Internship Experiences of Vietnamese Students Studying in the U.S.

4 Vietnamese students studying in the U.S. recently interned with Katalon – a product incubated by KMS Technology – with over 65,000 clients globally.

Dung, Tung, Mai, and Hieu – four Gen Z university students majoring in Technology and Marketing and studying in the U.S. – chose to come back to Vietnam for their internship.

Perks of doing internships in Vietnam

Being only 19 – 20 years old, these four young adults are already proving themselves. When asked about the perks of studying abroad, Dung Ngo – majoring in Math and Computer science at Tulane University – shared, “English fluency is one of the most crucial conditions to work in an international workplace. Besides, studying in the U.S. has given us the chance to keep updated with the latest technology trend in the world.”

Hieu Nguyen – a second-year student of Case Western Reserve University shared that his strength lies in the ability to approach a problem with independent thinking, which is necessary to work in the software field.

Understanding their own strengths and due to the Covid-19 situation, these four young students decided to return home to Vietnam for their internships. Mai Trinh – majoring in Marketing at Drexel university – shared, “It is not important what country, what matters most is the workplace. There are plenty of good positions in Vietnam that help young people learn and develop their own skills.”

Amongst the numerous tech companies in Vietnam, these four students chose Katalon. Tung Tran – a student at Drexel University, shared the reason why he chose to intern at Katalon: “Katalon is one of the best SaaS (Software as a Service) companies in Vietnam. I am interested in experiencing this industry in Vietnam because it’s emerging and offering so many opportunities for young people. An open environment where sharing culture is fostered is what I’m looking for.” 

Meanwhile, Dung stated that he appreciated his internship at Katalon because he could take part in actual projects like a full-time employee,. This included suggesting ideas and the flexibility to be creative under the guidance of his managers. The company also organizes seminars about technology and team building activities to connect team members.

When choosing a company for their internship, young adults often prioritize factors such as company culture, professionalism, and coworkers. For the same reason as Dung, Hieu shared: “I was rotated to different positions to gain more experience. All my coworkers at Katalon, regardless of departments, are open-minded and willing to help.”

IT companies in Vietnam attracting talent

According to Mr. Tran Kien Uy – Managing director of Katalon, the internship recruitment process is conducted professionally to choose the most qualified candidates. They will have the opportunity to develop their skills in an actual work environment where they are allowed to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned, which will provide them with a solid foundation for their future career.

“The four of them had to compete with other outstanding students from other universities, passing the tests and interviews with the technical team regarding both soft and technical skills,” Mr. Uy said. 

The career journey has just started for these four interns. Whether it’s the U.S. or Vietnam, no matter where they choose to develop their careers, their internship at Katalon surely played a significant part in giving them different perspectives on the Vietnamese working environment.

In recent years, tech companies in Vietnam have been recognized for internationally standardized work environments, attractive benefits, and opportunities to work with global clients. These efforts have sharpened the competitive advantages of the Vietnamese job market, which attracts students who are studying abroad to return and work as Vietnamese engineers and specialists.

This article was originally published by Zing News and Cafebiz.