Hong Mai has always been interested in computers since the beginning. She recalls having written her first script and thought it was amazing. “Writing a script and having it run successfully is a good feeling,” says Hong Mai.
Hong Mai’s parents were high school teachers but have since retired. It was certain that their two only daughters must continue on to higher education, the elder in IT and the younger in economics. Hong Mai currently lives with her family, almost an hour drive away from work and chooses to spend her weekends with her family indulging at the house or eating out at local restaurants. As she speaks in perfect English, she exposes her unfaltering determination to succeed in life.
However, her tone softens when asked about what she recently did with her family. “I took my mother for the first time to watch a movie in 3D, it was Priest,” she explains smiling with her head gently tilted down in humility. “She was not scared, but my sister and I were. She knew it was all fake. She wished she had seen Avatar in 3D.”
The young and old generations are experiencing Viet Nam’s rapid progression on the international scene. Since opening its doors to the world in 1992, the explosion of limitless opportunities burst within the country’s borders. Hong Mai is part of the 65% of the Vietnamese population under the age of 30. Her ambitions and her interests reflect the growing number of young professionals in Viet Nam who are taking advantage of their country’s political and economic climate.
Upon becoming a member of the World Trade Organization in 2006, Viet Nam provides an open-door policy to foreign investors along with a strong support to a global community with numerous English language centers found in Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi. With labor costs over 30% less expensive than India, Viet Nam steadily makes a presence in the top 20 of Global Services Media’s Top 100 Outsourcing Cities 2010 Poll.
The country continues to emerge as a highly sought after offshore/outsource destination who’s literacy rate according to UNICEF is in the top 96%. Vietnamese culture mirrors its Chinese counterparts with their hardworking attitude and strong family ties. The unity shared for a nation’s progression as a world player encourages the next generation to prove themselves in the international scene through all channels available.
Hong Mai could never have guessed that posting her resume online a few weeks before graduating college would land her an interview with LogiGear and put her developer skills to good use in software testing. But when opportunity knocks, it’s always a good idea to open the door.
