Vietnamese female student honored by Singapore Prime Minister

Being invited and having a conversation with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Singapore's National Day was a beautiful and honorable memory for Thanh Mai.

Le Ha Thanh Mai - 3rd year student at SMU University (SingaporeManagementUniversity) - constantly appearing in the mediaSingaporeShe was honored by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on National Day.Singapore.

Mai (white shirt) chats with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - Photo: character provided.

Thanh Mai event was announced by the Prime Minister's office.SingaporeThe invitation to attend Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's speech on the occasion of the country's National Day has been mentioned by the media throughout the past week.In his speech (broadcast live on many Singaporean television channels at 6:45 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 26), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong commented that Thanh Mai is a foreign student with a dynamic learning and integration process in Singapore.

Before introducing Le Ha Thanh Mai to everyone, he said: "There is a story about a person that moved me...".The speech consists of 3 parts, the part talking about Le Ha Thanh Mai's success starts at minute 20 of the second part (you can type the phrase: PM Lee's English Speech at National Day Rally 2012: Heart (Part 2/3) into YouTube's search box to see this part).

Thanh Mai arrivesSingaporewith an ASEAN scholarship at the age of 15. “With my top academic results and achievements in social activities, the school asked me to write a paper about the integration of international students in the country,” she said.Singapore”.And surprisingly, this article moved Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and he quoted it in his speech. On his personal Facebook page, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (leehsienloong) posted a photo of him talking solemnly with Thanh Mai.

Talking about her integration process, Mai wrote: “When I arrived in Singapore, I had difficulties communicating because my English was not good, and I was not used to the Singaporean accent (Singlish) and their slang.The first two years were a time when I tried to adapt to life, not only socially but also academically, ensuring good academic results while living independently.Singapore.It was a big challenge because everything was taught in English and the learning method was different from what I knew in Vietnam.Male…

While studying at SMU, I joined the SMU Roots Club - a Singaporean social club that aims to help international students integrate into local life.From her club participation, Thanh Mai proposed to carry out community projects abroad. Thanh Mai’s first project was to organize 14 international students to go to Hue to learn about the Nguyen Dynasty and build a playground for orphans in Hue.Seeing the strong impact of the trip, Mai continued to organize another volunteer trip to Lam Dong. Here, international students used their own money to dig clean water wells for the locals and they also had interesting experiences about the local culture.With her dynamic personality and fluent English, Thanh Mai decided to run for office and was elected by international students as the International Student Secretary of the SMU Student Association.

“As the student union secretary, I represent international students at every student council meeting and ensure that the views of international students are considered in any SMU policies or plans,” said Mai.

Being invited and talked to by the Prime Minister on National DaySingapore, for Thanh Mai it was an unforgettable and honorable memory./.

According to Thanh Nien-M