24-year-old Dinh Mai Anh recently received the exciting news of being awarded two master's scholarships. This achievement is the culmination of years of dedicated work building a strong academic record and pursuing her dream of studying abroad.
"I'm thrilled that my efforts have paid off," she said, adding that she has chosen to study international management and communication at Grenoble Alpes University. According to the 2026 QS World University Rankings, Grenoble Alpes University is ranked 321st globally and 8th in France.
The France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship covers visa fees, enrollment, round-trip airfare to France, insurance, and a monthly living allowance of over 1,180 EUR (over 35 million VND). Public universities in France do not charge tuition fees.
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Dinh Mai Anh. Photo provided by the subject |
Dinh Mai Anh. Photo provided by the subject
Anh is a former student of the French specialized class at Nguyen Trai Specialized High School in Hai Duong. Having won first prize in the national French competition in her final year of high school, she was directly admitted to the French-taught business communication program at Hanoi University in 2019.
According to Dr. Dang Thi Viet Hoa, head of the French department at Hanoi University, Anh's DELF B2 certification (the highest level of basic French proficiency) exempted her from first-year French courses, allowing her to begin specialized studies immediately with second-year students. At that time, she also held an IELTS score of 7.5.
"Despite her young age, she was intelligent and consistently ranked among the top students in all my classes," Dr. Hoa said.
Anh's dream of studying abroad began in high school. She focused on building a strong profile with excellent grades and active extracurricular involvement. After graduating, she worked for a period to gain practical experience before applying for master's scholarships.
Initially, she found it challenging to adapt to the new university environment while keeping up with the demanding coursework to stay on track with the older students. The practical French course, for instance, was twice as intensive as the first-year equivalent. At the same time, she was also taking general education courses like philosophy and Vietnamese practice.
"My strategy was to maintain the same study habits I had in high school. I focused on absorbing the material in class and reviewed closer to exam time," Anh explained.
She also actively participated in various university clubs and student projects, including a communications role for the "Turn Off the Lights, Turn On Ideas" project, which aimed to raise awareness about environmental protection and support Earth Hour. This provided her with valuable experience in communication, teamwork, and social activism.
In her third year, Anh received the SEED scholarship, a Canadian government exchange program, to study social communication at the University of Quebec for six months. This experience further strengthened her French language skills and subject matter expertise, solidifying her goal of pursuing graduate studies abroad.
Upon returning to Vietnam in 1/2022, Anh began working on her thesis, "Analysis of the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) environmental communication strategy". She meticulously analyzed articles and videos used in WWF's campaigns to assess their effectiveness. Her research concluded that the impact was primarily short-term and lacked broader influence.
"The logical writing skills I developed during my exchange program were instrumental in helping me analyze the materials effectively," she said.
According to Dr. Hoa, Anh's thesis received a near-perfect score of 9.9/10. "She quickly grasped the teacher's requirements, exceeded expectations, and demonstrated strong analytical and writing skills in both English and French," Dr. Hoa commented. Anh graduated early that year with a GPA of 3.72/4, ranking first in her program.
To confirm her career path, Anh decided to work to see if she truly wanted to pursue a career in communications. At FPT's Education Division, she worked as an event organizer and communications officer, responsible for developing, organizing, and promoting educational, cultural, and artistic activities for students at nearly 30 locations nationwide.
Building on these experiences, in 9/2024, Anh applied for scholarships to study abroad. Thanks to her strong academic record, extracurricular activities, and work experience, she could focus on her motivation letter and letters of recommendation.
She explained that motivation letters typically consist of two parts: the reasons for choosing the program and university, and future study plans and career aspirations, with no word limit. Anh expressed her interest in the cultural intersection between France and other countries, particularly in the ASEAN region. She also highlighted France's strong educational and research tradition, especially in communication and management. She believes that studying in France will provide her with access to advanced communication technologies and strategies that she can apply to her future career. Her lifelong study of French is both a motivation and an advantage in pursuing this path.
The application process for the Belgian government scholarship was similar, she noted. Neither scholarship required an interview.
Pham Tuyet Hanh Ha, Anh's direct supervisor at FPT's Education Division, described her as an exceptional employee. During her two years there, Anh had the opportunity to develop her skills and knowledge, proving herself through various projects. Her language proficiency led to her being appointed as the communications team leader for several international competitions.
This September, Anh will embark on her two-year study abroad journey in France. She plans to work there for a period after graduation before returning to Vietnam to work in French international cooperation agencies.
Binh Minh
