December 24, 2012

ALUMNINEWS #1
AuSEOlia Travel
Itinerary
{1-2} A Message from our Chairman
{16} Special Surprise!

{3-4} Words from our ED

{5-6} My World of
Failures - Anh Le 09

{9-14} Recruiting
Update:

{7-8} Holiday Reflection:

- Le Minh Nguyen 12

A Message from our

Chairman
By Tony Ngo

To the SEO-Vietnam alumni, staff, and friends,

On behalf of the board of directors, I wish you all
the happiest of holidays. Keep warm if you are in
cold climates, and if you are in Vietnam, well, just
enjoy the year-round warmth!
We close out another year of remarkable progress for SEO-Vietnam, and I've been
remiss in keeping everyone formally updated. It's been a few months since our last
formal activity, so allow me to highlight a few of the organizational developments in
'12.

Class of '12
Wow. I can't believe we've already had 4 classes of interns, and with this year's 27
interns we now are blessed with 70 alumni. For those who have known prior class

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

For those who have known prior class dynamics, I must say this
12 class gives every other class a run for the money as perhaps
being the most cohesive and fun-seeking while maintaining high
quality work output.
Tony Ngo

dynamics, I must say this '12 class gives every other class a
run for the money as perhaps being the most cohesive
and fun-seeking while maintaining high quality work
output. (Read: went on the most travel excursions and an
even better group video inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen.)
New Executive Board
At the close of the summer, Dung Heather Nguyen
(aka The Most Powerful Woman, entrepreneur in ecommerce, program manager 12) stepped up to the
challenge as our new Executive Director. With her
passion, organization, and long-standing commitment to
the SEO-Vietnam family, we are thrilled to follow her
lead in taking SEO-Vietnam to the next level. She is
joined by Tyler Tran (SEO-Vietnam '10, Morgan
Stanley), who will help manage the finances, finish our
incorporation and 501(c)(3) application processes, and
make sure we get a robust budget in place. Thao Ho
(former staff, VI Group) will tag-team with Nhat Bui
(SEO-Vietnam '12, PwC) to re-vamp operations -- you
should have already seen the new website
(http://seo-vietnam.org) and the new online application.
I hear their goal is to hit 1,000 applicants this year, so
help spread the word!
Thank you again to the outgoing Executive Board:
Trung Anh Lan Nguyen (ED), Hanh Nguyen (FD),
Trang Tran and Cuong Bui (ODs). We are deeply
grateful for your service, and I remain in your debt.
Having so many alumni carry the torch epitomizes our
values and ensures that we pass them on to future
generations of SEOers. Thank you, and please help the
new team in learning from your collective wisdom.

New Members of the Board of Directors

We happily welcome Kelly Wong (CFO of Kinh Do
Corp) and Giang Nguyen (VinaCapital) as the newest
board members who will complement the existing team
with their extensive experience and personal networks in
Vietnam. With Kelly and Giang, we now have two true
independents who will also inject new ideas and improve
our governance. A near term objective for the board
collectively is to ramp up employer and intern counts,
and having Kelly and Giang has already given us a big
boost.
With this update, I'm also sad to announce the official
departures of Mai and Napoleon from the board.
Having built up SEO-Vietnam from the earliest days,
Mai and Napoleon shaped the soul of the organization.
Though you are no longer in an formal capacity, I hope
you both continue to infuse your charisma and passion
into the organization. We wish you both the very best in
all you do!
Looking forward to '13
Personally, 2012 has been a year of multiple transitions
for me, including a move from New York to San
Francisco, a HCMC move from D1 to D7, and launching
Everest Education with Don. Individually, so many of
you have been so helpful to me. I am so fortunate to have
all your support, and wish everyone happy holidays.
Now let's get rocking for the new year! (Hopefully, we will
ask many of you to read lots of applications.)

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Words from our Executive Director

By Dung Heather Nguyen

To SEO-Vietnam family,
Happy Holidays! I hope you are enjoying your
time with friends and family. Lots of meet-ups
and reunions among SEO-V members will take
place in New York, Milan, London, HCMC
and Hanoi so we look forward to your pictures
and updates.
Its that time of the year when individuals and
organizations alike reflect on what have
happened and look forward to welcoming a
new year. And its fair to say that 2012 has
been a memorable year for me and SEOVietnam.
2012: a year of strong growth for SEOVietnam
2012 marks the 4th year SEO-Vietnam has been
in operation. Quite a journey we had! Our
organization has grown tremendously in every
aspect. With just 5 students in the first class in
2009, we had grown more than fivefold to 27
students in the class of 2012. The number of
applications has doubled each year since 2009.
So has the number of employer partners. I
have no doubts that our Summer Career
Program will continue to grow strong and solid,
especially with the amazing Dream Team that
we have.

