Đỗ Quang Thái Trúc, from the Faculty of Oriental Languages and Cultures, is among the students recognized by HUFLIT for her outstanding academic results and active participation in the HUFLIT Graduation Ceremony 2025.
For Trúc, the most memorable part of her university journey was her student exchange program in Japan. That experience inspired her to spread Vietnamese values and spirit within the international student community.
The first steps of a “Global Citizen”
Looking back on her university years, what Truc feels most proud of is the moment she confidently accepted the offer to join a student exchange program abroad.
“I received the offer to study in Japan from Ms. Phương Thu, a lecturer at the Faculty of Oriental Languages and Cultures. I agreed right away without any hesitation. I just wanted to try and see if I could do it,” Truc recalled a brave decision that marked her first step out of her comfort zone.
“The moment I landed in Japan is something I will never forget,” said New Graduate Thai Truc emotionally.
“Even though I knew Japanese, I was still confused when I first heard native speakers talk. I didn’t know how to take the train, and the weather that day was both windy and cold. But luckily, I still managed to find my way back to school.”
Talking about her study experience in Japan, Truc shared that she learned many valuable lessons — one of the most important was learning how to live harmoniously among different cultures.
“The university I attended in Japan was an international school with many students from other countries, so I had the chance to learn from many cultures.”
The journey to becoming a “global citizen” for New Graduate Thái Trúc began with those small yet courageous first steps.
“Vietnamese” moments in the Land of the Rising Sun
While living and studying abroad, Trúc always felt something deeply “Vietnamese” – a sense that her homeland was still close and present in her everyday life.
“One interesting similarity between Vietnam and Japan, in my opinion, is the tradition of visiting temples at the beginning of the year. In Japan, on the first day of the New Year, people go to temples to pray for peace. At that moment, I felt something so familiar — as if I were back in Vietnam,” Trúc shared.
From those very “Vietnamese” moments, Truc grew even prouder of the country where she was born. That pride inspired her to spread Vietnamese values among the international community.
“At every moment, I can clearly feel that I am Vietnamese! Whenever I have the chance, I always want to show who I am and introduce Vietnam to my international friends,” Truc said proudly.
“I really love food, so I often invite my friends to try phở, bánh mì, bánh chưng, coffee. Besides these popular dishes, I also introduced them to local specialties like sương sáo, mứt dừa, and even bánh tráng trộn”.
“My friends really enjoyed the Vietnamese food I shared with them. It made me feel so happy and proud!” Truc said.
Lessons from a journey abroad
Returning to Vietnam after her journey of becoming a “global citizen,” Trúc brought home a valuable lesson – the awareness and responsibility to share Vietnamese identity with the world.
“After the exchange program, I became even more motivated to reach further — to explore the world and to bring Vietnam’s stories closer to international friends,” Trúc shared.
According to Thái Trúc, every generation of Vietnamese people has its own “language” to express national identity. For today’s Gen Z, she believes that young people also have the responsibility to raise their voices – to tell the story of a proud, dynamic, and resilient Vietnam.
“Gen Z will tell Vietnam’s story in our own way and in our own language – to bring a fresh and youthful image of Vietnam to the world,” Trúc said.
Today, Truc returned to HUFLIT on a special day — the Graduation Ceremony. Before “taking off” on her next journey, Bachelor Graduate Thái Trúc shared that this “Graduation Flight 2025” will take her to new horizons. But wherever she goes, she will always carry with her a heart that belongs to Vietnam.
“If I imagine the next journey as a long flight, I want to take off with a heart that always turns toward my homeland. I hope to bring the name ‘Vietnam’ closer to international friends — just as I did during my time in Japan,” Trúc shared.
Thái Trúc’s proud university journey is a vivid example of the spirit of Vietnamese youth in the new era — confident to step into the world with pride in their identity and roots.
The university journey may have come to an end, but the dreams of youth are still ahead – bright and full of aspirations. Each HUFLIT new graduate carries a unique story, yet they all share the same mission of Vietnamese youth: to step confidently into the “Era of Growth” equipped with knowledge, determination, and a deep pride in their Vietnamese identity.
