An “As Told To” interview by Kristaps Kovalonoks, Research Coordinator at Aalto School of Business.
This interview is part of a first-person storytelling series highlighting the personal journeys, ideas, and insights of members of Aalto University’s Entrepreneurship Unit (ENTU). Real stories, told in their own words.
What motivates a young student from central Vietnam to pursue business and sustainable entrepreneurship studies in Finland? In this interview, Vu Trang shares her journey from Dong Hoi to Aalto Mikkeli and now to Otaniemi, where she is both a student and programme assistant in the new Master's programme in Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Vu reflects on cultural contrasts, her exchange abroad, and the value of consistently showing up and getting involved.
My name is Vu Trang, and I come from Dong Hoi, a small town in central Vietnam. I moved to Finland in 2021 to start my bachelor’s degree in international business at Aalto Mikkeli. That decision was largely inspired by a high school friend who had studied there and told me about her experience.
When I was considering different universities in Europe, I remembered what she had said about Aalto and decided to look it up. I checked the rankings, read the website, watched the videos, and looked at the projects. The school seemed so dynamic and vibrant, which was a strong contrast to the introverted image I had in my mind of Finnish culture. That contrast was what I found most interesting.
Finland had already been named the happiest country in the world at that time, so I think that was already some good marketing. I also did a bit of research and learned that the culture in Finland is very different from Vietnam. People are generally more introverted, and I assumed the way of doing things would reflect that.
But when I looked deeper into Aalto, the atmosphere came across as so dynamic and vibrant. It felt like a strong contrast to the quiet and reserved image I had of Finnish people. I think that contrast is what I found the most interesting.
One of the biggest differences I noticed was the power distance. In Vietnam, we are very formal with teachers. We even have a national holiday, Vietnamese Teachers' Day, to honour them. You always address them by their title, and there’s a clear sense of hierarchy in how students interact with teachers.
At Aalto Mikkeli, it was completely different. It’s a small, close-knit campus with about 200 students in total, and only around 80 in each cohort. In comparison, my high school in Vietnam had over 1,000 students. In Mikkeli, everyone knows each other, including the professors, who go by their first names and even join student parties. I had read about this informality in Finland, but actually experiencing it was still a surprise.
Interestingly, I almost missed out on the programme. During my last semester in Mikkeli, Sustainable Entrepreneurship had only just been launched, so it wasn’t listed when I first started exploring my options. But I kept checking the Aalto website, hoping for something that would combine my business background with my passion for sustainability. When this programme appeared, I felt like it was created just for someone like me.
My motivation wasn’t just academic. I come from Dong Hoi, a region in Vietnam that is hit by devastating typhoons almost every decade. Growing up, I saw how destructive nature can be and how entire communities could be paralysed by storms. That left a lasting impression on me and made me deeply aware of the urgency of climate change. I’ve always known I wanted to do something about it, and for me, entrepreneurship is the most fitting path. This programme brought together everything I cared about: business, sustainability, and real-world impact.
Now that I’m here, I love it. From the beginning, I’ve taken every opportunity to get involved. I joined events, volunteered, connected with the ecosystem, and just showed up consistently. That active presence has helped me build a strong network and made me feel truly part of the Aalto entrepreneurial community.
The most engaging part has been how connected we are to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. From the very first course, Foundations of Entrepreneurship, we were introduced to organisations like Aaltoes, Kiuas, and the Aalto Ventures Program. We met real entrepreneurs who gave guest lectures, attended events, and offered direct insights into the startup world. These early connections gave us immediate access to the people and networks that matter, which is such a valuable part of the learning experience.
The biggest challenge is that we’re the first cohort. There are no existing traditions or structures to rely on, which is a major contrast to my experience in Mikkeli. The Aalto Mikkeli campus has over 20 years of history, with well-established clubs, annual events, and a strong sense of community. Everything there is built on long-standing traditions. Here in Otaniemi, we are starting from scratch. We are the ones shaping the culture and setting the tone for future students. It’s exciting, but also challenging to build something completely new.
Yes, and that’s one of my favourite parts of being here. For example, I volunteer as the sustainability lead for Junction, which is part of the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem. I actually got involved even before my studies officially began. I also joined the PORT_2025 hackathon, and my team ended up winning the graduate track. We’re now preparing for the Innova Europe Student Challenge in Berlin, Germany, later this autumn.
These kinds of opportunities often come through personal connections. I joined PORT_ because Apurva Ganoo had posted about it, and I find it easier to attend events when I already know someone involved in organising them. I’ve also encouraged classmates to join me in other projects.
Yes, I did an Erasmus exchange at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga as part of my bachelor’s degree. Most students from Aalto Mikkeli go abroad for one semester, and I was really looking forward to it.
While some students choose places like Asia or South America for a completely different experience, I wanted somewhere with the same peaceful, high-trust atmosphere I had come to appreciate in Finland. Latvia felt like the right fit for me in that sense.
That said, the academic environment at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga was very different. It is a traditional economics school, and many students there are preparing for careers in banking and finance. In contrast, at Aalto, I have mostly been surrounded by entrepreneurs, engineers, and designers. It sometimes felt like we were speaking different languages, but it also gave me a new perspective that I found really valuable.
It’s a part-time position, since I’m still a full-time student. My job is to help develop the Sustainable Entrepreneurship programme from the perspective of someone who is actually living the student experience. I think that’s really valuable, because students are one of the core stakeholders in any programme.
Being a student myself makes it easier to gather feedback and talk to others. I can connect with classmates, understand their concerns, and also approach partners in the ecosystem in a more relatable way. In a sense, I’m applying what I learn in my studies to real-life programme development, which is both meaningful and practical.
I think I will stay in the Nordics, at least in the near future. Not necessarily just Finland, but also exploring opportunities in the Baltic region. When I was in Latvia, I noticed how students from different countries collaborate, even without sharing the same language. That sense of openness and cross-border connection really inspired me. I could see myself being based in Finland but working more broadly across the Nordic-Baltic region.
I’ve also started learning Finnish because I want to integrate better and show that I belong here. After graduation, I’d like to start working, maybe in a startup, but I’m keeping an open mind. What matters most to me is building something meaningful that aligns with both sustainability and entrepreneurship.
My short and sweet advice is: just show up. Getting into the programme, writing your motivation letter, gathering your transcripts, preparing your CV, is already a big commitment. But that is just the beginning.
Once you are in, keep up the momentum. Go to events, join activities, meet people. Take every opportunity you can find. That is how you create your own luck. I think the reason I am where I am now is because I kept showing up and saying yes.