Vietnam. This organization embodies a

powerful principle that I believe in: the power
of a small group of committed people to make
a difference. The mission for me and the 2013
Dream Team is clear: to build SEO-Vietnam
into a leading and sustainable organization for
professionals in Vietnam.
2013: double the applications and positions,
building standard processes, engaging with
alumni
2013 will undoubtedly be another exciting year
for SEO-Vietnam. We will celebrate being halfa-decade old. So what can you expect from us?
An amazing Dream Team, comprised of
alumni from different classes as well as
non-alumni

You have heard about them. They are the Ateam that has been kicking butt in the last 2
2012 also marks my second year being involved months. Here I present to you, the Dream
with SEO-Vietnam. Im always thankful for the Team Leaders:
opportunity to learn and grow with SEOThao Ho
This organization embodies a powerful principle that
I believe in: the power of a small group of committed
people to make a difference. The mission for me and
the 2013 Dream Team is clear: to build SEO-Vietnam
into a leading and sustainable organization for
professionals in Vietnam.
Dung Heather Nguyen

As our Operations Director, Thao Ho is

heading the Infrastructure team, responsible for
building up and documenting processes within
our organization. A new initiative for this year,
the infrastructure team will be crucial to SEOVietnams sustainable development going
forward.

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Chris Tran
An alumnus from our 2012 class, Chris is heading
our Marketing team, in charge of promoting the
Summer Career Program and SEO-Vietnam.
Chris brings with him years of experiences
leading student organizations and a strong
network within the UK student community.
Nghia Hoang
A veteran of SEO-Vietnam Operations team,
Nghia has been involved since 2010, first as a
member of 2010 class and then as the Head of
IT ever since. The new website and recruitment
portal are the result of his teams days and nights
of hard work.
Tyler Tran
Another alumnus of the Class of 2010, Tyler is
our Finance Director, heading both the Finance
and Legal team. The Finance team has put a
strong focus on boosting donations from partner
firms and alumni for this year. Your help is thus
crucial to helping the Finance team achieve this
goal.
In addition, Tyler and Hanh Nguyen 11 are the
masterminds behind SEO-Vietnams first ever
newsletter. We thank them for getting this
initiative up and running and hope that it would
become a new tradition for SEO-Vietnam.
Nhat Bui
Nhat is currently an Associate with PwCs
Advisory team in HCMC. As our Operations
Director, Nhat is heading the Recruitment effort
for 2013 Summer Career Program. We wish him
luck in achieving the 1,000 applications by Jan 6!

An expanded employer partner base, in

new industries such as Internet startup,
law, and consulting
Our board and executive team have been working
tirelessly to bring to the program an even more
diversified employer partner base for 2013.
Details are still being finalized, but we expect to
have on board Vietnams leading Internet startup
on fashion, the leading local management
consultancy firm, and two out of the Big Four.
Alumni engagement
With the formation of the new Alumni Relations
team (Tyler, Hanh Nguyen 11 and Binh
Nguyen 12), we expect to have more activities
to engage with our alumni community. This
newsletter is the first step towards more activities
(think online career platform and internal job
posting). We welcome your suggestions on how
SEO-V can better serve our alumni. In addition,
the Alumni Relations team is looking for team
members so please get in touch with Hanh
(hanhn13@stanford.edu) if you cant wait to be
part of 2013 Dream Team.
SEOly yours,
Dung Heather Nguyen
Executive Director

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Holiday
Reflection:
My World of
Failures

