A childhood memory that shaped the path ahead

Vy is one of the six Vice-Chancellor's Scholars who received RMIT Vietnam’s full scholarship in 2025.

At the age of eleven, Vy saw her father struggle, not from illness, but from financial pressure. What began as a small loan to cover urgent medical costs soon turned into a heavy burden, with rising interest rates and unexpected fees. What stayed with her most was the silence that filled her family’s home in Vung Tau. 

No one knew how to respond except to live through the uncertainty in quiet resilience. For Vy, that silence planted a lasting determination: one day, she would find a way to help others avoid facing the same situation.

That childhood memory has since shaped her dream of creating an accessible personal finance management tool. Vy envisions a mobile app that automatically tracks spending, categorises expenses, identifies early risks, and offers tailored advice to help users reach goals such as paying off debt, studying abroad, or building emergency savings. For her, financial literacy should not be a privilege but a necessity, as essential as healthcare or education.

Vy has already taken concrete steps to bring her ideas to life. In 2023, she became a core member of SEAGLE, a financial literacy initiative, where she spent nearly three months designing a financial simulation game. Inspired by Monopoly but adapted for Vietnamese students, the game introduced a three-sector stock market system with fluctuating prices based on supply and demand, as well as challenge cards that turned into lively mini-games. The initiative attracted more than 300 students and raised over 10 million VND for charity projects.

Within SEAGLE, she grew from a quiet contributor into a confident leader who helped secure major sponsorships for student events. These efforts eventually led to her appointment as deputy head of the project’s finance and translation team.

“Vy has a rare ability to combine strategic thinking with creativity,” said Nguyen Quang Trung Kien, president of SEAGLE. “She made financial concepts come alive and helped young people engage with them on a personal level.” 

Vy is looking forward to experiencing RMIT’s learning environment, which values creativity, critical thinking, and practical experience.

“The Vice-Chancellor's Scholars gives me an opportunity to study Finance in a global environment and take the first steps toward building a user-friendly personal finance management app for Vietnamese users,” she said.  

“I dream of becoming a financial analyst and eventually taking on senior roles in finance or investment firms.” 

“I want to help businesses make data-driven and sustainable decisions. One day, I also hope to start my own business, where I can apply everything I’ve learned to create value and give back to the community. RMIT, to me, is the place that will give me both the skills and the confidence to make those dreams come true.”

From witnessing her family’s financial hardship to becoming a scholarship student dedicated to improving financial literacy, Vy’s journey reflects resilience and vision. At RMIT, she is ready to transform her experiences into impact and help make financial knowledge a source of confidence and opportunity for young people in Vietnam.

Story: Quan Dinh H.