Inspirational Speech by Former BUV Scholarship Champion: ‘A Scholarship Is a Starting Point, Not a Limit’

At the BUV Scholarship Awarding Ceremony 2026, BUV alumnus Doan Thuy Duong — currently working in Finance at VinFast as part of Vingroup’s Executive Successor — shared heartfelt messages with the new generation of scholarship champions.

Drawing from her own journey as a former BUV scholarship recipient, Thuy Duong reflected on the experiences, pressures, uncertainties, and personal growth she went through during university and in the early stages of her career. Her sincere and relatable sharing inspired many students as they prepare to begin a new chapter ahead.

Doan Thuy Duong – BUV Alumnus in Finance & Accounting.

Below is the full transcript of her speech:

“Good afternoon, everyone, respected parents, lecturers, and of course, congratulations to all the BUV Scholarship Champions of 2026.

First of all, congratulations to all of you. To be here today, I’m sure each of you has worked incredibly hard and stayed determined, even during the moments when you felt like giving up. So before anything else, please give yourselves a big round of applause for everything you’ve achieved.

Right now, I’m working in Finance at VinFast as part of Vingroup’s Management Trainee Program. But four years ago, I was sitting exactly where you are today — excited, proud, but also wondering what university life would actually be like.

So today, I’d like to share a few things I learned throughout my university journey — lessons that I hope may help you, even just a little, as you begin this new chapter.

During my time at BUV, there was always one question at the back of my mind: “What am I going to do after graduation? And will it really be the right job for me?”

I think many scholarship students feel this invisible pressure. Once you’ve received a scholarship and been allowed to study in a great environment, you naturally feel that your future career should somehow be “worthy” of all the effort that brought you here.

I wonder if any of you have started thinking about that already?

To be honest, after graduation, I spent around four months feeling a little lost. It wasn’t because I couldn’t find a job — there were opportunities. I just didn’t fully understand what I wanted or what kind of work truly suited me.

That’s why I believe that before graduation, if you can answer these three questions for yourself, your journey afterwards will feel much less confusing:

First, what knowledge and skills do you actually have?

Second, what are you genuinely good at, and what are your weaknesses?

And third, what kind of work do you truly want to do?

University is the time to discover those answers.

And in my opinion, the fastest way to do that is through experience.

What I did throughout university was start interning very early and do it as often as possible.

Internships teach you things that classrooms never can.

They help you understand what kind of environment suits you best — whether it’s a local private company, a multinational corporation, or a state-owned organisation. Only when you actually work in those environments do you begin to understand where your personality fits best.

The same goes for the nature of work itself.

Are you someone who enjoys working directly with clients, negotiating, presenting ideas, and being at the front line?

Or are you someone who thrives behind the scenes — in finance, HR, logistics — quietly preparing everything so the rest of the team can perform at their best?

Neither choice is right nor wrong.

But understanding who you are and what you truly want before graduation can save you years of feeling lost while trying to figure it out later in your career.

And finally, there’s one last thing I want to share with you.

You are starting university from a very proud position as scholarship winners. But please don’t let that achievement become a limit for yourselves.

One common trap that many high achievers fall into is becoming too comfortable doing only the things they are already good at. We focus on grades, choose safer paths, and avoid situations where we might fail.

And then a few years later, we graduate with an excellent transcript, but without fully discovering our own potential.

Please don’t let that happen to you.

The most valuable thing BUV gave me was not just knowledge. It was an open environment where I had the chance to discover who I really was under pressure.

Through group projects that didn’t go as planned.

Through internships where I was the least experienced person in the room.

Through moments where I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but still had to find a way forward.

Those are the experiences that help you grow the most.

So during your years at BUV, I hope you’ll make the most of every opportunity to step outside your comfort zone.

Apply for internships that feel slightly beyond your abilities.

Put yourself in rooms where you are not the smartest person there.

Because that is how you truly grow.

And one day, you’ll hopefully look back just like I do now — grateful for a university journey filled with challenges, experiences, and personal growth, with a career you genuinely enjoy, and with a much clearer understanding of who you are, what you’re good at, and what kind of future you want to build.

Congratulations once again.

I wish all of you courage, growth, and the confidence to keep moving forward.

Thank you everyone for listening.”