conference. We worked hard over

the first 2 weeks to organize the
event, often staying past mid-night.
The night before the conference, I
was still looking for Fedex at 3 AM
to print documents. I finally got
home at 4 AM and was supposed
By Anh Le 09
to wake up at 6 AM to get to the
conference. 4 hours later, I woke up
to 20 missed calls from various
Youll definitely get it. Cmon,
people of my team I was lucky
youve got everything you wanted.
enough the conference ran late so I
My friends often tell me this
got there in time. So much for 1st
whenever I attempt something. Little impression The bad start ruined
do they know that behind who and
my internship all the way till the
where I am today is a string of
final day when the CEO caught me
failures. Dont get me wrong, I hate to dozing off in the companys yearfail and hate even more telling those
end review. She asked me a
stories. It disappoints not only myself question that I managed to
but also people who have invested in scramble an answer together. I
me. Yet, looking back on the journey could only thank myself for having
thus far, there have been some
read the materials the night before
memorable failures that I am
because I had nothing to do. My
fortunate to have gone through.
internship performance review: You
Welcome to my world of failures.
have the ability to do this job, but
youre just one of the worst when it
Since high school, Ive always wanted
comes to professionalism. While
to try investment banking. Whenever
many people would have quit their
I got breakfast with my uncle, a
dream at this point, my pride didnt
seasoned banker, I thought his life
allow me to do so. I could not think
style was so cool! He was rarely in
about having the life that my uncle
office and always did business on his
was having without going through the
blackberry. I read Monkey Business,
basics first, such as arriving on time
Liars Poker, Confession of a Wall
and not falling asleep in meetings, I
Street Analyst, The Accidental
told myself. I brought this mentality
Investment Banker and as much as
to my summer 2009 internship at
those books ridiculed the investment
Horizon. I dont think I was ever late
banking industry, they made me want
for work or fell asleep during weeklys
it more. Its weird.
team meetings. That made me proud.
In the Winter of 2009, I finally set
my foot on the industry as an analyst
intern at Gridley & Co., a boutique
investment bank specializing in
information services and media based
in New York city. I failed miserably.
When I joined, Gridley was
preparing for its annual technology

Fall 2010 could not come sooner and

I was caught in the thick of full-time
recruiting season. My networking
effort led to approximately 10
interviews out of the 50+ jobs that I
submitted an application for. I blew
the first 9. There was only one

interview left with Jefferies investment

banking. By that point, I had seen all
the possible questions and curve-balls
that could be thrown at me that I
peaked and thankfully at the right
time. My previous 9 failures helped
me secure that 1st full-time position.
More meaningfully, over the years,
my 9 interview failures also enabled
me to help friends avoid interview
pitfalls as I attempted to pass on my
interview techniques to them. Had I
not failed 9 times, I wouldnt be in a
position to help as many people as I
could today. If I can be helpful in life
by failing something so many times,
Ill take that.
Finally, I officially became an
investment banker on July 5, 2010
when I walked into Jefferies training
room at the Omni New York hotel.
Over the next month and a half,
100+ other analysts and I trained,
partied, and studied together and I
got to stay in the Omni hotel for that
whole month. I felt good about life.

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Yet again, I experienced another

failure. Every analyst needed to pass
the Series 79 & 63 exam in order to
be certified securities
professional.We studied days and
nights for 1 week to prepare for
these exams. You know where this is
heading. I was the only analyst out
of 100+ to fail both exams and it
was even more annoying that I
missed by 1% on both. This failure
pushed me to prove myself at work.
However, I stupidly attempted things
above my pay scale such as the time
when I argued with my Vice
President about how Jefferies should
position a company in an IPO bakeoff. I was 2 weeks into my job trying
to add my value It also became
apparent that I was not the best at
either financial modeling or putting
together presentations. Although I
did recover and passed my series
exams, the first few blunders stuck
with me forever during my time at
Jefferies. I received above-average
review, but not top bucket what
every analyst aspires for.

I reflected on successful
moments at Dartmouth,
VietAbroader, or SEOVietnam and they shared
one common theme I
acted for the benefit of the
team. Perhaps I had been
overly focused on me,"
neglecting we.
Anh Le 09

Associate with his responsibilities.

This afforded me new perspectives on
the transaction and enabled me to
begin acquiring skills beyond those
required of an analyst. Seeing that
my group could work more efficiently
with standardized presentation
materials and model templates, I
initiated a project that aggregated our
documentation and model templates
into a database that allowed all of us
to easily access relevant earlier work.
This improved productivity and saved
other analysts many late nights.
Recognizing my contribution, Credit
Suisse awarded me Global Analyst
of February 2012. Jim Amine,
A desire to move to New York City
Global Head of Investment Banking,
prompted a lateral transition to
walked to my cube to congratulate
Credit Suisse. Before starting at
me on the achievement. Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse, I frequently asked
also selected me to lead firm-wide
myself what I could have done better. summer analyst training. Standing in
I reflected on successful moments at
front of 150 eager summer analysts, I
Dartmouth, VietAbroader, or SEOcould not believe I was trusted to
Vietnam and they shared one
teach financial modeling for a bulge
common theme I acted for the
bracket Wall Street investment bank.
benefit of the team. Perhaps I had
Only a year ago, I was below many of
been overly focused on me,"
my peers in this regard. Although
neglecting we. A new approach was humbled by the Global Analyst of
needed.
the Month recognition, I was more
proud to hear my COOs
On my first transaction at Credit
performance review: Despite many
Suisse, instead of focusing solely on
outstanding analysts, your dedication
the financial model, I assisted my
to improve our group and your

