Nanyang Fellows MBA

Elevating Vietnam-Singapore Ties with Strategy, Diplomacy and the Nanyang Fellows MBA

In March 2025, Vietnam and Singapore achieved a historic milestone. They became the first ASEAN nations to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) – the highest level of bilateral cooperation that encompasses trade, technology, sustainability and regional security. 

Behind this diplomatic triumph lies years of groundwork laid by officials like Cao Xuan Thang, Vietnam’s Commercial Counsellor in Singapore. “Business between Vietnam and Singapore is not just a bilateral relationship between two countries, but it is also a multilateral business relationship,” explains Thang.

Thang had years of practical experience serving his country in Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). Yet he recognised a crucial limitation in his public sector career development. “All my experiences in leadership and economy have come from my practical experiences,” he reflects.

As Vietnam became Singapore’s largest rice supplier and bilateral trade approached US$23.5 billion, advancing in government service demanded strategic capabilities beyond his engineering background.

This realisation led Thang to pursue the Nanyang Fellows MBA programme. The Fellows experience brought together innovation, technology, economics, leadership while linking everything to real world examples and the global economic situation.

For someone seeking advancement in public sector service, the Nanyang Fellows MBA offered exactly what he needed to elevate his government career.

Managing a complex trading relationship

Originally trained as a specialist, Thang’s engineering expertise served him well as he rose through the ranks of the MoIT. However, this practical training could only take him so far.

As the head of Vietnam’s Trade Office in one of the world’s most sophisticated trade hubs, Thang faced daily challenges in complex economic diplomacy. Singapore’s position as the fourth-ranked global financial centre, with over US$400 billion in annual imports, presented unique challenges for advancing Vietnamese interests.

“Our Trade Office activities not only facilitate business connections between Vietnam and Singapore, but support third parties to connect with Vietnam through Singapore as well,” Thang explains. Managing such complex relationships within his public service role demanded strategic thinking that his practical experience alone couldn’t provide.

Thang recognised that advancing further in Vietnam’s civil service required academic frameworks to complement his hands-on government experience. He needed expertise at the intersection of public policy and business strategy to better serve his country’s interests.

When a friend introduced him to the Nanyang Fellows MBA, Thang paid attention. “The syllabus was interesting to me – an opportunity to gain more knowledge of leadership academically,” he recalls.

Getting up to speed on Vietnam-Singapore trade

From day one, the Nanyang Fellows MBA set the tone for Thang’s future career trajectory. Prof Yougesh Khatri’s first-trimester course in Contemporary Economic Analysis and Public Policy provided Thang’s “first real academic dive” into economic policy frameworks. These analytical tools would later inform his strategic approach to advancing Vietnam’s interests through multilateral partnerships.

The programme’s international components proved equally valuable for his government career. The Nanyang Fellows MBA included two-week programmes at UC Berkeley and Tsinghua University, exposing Thang to how the US and China approach trade policy and business strategy differently.

These experiences were priceless, as it broadened his perspective on how different nations structure their economic diplomacy.

Towards the end of the programme, Thang undertook the required Strategic Projects at Nanyang (SPAN) – a capstone project that tests Nanyang Fellows MBA participants’ ability to apply classroom knowledge to real-world business challenges.

The project’s telecom industry sponsor pushed Thang outside his comfort zone, giving him the adaptability needed to represent Vietnam effectively across a range of sectors. “Our project was about the telecom industry – a new sector for most of our team members,” Thang recalls. “It taught us to quickly get up to speed on a new industry, gather the right information, and manage risks.”

The overall academic experience fundamentally changed Thang’s approach to his MoIT responsibilities. He now takes a multilateral approach to cross-country trade, better leveraging common membership in trade agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to advance Vietnam’s broader economic objectives.

Strategic implementation in practice

Thang’s Nanyang Fellows MBA experience coincided with historic milestones in the Singapore-Vietnam trade relationship.

Bilateral trading between Vietnam and Singapore reached a record value of 31.67 billion SGD. In 2024, Vietnam became Singapore’s 5th largest seafood exporter, overtaking Japan with 9.2% market share. Most notably, Vietnam became Singapore’s largest rice exporter for the first time, capturing 33% market share.

Thang was an active participant in these developments. His enhanced public sector capabilities enabled breakthrough achievements in market access. In 2025, Singapore’s Food Agency officially approved exports of heat processed chicken, egg and meat (excluding beef) from Vietnam – representing the first successful negotiation of its kind between the two countries.

His office’s approach to economic diplomacy throughout 2024 helped pave the way for the bilateral relationship upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025.

Thang’s future work within Vietnam’s public service will certainly be influenced by his transformed perspective through the Nanyang Fellows MBA. “What I learned about leadership in the Nanyang Fellows MBA is well combined with my practical experiences to support my present role,” he tells us.

The path forward for public-sector leaders

The Nanyang Fellows MBA’s intersection of technical knowledge, practical experience, and strategic thinking continues to shape Thang’s approach to public service excellence. His journey illustrates how government officials can enhance their career impact through continuous learning and professional development.

For those navigating similar paths in public service and seeking career advancement within government roles, the Nanyang Fellows MBA offers a unique platform to develop strategic capabilities while maintaining professional commitments.

The programme’s blend of academic rigour and practical application creates leaders equipped for the complexities of modern public administration. As Thang’s experience demonstrates, this combination is invaluable for those seeking to make a greater impact within their public sector roles.

Discover how the Nanyang Fellows MBA can enhance your public service leadership journey.