My Academic Journey — by Lam Ngoc Dinh
I never saw learning as something that stayed inside a classroom. For me, it has always been a way to question the world, connect people, and create something meaningful. My academic journey began not with grades or competitions, but with a quiet curiosity—and a chance to learn from professors, scholars, and thinkers who believed that students could do more than just study.
RESEARCH — DATA • METHODS • IMPACT
None of what I have done would have taken shape without the guidance of the two teachers who chose to believe in me before I fully believed in myself.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhung was the first to open the door to academic research for me—not as something distant or reserved for adults, but as a language I could learn to speak. She didn’t just give me a topic; she gave me the confidence to ask bigger questions and the discipline to find real answers.
Prof. Dr. Tran Thị Thanh Tu showed me what it means to pursue research with both rigor and purpose. Under her mentorship, I learned that a student’s voice could exist in global conferences, that our ideas could travel farther than we imagine if we dare to shape them well.
Their belief was never loud, but it was steady. They didn’t push—they guided. They didn’t impose—they trusted. And through their support, I came to understand that mentorship is not about replacing someone’s steps, but about lighting the path so they can walk it on their own.
To both of them, I carry not only gratitude, but a quiet promise: that every project I build, every workshop I lead, and every paper I contribute to will reflect the faith they placed in me.
Faculty of Banking & Finance, UEB‑VNU
Director, Dept. of Science & Technology, Vietnam National University
My academic journey began with a desire to help students move beyond theory and truly understand the world through research and real-world learning. I joined an academic organization that supports students in developing research skills and engaging in practical learning activities. There, I didn’t just participate — I contributed to building the academic foundation for other students.
The Junior Economist Society CLUB ( TJES)
🔹 I created a training document (PDF) that guides learners step by step on how to develop an academic project — from topic selection and research structure to data methods and presentation. This document has been used to train new members of the learner team.
Alongside supporting others, I conducted my own research. Under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhung from the Faculty of Banking & Finance, I participated in two academic studies:
Both studies were completed in academic report format, using real market data and quantitative analysis.
But I didn’t want research to stay on paper. I wanted to create spaces where knowledge can be shared, discussed, and applied. That’s why I designed and showcased the international workshop “Exploring the Global Economy”, which attracted around 40 learners (15 from TJES and 25 external participants). I was responsible for preparing both the slide deck and the photo archive.
🎤 The Speakers Who Shaped the Workshop
I had the opportunity to directly collaborate with three distinguished experts and researchers in economics, finance, and market insights:
👨🏫 Master. Nguyen Van Quan
→ An international economics expert with years of experience in global market integration and development.
👨💼 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngoc Lai
→ Lecturer and researcher at the University of Rennes, France, specialising in quantitative finance, econometrics, and the green transition.
👨💼 General Manager | Indochina Research - Xavier DEPOUILLY
→ General Manager at Indochina Research Vietnam, a leading market research and consulting firm.
With nearly 25 years of experience in Vietnam, he has played a key role in helping global companies understand both consumer and B2B markets.
💬 To me, these speakers were not just experts — they were bridge-builders between economies, cultures, and generations. Working with them helped shape my mindset: we don’t study just to know — we study to lead, connect, and create impact.
Stepping further into research, I became a Junior Researcher at Vietnam National University – School of Economics & Business. This was more than a title — it was a turning point. It was here, under the mentorship of two remarkable professors, that I first realized how debates could become research, and how questions raised in a contest could grow into published papers.
Vietnam National University - School of Economics & Business
That debate didn’t end when I left the stage; instead, it inspired two research projects, supported by sponsors from Vietnam National University.
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The first project, co-authored under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thị Nhung (Faculty of Banking & Finance), explored the connectedness between clean and dirty cryptocurrencies and green assets — asking whether investors truly care about environmental issues. | PDF | Link
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The second project, mentored by Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Tu (Head of Science & Technology, VNU), focused on Improving the entrepreneurial innovation capacity : A theoretical overview and Lessons from international experience, paper accepted at WorldCEM’25 - The 2025 World Conference on Economics and Management, Aveiro, Portugal, 16-18 October 2025 (Springer Proceedings, Scopus/WoS-indexed) | PDF | Link and at The World Finance & Banking Symposium (Springer proceedings in Business and Economics indexed in Scopus), Brno, Czech Republic, 15-17 December 2025 | PDF |Link
It began at the Lycée Français Alexandre Yersin de Hanoi Debate Tournament, where I was guided by my professors and later represented the school at the 11th International Eloquence Contest. The theme — “A Digital World: Hell or Paradise?” — pushed me to think about the future of technology, society, and sustainability.
These experiences taught me that research is not just about numbers, graphs, or academic writing. It is about transformation — turning debates into questions worth studying, turning curiosity into projects worth presenting, and turning mentorship into knowledge that travels beyond borders.
HONORS & AWARDS