leadership among peers are what

stand out. The truth in the old
adage that one can attain individual
success fastest when individual
success is not the sole motivation
was driven home to me. I attribute
my success at Credit Suisse to my
failure at Jefferies where I learned
this lesson.
You will go through life failing in
many respects, in life, in love, in
relationships, in work, etc Im
doing the same all over the board but
failure is part of growing up and
becoming a more intelligent being. In
the word of Henry Ford Failure is
simply the opportunity to begin
again, this time more intelligently.
While Christmas and New Year is a
time to think about the achievements
youve done during the year, Id ask
you to also celebrate your failures as
they more or less brought some of the
success youve had. Also, please be
lenient with people around you who
might have disappointed you. Just like
me, they are growing up through
failures.
With that, Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year SEOVietnam! May 2013 bring you
plenty of success and
memorable failures.

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Holiday Reflection:
A Life-Changing Experience
By Le Minh Nguyen 12

These are the only words I can use to describe

my time with SEO-Vietnam in Summer 2012.
A bit clich, some may say, but if you have been
through the program with me, you too would
have used those words.

was that I spent a whole evening reading about

SEO as a whole, SEO-Vietnam in particular,
what the program promised to offer, and what it
expected from prospective applicants. The more
I read, the more I became interested. This is
the first internship program I know in Vietnam
that includes so many famous names and
interesting companies! exclaimed myself.
I signed up the day after, and two weeks later
my application was sent.
After I passed the first round, interviews after
interviews with partner firms followed.
Companies that I have had interviews with
belong to many different industries and sectors,
and each interview offered me valuable
feedbacks and experiences. And with the final
nod from the East Meets West Foundation, I
prepared myself for the upcoming internship
program in the summer.
Bit by bit, the journey with SEO-Vietnam
surprised and exceeded all my prior
expectations.

It all started on a rainy day, back in November

2011. I was lazy surfing Facebook when I came
across a post by one of my friends. It was about
this internship program called SEO-Vietnam.
I havent heard of them before, I thought,
while clicking on the link. What happened next

Before I came back to Vietnam from the UK, I

expected the program to be very, very tense.
Here you have all the bright, driven, ambitious
kids from top universities in one place, I
thought the scene awaiting me at home must
be so competitive! Then I arrived in Saigon,
and after the first, the second, then the third
gathering with SEO-V fellows, I gradually but
steadily realised how different my assumptions
were from reality. Yes, everyone was indeed very
bright, very active and very motivated in his or
her work. However, everyone was also really
nice! Through the program and beyond, I was
glad that I could see genuine niceness and
consideration from every one of SEO-V fellows

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

to each other. We always had a good time together, in

work as well as in leisure. Gatherings in Saigon, the
charitable trip to Tran Minh Orphanage, our vacation
to Can Tho each of them was a memorable and
joyful experience.
Great friendships have been made through this
program, and they will remain treasured far into the
future.
Another thing that fascinated me was the mentors and
speakers I happened to meet and have conversations
with during the program. If the SEO-V fellows are
bright, exemplary should be the appropriate word to
describe the speakers of this program. Through their
stories, we can see that there is no common or
expected way to achieve success; but what was
common was that they, with their insights, advices and
wit, have inspired us deeply.
For myself, I remain deeply impressed by the story and
advices from Mr. Le Ba Dzung, who is currently
Deputy CEO of ACB, the largest private bank in
Vietnam. Integrity! he stressed in his words Live
so that every morning you look at yourself in the
mirror without feeling guilty of what you have done.
These words have struck a chord with my inner
thoughts and principles, and will continue to guide me
in my future career path.
Gradually, through my work experience and through
interaction with SEO-V fellows, seniors and mentors, I
underwent a transformation in my personality. Before
the program, I found myself quite shy and inactive at
times. I was fully aware of my capabilities, but
sometimes I found myself not motivated enough to
express my full potential. Through SEO-V, all of those
have changed. The challenges in my work experience
have led me to become a more efficient and responsible
person. Interactions with brilliant but considerate
fellows have revived my confidence; conversations with
mentors and seniors have inspired me and rekindled
my almost forgotten passions. Through the program, I
am proud to say that I emerged a re-energised and
much more positive person than I was before.

