In late january, Truong Phuong Linh, 22, received her bachelor's degree in digital marketing alongside 220 other students. With a 3.99/4 GPA, Linh felt proud of establishing a rigorous study path from the start of her university journey.

"I didn't think about titles, only that to work in the right field, I had to study thoroughly," Linh said.

Truong Phuong Linh. *Photo: Courtesy of subject*

Linh is an alumna of Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary-High School in Hanoi. During her final year of high school, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic, remote learning led her to engage more with online content on social media.

Noticing the increasing diversity and creativity of digital content, from storytelling to image building and message dissemination, the student became curious. Linh then enrolled in the digital marketing program at Thuong Mai University.

Upon entering university, she quickly recognized the difference between high school and higher education. Accustomed to being lectured and guided by teachers, Linh realized she needed to be more proactive to avoid falling behind. She volunteered as a media collaborator for faculty activities, which allowed her early exposure to practical marketing work and a deeper understanding of her major.

According to Linh, the most challenging courses were marketing analytics and marketing research, as they required working with tools like SPSS and Power BI to process real-world data. Beyond classroom learning, Linh supplemented her studies with online courses, instructional videos, and professional materials found online.

In her specialized courses, Linh also engaged in group projects to develop hypothetical brands, manage social media communications, and measure effectiveness. She often led content and design, seeing the challenge in creating concise content that fit user behavior while still being engaging and conveying brand identity.

"Professors only guided the methods; I had to delve deeper and practice independently. Self-discipline is crucial," Linh reflected.

Due to her strong academic performance, Linh participated in an exchange semester in the US. The experience of living, studying, communicating, and connecting with international friends helped her recognize her self-reliance and collaborative abilities were better than she had imagined.

Phuong Linh at a Vietnam - US alumni event, 2025. *Photo: Courtesy of subject*

To graduate early in 3.5 years, Linh registered for one to two additional courses each semester starting from her second year. She stated she always created clear study plans, prepared her own outlines, and read extensive materials. While studying, Linh made an effort to connect knowledge across different sections and subjects, linking them to real-world problems.

The only course where she didn't achieve a perfect 4/4 score was basic human resource management. Linh expressed satisfaction, noting that a 3.99 GPA was still high and accurately reflected her learning journey.

To gain practical experience, Linh also completed internships and worked part-time in communications and digital marketing, participating in content creation, fanpage management, and data research.

Master Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong, a lecturer in the marketing management department at Thuong Mai University's Faculty of Marketing, commented that Linh possesses strong critical thinking, independent reasoning skills, and the ability to allocate her time to pursue multiple goals simultaneously. In specialized courses like digital marketing, search marketing, and email marketing, Linh approached topics with a practical mindset, not heavily theoretical.

"Linh doesn't learn through trial and error; she thinks like a professional, asking profound questions and having a clear direction to become an expert in her chosen field," said Ms. Duong, observing that with her current foundation, Linh has many opportunities for future development.

After graduation, Linh plans to work in digital marketing, focusing on analysis and strategy development. She is also considering pursuing a master's degree to enhance her expertise and expand her network.

Thanh Hang