Behind the scenes at Wittenborg University with student Chinh Ha

Chinh Ha is a Marketing & Communication student at Wittenborg University from the capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi. She visited the Netherlands for the first time, in 2010 when her father was studying in The Hague. “The Netherlands is a very beautiful country and the people are friendly and nice” says Chinh.  “That’s one of the reasons I decided to study here”.

After taking a three-year marketing and communication course in Rotterdam she returned to Vietnam where she worked at a telecom company for five years in the marketing and branding department. Eventually she decided to do something different and came to Wittenborg to increase her knowledge about marketing & communication.

The excellent (international) student support that Chinh received while applying for the IBA course was one of the main reasons she chose Wittenborg. “Everything was done for me from the day that I applied for the IBA course; Wittenborg even arranged my visa for me. After one month and half I signed my study agreement and was ready to come to the Netherlands.”

“I do enjoy the fact that I can cycle here and see ducks and birds. That’s something you will not find in Vietnam.”

The adaptation to Apeldoorn took a little longer. Having travelled to The Hague and Rotterdam before, Chinh was used to Dutch citizens speaking English. Here in Apeldoorn she sometimes finds it difficult to speak to people because most of them prefer to speak Dutch. She also believes it would be great if Apeldoorn had a student community where students could meet each other and show each other around. But above all she has started to feel at home here.

Chinh lives with two other students in Apeldoorn Zuid. It’s a multicultural house with a Vietnamese, Brazilian and Indonesian student. All three of them are studying different specializations and phases. Chinh is currently in the final phase and is studying hard for her research methodology classes. “Research Methodology is a tough class, I would advise other students to revise what the lecturer has discussed right after class.”

After she graduates, Chinh would like to stay in the Netherlands for one or two years. She hopes to find a job here in an international company. After that she wants to return to Vietnam she wants to be close to her family after all.

“Wittenborg is like a family. It’s easy to get to know other students and everybody is friendly.”

WUP 25/4/2013

Interview by Nicky van Riggelen, Final Year Marketing and Communication Student