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Ms.
Loan Le is a graduate of VEMBA Hanoi Intake 2 (2001-2004), and has recently
graduated from the Asia Pacific Leadership Program at the East-West Center in
Hawaii. The Editorial Board of (VEMBA Alumni Newsletter) congratulated and
interviewed her on this recent achievement as well as her experience with VEMBA
Hawaii.
Loan Le's short biography: A career business development and program
management professional, Ms. Loan has worked with the Embassy of Denmark in
Hanoi, USAID Vietnam, UNDP, the International Trade Center (ITC) of Geneva,
Strategic Consulting Group, MiTac International Corp. (Taiwan ICT), Singapore
Business Group, and the Australian Agency for International Development
(AusAID) in Vietnam.
During
her time working with these international organizations, she has provided
significant support to the private sector of Vietnam, the U.S., and Denmark.
Her major expertise includes business match-making, business development,
social entrepreneurship, and trade and investment advice. She has developed
hundreds of commercially viable partnerships in various sectors and facilitated
many business disputes and resilience-building in Vietnam.
VEMBA Hawaii:
What motivated you to study VEMBA Hawaii & how has this program changed
you?
My career passion in strengthening the private sector in
Vietnam and helping Vietnamese companies to better integrate and cooperate with
international partners was my initial motivation to pursue the VEMBA Hawaii. My
background and work experience with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) was a
good start for me to move forward to my passion.
In 2002, I was working with a UNDP Trade and Export
Development Project in Hanoi. Knowing that the VEMBA Program was one of the
best-quality accredited MBA programs in Vietnam, especially with it designed to
fit with those who had already had business experience at the executive level,
I decided to upgrade my skills and knowledge in business management to a larger
scale.
The program provided outstanding American professors from
Hawaii to teach us not only in theory but very much in practical. I can tell
that because a number of professors were business consultants who shared with
us a lot of valuable business experience in the U.S.
I was glad that what I learned from the program enabled me
not only to perform effectively at the workplaces but also to network and
integrate into the community and society both in Vietnam and the U.S.
After graduation from VEMBA, I worked with the Economic
Growth Program at USAID, then subsequently with the Business-to-Business (B2B)
Program of the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam where I earned a reputation for
contributing significantly to the growth of the private sector in Vietnam and
Denmark. And since I studied and worked at the East-West Center, I have
continued voluntarily to promote doing business in Vietnam with Hawaiian
companies by connecting with relevant business stakeholders in Honolulu. As for
me personally, the VEMBA Program also changed my mindset in many aspects of
life. For example, I learned how to think and work in creative and innovative
ways. Before, I was just a good follower to do what exactly I was told to do,
in sync with Vietnamese culture :- )
Another unique aspect of the VEMBA program is its offering
elective courses in Hawaii. I found this to be a superb opportunity for me and
other VEMBA participants to join class with American students and attend a lot
of networking events. Until now, I can still maintain my network with people we
met in Hawaii 10 years ago. Some have become my mentors; some are my great
friends.
The bottom line or what I gained perhaps most from the
VEMBA: Confidence. Before graduating from it, when I would receive leads for
high-powered jobs, I just didn’t have the confidence to go for them.
That changed with my having earned this Executive MBA. In
fact, I became the Head of the B2B Program for the Danish Embassy, with my
replacing a career Foreign Service Dane after the Danish Ambassador Peter
Lysholt Hansen recognized in me my ability to run his program.
VEMBA Hawaii:
What thing do you remember most about VEMBA Hawaii?
What I remember the most is my time learning and working
with my group consisting of six people. We applied each knowledge-gained from
the program and our professional experience to help develop a business strategy
for a newly established joint venture (JV) in the bedding sector.
One year after consulting and developing a strategy for
the venture needing improving, we learned that they had implemented our
strategic recommendations; as a result, their sales, turnover, and revenue had
increased 30-40% compared to that of the previous year. We had learned well,
and the University of Hawaii had taught splendidly!
That was the first time for my performance to bring a
tremendous benefit to a company, a fantastic experience in learning by doing.
More specifically, it was my group’s performance; they had chosen me to be
their group leader.
This consulting where we had to go out and find a company
for them to pay for our help was our VEMBA capstone course.
My three favorites about VEMBA Hawaii: Teamwork, fun
retreat with the VEMBA cohort, the program staff and professors, and an
absolutely wonderful trip to Hawaii for a summer session.
VEMBA Hawaii:
VEMBA Hanoi Intake 8 and HCM Intake 6 will take place next month. Could you
share with them some advice to be successful in the program or how to balance
work-life during this intensive program? Any message you want to give them as
new students and as future alumni?
Asking questions is the first thing I would like to share
with VEMBA participants. For example, English is our second language; therefore,
sometimes we may not fully understand a part of the lecture. One needs to ask
to make sure of understanding.
The more you ask, the more you can learn. Asking questions
related to your work is the way you can quickly learn in practice. VEMBA
professors sometime may give marvelous advice that helps you make a competent
decision or resolve a dilemma in life or at work.
VEMBA program is indeed intensive. I remember often staying
up late until 2-3am (even 3:30am for the management accounting course), to
complete my individual assignments and coordinate with my team to accomplish
group assignments.
Most of us worked during the day and had no time for
homework during the day. I was fortunate to have great support from my parents
and spouse who took good care of my child for me to concentrate on my work and
study. It is hard to have a good balance in this situation, but when we look
back, we should be proud of accomplishing successfully such a program. Practice
makes perfect, diligence is the mother of success – as our Vietnamese proverb :-) (co cong mai sac
co ngay nen kim).
Ms. Loan Le’s photo with her 3 year old-daughter
on the VEMBA 2 Graduation Ceremony, May 2004
VEMBA Hawaii:
You have had one more time to study with the University of Hawaii as an
East-West Center Fellow. Could you share your success with East West Center
Fellowship Program? How did you experience this opportunity and your advice for
candidates this year?
I am a graduate of the Asia Pacific Leadership Program
(APLP) this year. As I know, many fellowship programs prioritize for alumni. I
believe that being a VEMBA graduate (GPA 3.5) was part of my success in receiving
the APLP fellowship award. And of course, professional work and academic
experience, personal talent and capacity are also some criteria that the
East-West Center looks into during the application assessment.
My short comment about the APLP at the East-West Center:
Participants will enjoy in-class, outdoor activities, potluck, fun, networking,
leadership, connection, friendship, collaboration, sharing, team spirit, and
especially a three-week field study visit to the east coast of the US or China.
For me, it was just a fantastic learning experience not only from the US and
international lecturers but particularly from fellows from the many nations of
Asia Pacific.
The APLP applications for 2014-2015 are now being accepted
through Dec. 1, 2013. Please visit www.eastwestcenter.org/aplp or email aplp@eastwestcenter.org for more
information.
