Linh Pham

“It is a real honour to be a New Zealand Scholarship recipient. Being a New Zealand Scholar pushed me towards creating realistic, measurable goals on the way to becoming a marketing practitioner. I have already achieved my first goals – publishing my official marketing blog page and having my first academic publication.

“I aspire to become a marketing practitioner in the tourism industry, because I know that with proper marketing skills and knowledge I can help small tourism firms in poor rural areas in Vietnam, my home country. I have travelled to many different regions in Vietnam where I saw poor households that previously survived on agriculture now moving to tourism with the hope of earning a better living for their family. Many struggle as they don’t have access to affordable, practice-based business and marketing knowledge. That’s why I’m passionate about providing accessible marketing services to elevate rural tourism businesses in Vietnam.”

“Staff at the University, especially the professors, are very welcoming and supportive. They have given me insightful and valuable advice on not only course-related matters, but also career prospects and future development. I’ve also had great support from the International Student Advisers at the University and New Zealand Scholarship alumni. The in-time, accessible support was a big factor that eased my worries during the application process.

“I aim to become a marketing consultant for small and medium tourism firms (SMEs) in Vietnam within the next five years. The Master of Marketing is a great starting point, as I have the chance to gain knowledge as well as the professional conduct of an industry consultant. Outside of lectures we practice consultancy projects with real clients – companies from various industries. The programme will help kick start my career in multiple ways, from the application of knowledge in real work to polishing my CV and building my reputation as a consultant.”