destination was indeed Vietnam.

I have been looking forward to this trip since the beginning of this semester, as my seniors had shared with us their positive experiences, such as the opportunity to bond with batchmates and USP faculty. Perhaps more than bonding within the USP community, I believe this intercultural exchange will enhance my college education as it allows me to gain new perspectives of the Vietnamese culture. Prior to this, I had only read about Vietnam through secondary sources of information such as Google and Wikipedia. It was this reason that my team, Hanoirific, decided to put Ecotourism as our first-choice research topic because we wanted to find out more about the cross-cultural exchange between tourists and Vietnamese locals and how Ecotourism has facilitated the gain or loss of shared knowledge. As none of my teammates have been to Hanoi or Sapa before, we are all equally eager to embark on this trip as batchmates and as researchers.

With no prior experience in research, I am apprehensive and admittedly, rather nervous as to how this trip will turn out. Thankfully, the weekly classes conducted by Prof Nat and Prof Rebecca helped me gain a better understanding of what research is about, and the online LAMS modules provided me with the basic foundation of how to conduct my research. I am thus grateful for USP’s strong support for the overseas learning experience that encourages proactive global citizenship, as well as the opportunity to conduct research overseas. Moreover, conducting research on humanities-related topics is something unique to the USP curriculum. Through TOPS, I want to develop skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration and teamwork that will enhance my education as an NTU USP scholar and allow me to be better equipped not just for the workforce, but as a more worldly person. These are important skills needed for the 21st century, and is in line with the USP’s mission and vision.

At the personal level, I hope to gain a better understanding of the world and find out how I can contribute to society as a Singaporean and as a global citizen. Through understanding the cultures of our South-East Asian neighbours, I hope to gain deeper insights on Singapore’s role in ASEAN and the wider region. I aim to apply the knowledge gained to my field of study in accountancy and business, where current trends point to the rising importance of the business of culture and the culture of business. This would be a perfect example of how a multidisciplinary education can complement my core discipline.

This is the beauty of USP.