The power of international education
In 2009, the Da Nang City Government in Vietnam sponsored a group of talented students to pursue pharmacy degrees at Monash University. Alchemy magazine caught up with three of them: Anh Vu Tran, Nha Tran and Lê Gia Lộc, to find out how the benefits of an international education helped each of them contribute to healthcare in Vietnam.
Anh Vu Tran: Empowering healthcare through collaboration
Anh Vu Tran.
Before Anh Vu Tran arrived in Melbourne at the start of his degree, he had never left his native Vietnam.
“I was a little bit nervous,” Vu recalls. “Everything about the experience was new to me: Australian culture, the student body, the food - even the transport system. It was all very different from what I had grown up with at home.”
However, Vu says it was this very ‘strangeness’ that made studying at Monash such a valuable experience.
“It opened my eyes to new cultures, new people, and new ways of thinking. The diversity of students and the professionalism of the lecturers really stood out to me.”
After graduating in 2013, Vu returned to Da Nang to work as a clinical pharmacist in a women and children’s hospital. He says that, although Vietnam’s healthcare system is very different from Australia’s, he was still able to apply many of the practical skills he learned in his undergraduate placements.
“It has been the group work and independent research in English that has really made a difference in my day-to-day work,” Vu explains. “I feel like I can find the answer to any questions that doctors or colleagues ask because I have been so well trained in researching resources and information.”
That passion for discovery has led Vu to since enrol in a Master’s Degree in Vietnam, for which he is currently studying.
Vu says he remains passionate about building bridges between local and global healthcare practices.
“Studying abroad broadened my perspective,” he shares. “I’d encourage others to study overseas—it’s a life-changing experience.”
“Monash is one of the best places in the world to study. The skills I developed—teamwork, decision-making, and English proficiency - were things I wouldn’t have been able to gain as easily if I had stayed at home.”
Nha Tran: Bridging policy and practice
Nha Tran.
For Nha Tran, Monash was the first step in a career that has spanned both continents and disciplines. After graduating in 2013, she completed a year-long internship in Australia, during which she worked as a community pharmacist.
Nha then returned to Da Nang, where she unexpectedly found a job working for the Department of Health.
“It was an interesting turn of events," she admits. “I didn’t ever think I would find myself working in the public sector - especially as all of my training up to that point revolved around counselling patients in community pharmacy.”
Because Vietnam’s health system is very different from Australia’s Nha says that, in some ways, she had to set aside many of the practicalities she had learned in the Australian system and start afresh.
‘However, my Monash training - particularly in critical thinking and problem-solving - was very transferable and invaluable,” she says. “Monash taught me critical thinking and also the mindset of contributing not just to the patient but to the healthcare system itself.”
Since then, Nha has pursued advanced studies in England and the United States, where she is currently completing a PhD in clinical pharmacy. She says her long-term goal from this study is to influence healthcare policy on a global scale.
“Policy allows you to make changes at a larger level,” she explains. “The evidence-based approach I learned at Monash continues to guide my work.”
Nha also credits her Monash experience with fostering cultural awareness and professional resilience.
“The Faculty created a welcoming environment for international students. The lecturers were approachable and supportive but at the same time so knowledgeable," she says.
“I am so lucky that I can bring back what I have learned in Australia, and also the United Kingdom and the United States, and apply it in Vietnam.”
Lê Gia Lộc: Transforming family and community healthcare
Lê Gia Lộc.
When Gia Lộc left his medicine degree in Vietnam to study in Australia in 2009 on a Da Nang City scholarship, the only things he knew about the country were its animals and famous landmarks. However, the four years he spent at the Parkville campus quickly became the defining moment in his life.
“Studying at Monash taught me to think critically, work independently, and adapt to fast-paced environments,” he says. “These are the skills I need every day in my current role.”
After graduating from Monash, Gia Lộc completed a year-long internship at a community pharmacy in Melbourne. However, he returned to Vietnam to a completely different role.
“Since I have returned, I have been working in a hospital,” he explains. “I started as a pharmacist but I am now Deputy Chief of International Cooperation. That means I manage international delegations, support foreign patients, oversee clinical trials and support foreign patients.”
“It’s very different from where I started but it is a very interesting job, and I apply my Monash education daily - especially when it comes to bridging international healthcare practices with local needs.”
Gia Lộc says that studying pharmacy at Monash didn’t only shape his trajectory but his whole family. Gia Lộc helped his brother, who initially studied agriculture, make a career change and set up a community pharmacy. Meanwhile, his sister is currently studying for a healthcare degree in Norway.
Gia Lộc’s insights into international pharmacy have also had an impact well beyond his siblings. Since returning, he has contributed feedback to the course design of a local pharmacy program, advocating for a more practical curriculum.
“Studying at Monash changed the way I approach challenges,” Gia Lộc says. “It’s not just about applying knowledge but thinking critically and finding practical solutions that make a real difference.”
