Haianh has found invaluable mentors in Finland

Haianh Nguyen always knew she wanted to study abroad, as she was curious to see how she would thrive beyond her hometown of Hanoi, Vietnam. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she stumbled upon Fiskars, a Finnish consumer goods giant, which sparked her interest in the Nordic country. Further research revealed an active Vietnamese community in Finland, and free tuition for international students back then sealed the deal. When Lahti University of Applied Sciences held entrance exams in Hanoi, Haianh seized the opportunity, applied to study international business and was accepted.

Landing in Lahti in the heart of Finland’s icy winter was a shock, but it didn’t deter her. This resilience has been a constant theme over the past eight years as Haianh has made a life in Helsinki, found invaluable mentors, built a career in digital marketing, and even embraced the Finnish tradition of ice swimming.

Coming to Finland for the first time was… an extreme experience. In Vietnam, it’s always around 20 degrees or warmer. When I came here, it was the end of January and freezing.

It was the first time I was going far away from my family, and I packed everything in my suitcase, which weighed 30 or 40 kilos. I also had a full backpack but still didn't even have gloves. The journey from the [Lahti] train station to my apartment was so cold. I remember feeling like my eye was frozen; I could barely see to follow my tutor, but I didn't turn back.

Other than that, I don't think there are big differences… between the two countries. Or maybe it's because when I came here, I was very enthusiastic about seeing and experiencing everything different.

I was lucky that I studied international business, which meant I got a lot of international friends, and the whole journey was international. The one thing that felt a bit difficult was finding a part-time job when studying. Lahti is quite a small place, so looking for a job was challenging. 

I found work as a cleaner, but getting that job required a lot of consistent effort. I visited the office every week and said, I’m willing to work anywhere if you have anything.  

Once, when I was going to the office, I lost my phone. The hiring manager's business card was on my phone, so when I lost it, the person who found it contacted the manager. Next week, I went to the office and asked her to contact me on a new number because I had lost my phone. She asked if the phone was white and told me she knew who had it, and I got my phone back. After that, the hiring manager remembered me, and I got a job the following week. 

I really like Finland's honesty. I have often forgotten my phone in a cafe or my computer in the library, but I always get them back. 

The value of mentors

After three years in Lahti… I decided to move to Helsinki. I wanted to write my thesis here and widen my network. 

I joined many non-profit organisations, like Aaltoes, and contacted the TE office and said I wanted to study Finnish and improve my skills. Through the Finnish course, I got a trainee position. That was my first office role. I focused on learning everything possible, and they gave me a good recommendation. Then, I got a second job with a proper salary and started to get an idea of what I wanted to do: get into and learn about marketing. 

I got my current job… through a recommendation. In my previous job, I had a good relationship with the marketing manager, Hale Okkhonen. I connected with her after she left the position because I wanted to learn from her. I told her I wanted to move forward in marketing and bigger challenges. She told me there's a company looking for exactly my kind of person and to talk with them. I went for an interview, and two weeks later, I got my current job. 

I’ve always been looking for mentors who can advise me, and I’ve been lucky to find great ones. In addition to Hale, I’d like to thank Johanna Kurki and Päivi Ropilo from Womento-mentoring, Reeta Wetman from the City of Espoo’s Entry Point and Kamilla Sultanova for recommending me Toastmasters Club.

I've found it's beneficial… especially in Finland, to have a mentor. Just by searching with the words mentorship and Finland [on the internet], you can find a lot of contacts. 

Whenever I talk to someone who is really experienced in marketing, I'm able to shape my thoughts and apply them to work. I'm not in constant contact with my mentors, but I can easily send them a message if I have a problem related to their field.

I don’t use Finnish at work… but I still want to speak it better. I feel that if you want to be in the inner circle, you need to speak Finnish. 

For example, I have a close Finnish friend, but when I hang out with their family, the older people don't necessarily speak English fluently. So, to be closer to them, you have to speak Finnish.

Finding new hobbies

I really appreciate… the work-life balance in Finland. I was surprised by the number of holiday days you get. You can have one month off, and when you return to work, you have to try to remember everything again. 

It's amazing that I have so much time to get away from work, read and enjoy nature.

I love… Finnish nature. I hate walking because, in my culture, we use scooters to go anywhere. But I can walk in a forest for five hours without really stopping. I enjoy picking mushrooms and fishing. 

In the winter, I go ice swimming. At first, I thought my friend was crazy for doing it, but I tried it and now I'm exactly the same. He has “poisoned” me with ice swimming. I also go to the sauna. A friend said I'm becoming almost too Finnish. 

When I was looking for a job… I started going to Toastmasters Club. One lady recommended it to me if I wanted to improve my public speaking. It's an international club where you can practice exactly that. We have meetings twice a month. 

One activity I especially like is table topics. A person on the stage is given a topic, and they have 30 seconds to think about it and then speak about it for two minutes. After that, an evaluator gives them feedback.

I still have a lot to learn, but the club has some excellent speakers. You are drawn into the speech when they speak, and they always make you laugh.

I like living in Helsinki… because I enjoy the communities here. It's important for me that it's easy to move around. Also, I like swimming, and there are a lot of swimming places around the city. In the summer, I can swim in the sea or a lake. 

I also have a garden plot, an allotment, where I can grow all kinds of vegetables and flowers. I enjoy it because of the people around the area. Often they are older people, and I can practise speaking Finnish with them. I've made many friends there, and we share tips on how to grow tomatoes, potatoes, or something else. 

From the outside, it may feel that Finland… is a difficult country to enter, but, actually, if you keep looking for what you want and ask for help, you always get it. You just have to be active.