Nanyang MBA

From Career Advancement to Practical Life Lessons: Vietnam Alumni Share Their Nanyang MBA Takeaways

Seeing an MBA as an opportunity to go further in their careers, Song Han and Hanh chose the Nanyang MBA programme for its global recognition and reputation, relevant location, and promise of high-value knowledge and skills, among others.

We asked them to share how the Nanyang MBA experience not only delivered on these expectations, but also how it came with surprising takeaways.

The road to the Nanyang MBA

“At that time, strategy consulting was relatively new in Vietnam,” she noted. “While consultants could develop well-written strategies, implementation was often very challenging.”

To address this issue, Song Han wanted to learn how to build competitive strategies, and she knew an MBA would help.

Hanh, on the other hand, worked in accounting and investor relations for the startup Ecomobi Corporation Pte. Ltd. As she got further involved in meetings with stakeholders and management where various business topics from operations to investment were discussed, she realised she needed to learn more.

“I was keen to improve my business acumen,” she said.

A Nanyang MBA checks all career advancement boxes

To both Hanh and Song Han, Nanyang Business School (NBS) was an attractive choice both in name and location.

Hanh noted that the NBS’s Nanyang MBA programme “is highly valued and recognised not only in Singapore but also on a global scale.” NBS aligned with her aspirations, as she was aiming for a top university so she could work in Singapore after.

As Song Han planned to work in Vietnam, she wanted to study within Asia and build her professional network in the region, too. “Singapore became the top choice because it is among the most technologically advanced markets in the SEA region,” she said, adding that Nanyang Technological University is a reputable school.

The 12-month duration of the Nanyang MBA programme also matched their needs. To Hanh, it was just the “right period of focused study” before she dives into full-time work again, while Song Han wanted a short career gap as much as possible.

Opening new doors with the Nanyang MBA programme

The Nanyang MBA generated new possibilities and opportunities for our Vietnamese alumni. Hanh, for her part, “acquired the knowledge and skills essential for many careers,” she told us. “The degree opens up new fields for me such as operations, investment, finance, and consulting.”

For Song Han, her APEC scholarship and the Nanyang MBA programme’s focus on tech encouraged her to a career shift in the tech industry. A 2019 graduate, she now works at TapTap, a loyalty platform tech startup in Vietnam.

“There are exciting developments in this market,” she said, adding that she plans to be more hands-on when implementing strategy.

Nanyang MBA capstone projects teach real-world lessons

In addition to their new knowledge and skills, the two alumni gained fresh insights beyond the classroom through the programme’s capstone projects.

For Hanh, who worked at the back office in her previous jobs, the Strategy Projects at Nanyang (SPAN) module was a novel experience, as she was involved in the project’s entire life cycle. “It gave me a deeper understanding of project management and the challenges and rewards of seeing a project through to its successful completion,” she said.

Meanwhile, the capstone project that stood out most for Song Han is the Business Study Mission (BSM), where students visit companies in Asia and engage with management. “During my one week in Tokyo, I learned valuable insights in key industries, work, and life,” she said.

A Nanyang MBA makes you more culturally agile

Each cohort has students from different countries and professional experiences, bringing in unique perspectives.

Hanh found the Cultural Intelligence course at the beginning of the term helpful for her to understand and collaborate with her peers. She brought these lessons with her to the workplace, which helped her “see things from different angles and be more agile in dealing with various stakeholders.”

In the same vein, Song Han noted that she learned empathy in working with different people through the MBA’s team projects.

A Nanyang MBA comes with surprising takeaways

The two graduates also took home some unexpected lessons from the programme.

While Song Han said the workload and the team meetings where people do not always share the same views could be draining at times, she noted that the team context, the pressure, the deadline is what real life is.

“Rising up to the challenge is important especially if we want to become leaders, CEOs,” she pointed out.

For Hanh, the case studies and real-life scenarios in courses like Strategic Management and Competitive Strategy helped improve her critical thinking and decision-making.

A bonus lesson was her enhanced communication skills when she became the chair for the Women in Business Club. “I also had the chance to interact with inspiring women leaders,” she said.

Conclusion: The Nanyang MBA’s lessons and opportunities

These graduates took home lessons both expected and unexpected from the Nanyang MBA programme and are using these to move further in their professional lives and work fruitfully with different people.

Whether you are from Vietnam or elsewhere in the world, these learnings and opportunities can be available to you, too, through the Nanyang MBA programme.

The Nanyang MBA is a flexible 12-month or 18-month programme designed to fuel your growth into a future-ready leader equipped with the skills needed to excel in a global, digital environment. The programme aims to develop impactful, culturally adept leaders who embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.