Binh Nguyen – Vietnam

Please give a brief introduction of yourself.

Hi! My name is Binh and it means “peaceful” in Vietnamese. I am 23 years old and from Hanoi, Vietnam. I majored in Commerce and am now working in the Financial Services industry. I am personally interested in K-pop and this interest sparked a curiosity about Korea.

How did you start interning at VANK?

I worked at VANK for 8 weeks as full-time summer intern in 2011. I came to know about VANK and its wonderful internship opportunity through the job database maintained by AIESEC, an international student organization that promotes internships in various countries. As a fan of K-pop, I had always been interested in visiting and exploring Korea so I was thrilled at the chance to intern at a friendly Korean NGO that shares stories about Korean culture, history, and heritage with the world.

What were your duties as an intern?

I worked mainly as a reporter and translator. I wrote feedback with an external person’s perspective on VANK’s documentaries, stories, and other materials on Korean topics. Much of my work had to do with contributing to and managing the Friendly Korea Community and World Changer website. Additionally, I wrote several reports on assigned subjects such as “The Influence of Hallyu” and “My Dokdo Camp Experience.” I also worked on translating VANK’s English materials into Vietnamese. During my internship, VANK organized a lot of conferences for young Korean students so I had many chances to participate in and learn about organizing these events.

Was your internship experience as you expected? Why or why not?

The internship significantly exceeded my expectations! I came to Seoul anticipating 2 months of serious white-collar work in the office but instead I ended up joining a family.

The VANK office members were like family members to me; the atmosphere was completely welcoming. There was no strict observance of an office hierarchy and all staff had friendly relationships with one another. Gitae would kindly offer to make me coffee sometimes after our lunch together. My research supervisor, Hyunsook would propose research topics that she and other VANK staff members knew I would love to write about (Hallyu!). And Wonjung would often take pictures of me and the other staff. The internship was such a memorable time and I love every second of it.

I could not speak or understand Korean so living in Seoul and working in an office surround by entirely Korean people was definitely difficult, as expected.

But the thing is, I was really lucky because I received tremendous help from everyone in the office. They taught me basic Korean greetings and sayings and helped me whenever I had any questions about life in Seoul. Everyone in the office helped ease my transition to Seoul and made everyday life happier. Sunhee would often walk to the train station with me on our way home after work. Saebom would take me around the city on our search for Korean bubble teak. Saebom, Hyunsook, and Jungae all invited me to visit their homes. When I wanted to try new food and visit a new area, Bokyung took me to the Ewha Women’s University. There are so many countless things I was helped with and I am still feel so very grateful.

What have you gained from your experience as an intern?

I met many Koreans who helped me widen my knowledge about the traditions, culture, food, and history of the beautiful country Korea and the exciting city Seoul. I also learned about the various issues and conflicts as well as dreams and hopes of the people in Korea. Simultaneously, I developed my ability to work with foreigners in an entirely unfamiliar and foreign environment. I also learned to spend time with and understand Korean and foreign friends of all different ages and backgrounds. It was truly an eye-opening experience because I got to learn a lot both from the nature of my work and from the relationship I shared with the friends I made in Korea.

The highlight of my internship was participating in the Dokdo leadership camp. Not only did I learn a lot of about the Dokdo conflict, I was also able to interact with many young Korean students and understand their dreams and wishes for a brighter and more peaceful future. I witness the successful efforts of VANK in organizing such a wonderful platform for the Korean youth (who came from all over the country) to come together in order to discuss their goals and plans for the future, share their love for their country, and build strong relationships with one another. It feels surreal to relive this wonderful adventure of August 2011.

Describe some of your short-term and long-term goals.

My personal short-term goal in the next few years to meet up again with as many of my Korean friends as possible either by re-visiting Korea (which I did in 2012 and hope to do again!) or by welcoming them in my home city of Hanoi, Vietnam. Or perhaps we will meet in another country, who knows where life may take us.

My long-term goal is to always cherish and maintain life-long friendships with the friends I was blessed to have made in Korea, for such relationships mean a lot to me in my life.