All great things have an end, and the SEO-V program

came to an end in September. Though I remain
working in Saigon, many of my beloved SEO-V fellows
had to go back to their respective universities to
continue their studies. However, through the 2012
program has ended, its legacy has not. Though the
2012 class finds it harder to gather now, the group is
still as close-knit and supportive to each other like it
always have been. Furthermore, we understand that it
is a duty to keep SEO-V going strong and to find future
generations of SEO-V fellows who will develop
themselves professionally as well as contribute to the
development of their communities and our country as
a whole. Understanding this, I am doing what I can in
my capacity to help out my SEO-V friends in this
recruitment effort.
Future SEO-V fellows, if you are reading this, you will
understand that a newsletter, however detailed, cannot
fully tell you how an experience with the program
would be like. For each of us, SEO-V is a program like
no other. You will have to go ahead and try it for
yourself.
Interactions with brilliant but considerate
fellows have revived my confidence;
conversations with mentors and seniors
have inspired me and rekindled my almost
forgotten passions.
Le Minh Nguyen 12

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Recruiting Update:
London, HCMC & Hanoi Information Sessions
By Marketing Team

Quick Facts & Figures

Speakers: Chris Tran '12, Nhat Bui '12, Dung Heather Tri Bui on tips for resumes and interviews.
Nguyen (ED), Don Le, Tri Bui (Siemens)
Students were impressed by our speakers and found the
Turnout: 60 students from various Universities (Law,
event very helpful.
Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, etc)
registered. Approximately 30 students attended.
Duration: 10AM-12PM with the following agenda:
- SEO Presentation: Chris Tran introduced SEO and
the program.
- A panel discussion and Q&A on the 2013 Summer
Career Program recruiting process.
- Panel discussion with Don Le, Dung Heather, and

Ho
Chi Minh
city

10

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Quick Facts & Figures

Speakers: Cuong Nguyen SEO '12, Cam Van Bui
SEO '11, An Do '10 (An Do couldn't come but she sent
some slides with her personal sharing).

During the 1st hour, the speakers briefly introduced

SEO-Vietnam and focused on our unique features like
mentoring, speaker series, training, community services
and applying tips.

Turnout: 60 students from LSE, UCL, Cass, Queens

Mary, among others, registered; 40+ came, so including
12 volunteers from it reached 50+ students in the UK.

The Q&A session lasted for an hour when students

really got excited and came up with many questions. We
had to end it at 9PM and promised to answer the rest of
Duration: the presentation lasted for 2 hours; the main the questions through emails.
theme was "How SEO-Vietnam offers you far beyond
just an internship?"

LONDON

11

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ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Quick Facts & Figures

Intro: Hanoi team is getting ambitious! We hosted an
information session at Foreign Trade University (FTU)
on Sunday Dec 23rd and took FTU by storm. We are
having another session at RMIT University this coming
Wednesday. Below is our FTU report from the field.
Speakers: Hanh Nguyen SEO '11, Hung Phan SEO
'12, Trung Anh Nguyen 09, Tri Nguyen '12, Tuan
Nguyen 12
Turnout: 130 students from both local and overseas
universities registered; 80+ came, excluding 10
volunteers
Duration: the presentations lasted for 2.30 hours,
providing students with information about the program
and advice on how to make their applications stand out,

HANOI
(FTU)

13

followed by one-on-one resume critique sessions led by

SEO-Vietnam alumni.
In the beginning, Hanh introduced the SEO-Vietnam
Summer Program by detailing her personal journey
through the program a few years back. Attendants were
explained how SEO-Vietnam is unique and different
from other internship programs. After the introduction,
we hosted a panel discussion to allow attendants the
chance to ask any questions that they might have about
SEO-Vietnam. It was followed by multiple workshops to
help students improve their application competitiveness
with tips on effective resume and essays writing, and
interview techniques. The information session ended
with a personal resume critique where 20 students were
consulted by 6 SEO-Vietnam volunteers.

Time to stretch!

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ALUMNINEWS December 24, 2012

Now that weve reached the end of our trip in AuSEOlia,

maybe its time for some actual holiday greetings from Alumni Relations?

15

Special Thanks to
Tyler Tran, for downloading GroupMe and keeping Hanh Nguyen on track; Hanh Nguyen, architect/
heart/soul of this work of art; Chris Tran, who is probably bald now from pulling his hair trying to
chase people for newsletter material; Tony, Heather, Anh, and Minh for their writing contributions; SEO
Marketing Team in HCMC, London and Hanoi for being all-star

SEOly
Yours,
Alumni Relations
16