“When I came to Vietnam, the first thing I noticed was that the physical appearance of Vietnamese is pretty similar with Burmese (Myanmar).”

Pau Van Lian, a Burmese student shares his moments with GEOPET, HCMUT, Vietnam on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Geology & Petroleum Engineering Faculty.

MY STUDENT LIFE IN GEOPET, HCMUT, VIETNAM

My name is Pau Van Lian. I am from Myanmar. I am a final-year student (senior) in Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam. I am studying Geology and Petroleum Engineering in this University. The Faculty of Geology and Petroleum Engineering (GEOPET) was founded in 1978. And this year, 2018 marks the 40th Anniversary of this Faculty. I am proud of being a student in a Faculty with this long history and great reputation.

In 2015, the year in which HCMUT called for full-time international students for the first time, I met with the representatives of the University in my country. I could get the information of everything I wanted to know about this University. Among different programs (faculty) offered by this University, Geology and Petroleum Engineering was the one that attracted me most, although I don’t have any background in this field. It wasn’t a hard decision for me to join this University. As my application process went well, I enrolled in this Faculty in 2015.

When I came to Vietnam, the first thing I noticed was that the physical appearance of Vietnamese is pretty similar with Burmese (Myanmar). Many couldn’t identify me as a foreigner by looking my physical appearance at once. This made me feel at home. But on the other hand, it was an awkward experience when they thought of me as a Vietnamese, and talked to me in their language, that I couldn’t understand and reply to.

The living standard in Vietnam is also not much different to that in Myanmar. I could live comfortably with around $300 per month. Vietnameses are very humble that I have never seen any class discrimination among them, especially in school. It seems that every student is from the same social class in my view. No one is proud and arrogant with his or her social background. It is very contented for me to live in this kind of environment.

Vietnam has a variety of foods and drinks. But the cuisine and the taste are quite different to that in my country. During the first few months, I struggled with the foods. For me, the coffee was so strong; the bread (bánh mì) was so hard; the vegetables were just half-cooked and so on. But later, they became the foods I love. I could now enjoy bánh mì with cà phê đá. I could eat phở, bánh xèo, bún chả. Hủ tiếu is one of my favorites.

Since I arrived in Vietnam, I have been staying in the University dormitory. It is a new, 12 storey building in which over 1000 students are staying. It is just a walking distance from the campus, and the commute is very convenient. It is enjoyable, entertaining, and safe to stay here. This is also the place where I am conscious of the behavior and characteristic of Vietnamese students. It is astonishing to me not to have seen even a person smoking in the dormitory or in the campus, which makes it very different to any other University I’ve been to. I could say that they are very innocent and obedient. 

Regarding to the study program, as the name implies, I have to study not only Petroleum Engineering course, but also the related Geology. It covers all the way from upstream to downstream technology and knowledge. Software tutorial, lab experiment, field trip are also provided. Basic Vietnamese language course is also provided for international students. It is always fun to learn Vietnamese language. I could acknowledge that the curriculum structure in this Faculty is broad and up to date.

The number of students in the English program of this Faculty is much less than what I thought before: no more than 20 students in my classes. This brings a lot of benefits that each of the students gets noticed by the teachers and the learning is enhanced. The class becomes a community, and I could have good relationships with all of my classmates. They are helpful, good at learning. I must admit that Vietnamese students are especially good at calculations.

I am amazed to know that all the lecturers in the Faculty are PhD graduates, most from foreign University. They have been in this field for many years, and their experience are invaluable for the students. They have also established collaboration programs with many foreign university. I also got a chance to complete an internship in Korea through this program.

As being a first full-time international student in this Faculty, there were also difficulties. Although all the lectures are delivered in English, almost all the communication platforms are still in Vietnamese language, which I don’t understand well and sometimes it makes me feel secluded. But on the other side of challenges, there are always opportunities. It is easier for me to get attention in and out of the class. As I am also the first Myanmar student to study Geology and Petroleum Engineering in Vietnam, I hope many more opportunities are awaiting. I believe I had made the right decision to join this Faculty. Obviously, this Faculty became a place with lots of unforgettable memories for me. 

Happy 40th Anniversary. May this Faculty commemorate bigger milestones.

Pau Van Lian
Student No – 1552452
12 Nov 2018