Good morning, Vietnam
For those of us who work at Concordia, the last 10 years have been exciting. Enrolment has soared, new faculty were hired, and the Science Complex and EV Building have changed the Concordia landscape.
Equally important, the internationalization of our student body has redefined us, both locally and abroad.
I have just returned from a student recruiting trip in Japan and Vietnam, five cities in 14 days. Life on the road has its challenges: an earthquake in Tokyo, a torrential downpour in Ho Chi Minh City and the joys of travelling economy class on Vietnam Air.
Although the cultures may vary and the food sure tastes different, the value of a university education and the dreams it can fulfill remain constant. It was heartwarming to meet so many parents and their children at our Concordia booth at the CEC (Canadian Education Centre Fair) in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
The Vietnamese student market is very attractive as almost 60 per cent of the country’s population is under 30 years old and their economy is beginning to show strong growth.
The fairs were well attended, and most questions centred on business and engineering undergraduate programs and our MBA and ESL programs.
Concordia is relatively well known in this market. Patricia Brown, consul at our Canadian embassy in Hanoi, said students applying to Concordia re-presented one of the largest student visa applicant pools at the embassy.
She explained our popularity with the Vietnamese was due to the quality of our degree and English as a second language programs, good word of mouth from other students, and a large Vietnamese community based in Montreal. In fact, a number of Concordia graduates visited the booth to reminisce.
In addition, a few newly admitted students showed up clutching their Concordia acceptance letters. They wanted to know what the weather would be like in January. I was more then happy to talk about the university, but I declined to comment about the weather.
The world is truly getting smaller and Concordia’s reputation is clearly getting bigger. It was only fitting that on my return to Montreal, the customs officer at the Trudeau Airport asked me where I had been and the purpose of my visit. When I explained, he replied that he was a Concordia alumnus.