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The alumni of Aalto University gathered for the first time at alumni events in Vietnam
A total of over 70 alumni and friends of Aalto gathered in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in November for alumni events hosted by Timo Korkeamäki, Dean of the School of Business.
The number of Vietnamese degree students in the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs at Aalto University has grown in recent years, from about 200 in 2019 to over 400 students in 2023. The Vietnamese student market is particularly important for the School of Business, as nearly half of Aalto's Vietnamese students study business and economics.
Aalto University's goal is to attract more international students to Finland and educate them to become top professionals needed by our society. Vietnamese students are generally known for their strong work ethic and desire to succeed, which is why many other top universities worldwide also wish to welcome them. Students from outside the EU and EEA areas have to pay tuition fees, and scholarships are now significantly more scarcely available than before, making the competition even tougher.
The alumni events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were timed to coincide with the "Road to Finland" fairs organized by the Finnish National Agency for Education and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. At the fairs, Aalto was represented by Eeva Liinamo-Liukku from student recruitment and Annika Paananen from admissions services, as well as our alumni Hang Le and Topi Hukkanen at the Hanoi fair. Aalto University was of particular interest to the high school students and their families at the fairs in both cities.
The Finnish Ambassador to Vietnam, Keijo Norvanto, opened the alumni events in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, highlighting the importance and role of universities in the relations between Vietnam and Finland. Dean Timo Korkeamäki followed with updates from Aalto University and the School of Business. Jonna Söderholm (Head of External Relations at the School of Business) shared information on Aalto's ongoing fundraising campaign: ‘In order to fund their operations, universities in Finland have to develop a culture of giving back, which is a norm in many parts of the world. I also encourage our alumni to apply to become Aalto Alumni Ambassadors, who play an active role in developing local alumni communities.’
Rayshmar Janani (Business Development Manager) briefly presented the activities of Aalto University Executive Education.
In Hanoi, the keynote speech was given by alum Hang Le (Data Analyst, Synodus), who shared her diverse experiences from her time studying at Aalto – such as her volunteer work at Slush and interdisciplinary student projects – and the lessons she applied to her career. Our alum Sarah Nguyen (Marketing & Growth Director, Shopee) in her keynote presentation in Ho Chi Minh City, compared the cultural differences between Finland and Vietnam and shared her experiences working in both countries.
In Hanoi, the evening continued with networking at an event organized by the Finnish National Agency for Education, bringing together all the universities and universities of applied sciences participating in the Road to Finland fair. In Ho Chi Minh City, the discussion with alumni continued actively at Aalto's own event with cocktails well into the evening.
'It was great to meet such a large number of our alumni, including those who have recently graduated, and to hear how much they appreciate the education and experiences they received,' described Dean Timo Korkeamäki. 'Many bachelor's degree graduates mentioned that they are applying for our master's programs and that they miss Finland and the Finns.'
The purpose of these alumni events organized worldwide is to strengthen the Aalto University alumni community also outside Finland. In recent years, the leadership of Aalto University has met alumni in places such as New York, Los Angeles, Palo Alto and Istanbul. Over the past nine years, the Dean of the School of Business has hosted alumni events in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Brussels, Singapore, Seoul, Palo Alto, New York, London, Stockholm and Stanford University campus (multiple times in some of these locations).
For more information:
Jonna Söderholm
Head of External Relations, School of Business
jonna.soderholm@aalto.fi
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