A Loving Journey @ VinUni
“Though this is not how I imagined my first year would end, but wherever I am, I still love my friends, my teachers and my school.” *Written by Le Trung Kien, Student of the College of Business and Management.
In the face of increasingly complex development of the COVID-19 pandemic, with rising number of community-transmitted cases without traceable F0, VinUniversity had decided to transfer all classes and end-of-year exams online after the entire school tested negative for COVID-19. As summer is approaching, to get students home safely before the situation becomes more complicated, the University had arranged transportation options with all expenses paid, either by car or by train with a separate carriage reserved only for VinUniversity students.
With that, our one year of studying – working – living together flew by. The last year was a very special one, not just for myself, but for many VinUniversity students. We just set foot into University, primed to become adults, full of questions, wonder and excitement at the prospects of life away from home together with new friends. And just like that, it went by like a breeze. By now, many friends are probably on their way home. Let’s travel down memory lane with Kien through these photos below.
I would like to thank friends and teachers for always being there and witness our growth throughout the last year. Although the current situation causes not-so-small impacts on our daily lives, I believe love and hope still forever remain. I wish us all solidarity and trust to overcome these hard times and move forward together!
Last October, we officially moved into our dorm. From strangers from all over parts of Vietnam, studying different courses, with unique personalities, we came together and lived under one roof. Before we know it, our dorm had become our second home and schoolmates turned into brothers and sisters.
In this photo, my friends and I from the VinUni Culture Club just pulled an all-nighter together organizing the Our Vietnam Exhibition – showcasing specialties from various provinces. Additionally, as part of the Exhibition, we became “ambassadors” to tell stories about our hometowns. Exhausting, but so much fun!
This is a photo that captures the moment our VinUni Culture Club went out to eat after the success of our first Christmas event at VinUniversity. Side note, there are around 20 clubs in total at VinUniversity, from academic ones to sports, arts, etc., and all these clubs were very active last year. I mainly participate in the VinUni Culture Club so, in this post, please allow me to use photos from my club.
After spending Tet holiday with family, we returned to the dorm carrying Tet specialties from our locality to share our local cuisine with friend groups!
A student life is not complete without the “quintessential instant noodle”
Memories of dorm life are dinners treated by professors! In the photo is the Scientific Socialism class being treated to dinner by the professor at the end of the course. “Studying – working – living together” with professors, we are not only taught valuable lessons but also left with unforgettable memories!
At the moment of writing, I am packing up my belongings to leave the dorm. In my imagination, we would not leave for another month, preluded by many leaving parties. However, due to the sudden flare-up of the pandemic, we have to be “firm in principle, flexible in tactics”.
The good news is that all on-campus students, teachers and staff tested negative for COVID-19. Thus, we can be rest assured when we return home to our families.
For students living in Hanoi, they can be dropped off at their houses by school-provided buses or picked up by their families, dependent on preferences. For students from Northern provinces/ cities within 300 km of Hanoi, the University will arrange buses to take them to designated locations at each province/ city to be picked up by their parents.
For the rest of the students, the University will buy tickets for an entire train car with bunk beds in the North-South train, to ensure VinUniversity students do not mix with other passengers for the entire trip.
If their families wish to use different modes of transportation (such as by air), the family will have to cover travel costs and the school will provide scheduled buses to take students to Noi Bai Airport. VinUniversity buses and North-South train tickets are fully sponsored by the University.
For students who cannot return home due to the pandemic and wish to remain at the dorm, the University had arranged for them to use cooking equipment in Professor-designated apartments in the dorm.
Time flies, but I believe the “studying – living – working together” model of the previous year has brought us many good memories, helped us grow and learn from friends all over the country. See you all very soon, and I hope we will all overcome the challenges of the pandemic.
