From school meal fund to bigger ambitions in finance

As one of only seven Vice-Chancellor's Scholars in RMIT Vietnam’s scholarship program this year, Trinh Tue Linh is enrolling in the Finance major with a clear ambition: using financial innovation to address social challenges and expand opportunities for young people.

For Linh, that ambition grew from observations much closer to home.

While studying at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted in the former Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, now part of Ho Chi Minh City, she began noticing a reality that often went unseen.

“I realised that some of my peers were consistently skipping lunch,” Linh wrote in her personal statement. “They would claim they had a big breakfast or just were not hungry, but the truth was much heavier. Financial pressure was forcing them to go without food, and the heavy stigma surrounding poverty kept them silent.”

The experience prompted Linh to think more deeply about how support could be delivered in ways that were both effective and respectful of students’ privacy.

“As someone passionate about economics and finance, I asked myself a question: could I design a financial mechanism to solve this deeply emotional social issue?”

That question led her to develop FinBridge, a fintech-driven initiative that connects students in need with meal support.

Through a QR-based system, students can confidentially request assistance and receive meal credits without drawing attention to themselves. At the same time, donors can monitor how funds are used through a transparent reporting system.

For Linh, developing FinBridge was an opportunity to explore how financial principles, technology and thoughtful system design could be applied to real-life challenges.

“I no longer view finance merely as a way to generate wealth,” Linh said. “I see it as a powerful tool to solve real-world problems, bridge gaps in inequality, and build systems that care for people.”

That interest in business and finance extended beyond Linh’s own projects. Throughout high school, she actively sought opportunities to test her ideas in entrepreneurship and business competitions.

She placed among the top 12 finalists globally in the 2025 “Future Business Elite” Global Case Competiton organised by the Beijing Foreign Studies University and the top 10 finalists in the 2026 Vietnam Business Innovation Challenge (VBIC).

Alongside these achievements, Linh maintained a strong academic record. She won high prizes in provincial/municipal English competitions and achieved an IELTS score of 8.0 – accomplishments that helped prepare her for an international learning environment and complemented her growing interest in global business and finance.

Leadership and community initiatives were where Linh further honed her skills.

As founder and president of The Neverland project, she led activities that combined cultural engagement with community support, helping organise workshops attended by more than 200 participants and raising more than VND40 million and 150 gift packages for children's shelters in the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Linh served as president of the swimming club at her high school, where she helped organise competitions and water-safety activities for children. She was also the Vice Head Organiser of the Beyond Boundaries project at her school, which delivered a competition and content to make business and economics more accessible to high school students.

At RMIT, Linh hopes to deepen her understanding of finance, technology and data-driven decision-making while continuing to explore how business solutions can address social needs.

Her goal is to implement the FinBridge model across 50 high schools in Vietnam within the next three years. She also hopes to launch a student initiative to bring together RMIT students from business, technology and communication disciplines to develop solutions for social challenges. Beginning with issues such as school hunger, the concept could later expand to education access, health and youth wellbeing.

“I want to contribute not only achievements, but a culture of building with empathy, evidence and courage,” Linh said.

Story: Ngoc Hoang