Category: Sydney

My performance as an intern at PLF Law Firm was overall a great experience. I think that I worked well by bringing an outside perspective and an open mind to the workplace. The workplace is very dull and one’s work seems to be routine. As an intern I brought new ideas regarding the office’s media presence and the wording of specific documents. I would say I performed well when a task was given to me, even when I had no idea what the task entailed. For instance, my first day of work I received the assignment to prepare a legal brief regarding a specific instance. Being an undergraduate student, one is not necessarily trained regarding legal briefs. Thus, I would say that I had a great attitude towards my assignments, but the end result was not always what my supervisor wanted or expected due to my lack of experience. I have room for growth in the areas of networking and specific legal work. During this internship I learned a great deal about the legal framework and the legal environment in Vietnam, but I feel that I have so much more to learn. Furthermore, my boss brought me to many different business events highlighting companies such as Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and Savills. During the events I played the part as the intern, but also had the opportunity to network. I would like some more experience with networking and selling myself, especially being a student.

This experience has shed light on my future career goals of working in international relations for as a diplomat. Through my internship I realized that my ideal future career requires an intense amount of time and dedication, the ideal position I would like takes minimum of thirty years of seniority to achieve. Furthermore, the highest legal salary is in the corporate legal field, there is very little money to be made in the international legal field and there are coincidingly far fewer jobs. Though, some realities regarding my dream job have come to the surface during my internship, I am still as determined as ever to pursue my future career dreams. This internship has allowed me to grow professionally by working in a foreign office space and attending many international networking events with my boss. I have solidified my mentality that no matter one’s origin or past, there is something to be learned from that individual. Though everyone has pre-conceived notions about Vietnam, I have learned so much in my internship from my supervisor and my colleagues and I shall be ever grateful for this experience and for Vietnam.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is to continue to be open minded, for one shall never know when an opportunity may occur.

The proudest moment in my internship thus far was when I received the opportunity to create a presentation for my firm’s collaboration with a French start up company. I have been continuously working on this project for the entirety of my internship, developing and proposing various background research guides. The process was very overwhelming, especially considering my lack of legal knowledge regarding the legal procedures in Vietnam. Throughout the process my work received continuous negative critiques. I began to work outside of working hours to truly impress my bosses and make a positive imprint for PLF Law Firm. After four eight-page rough drafts of the presentation, relentless hours of research, and four draft presentations, I finally received the honor to attend and assist in the presentation at the startup company. I truly believe the greatest satisfaction from the project came from the knowledge I gained regarding the legality of market entry in Vietnam, international taxation, holding companies, etc. After both of my bosses presented the presentation at the aforesaid company, both pulled me aside complimenting my attention to detail to the presentation and the hard work I put into a project that was considered “extra-work”.

I would say one of my biggest professional accomplishments thus far at my internship is receiving a consensus regarding my performance ability. I would like to acknowledge the positive feedback I receive from my bosses and my coworkers for putting in diligent effort, not just at work, but to getting to know and communicate with my coworkers. Thus, my biggest accomplishment is learning how to properly perform and socialize in an international working environment.

I look at life very different after living in Ho Chi Minh City. I have begun to see my personal outlook on life with a purely open mind. During my experience here in Ho Chi Minh City, I have come into contact with an eclectic variety of different people from different backgrounds, but all of which I have learned from in one way or another. Before this experience in Ho Chi Minh City I wanted to work in diplomacy, and my dream has been solidified. The power of a human connection relieves political barriers and solidifies humanity. Through daily interaction with the Vietnamese people I have rediscovered the value of that human connection.

I have come to learn that Vietnamese Legal Industry is very complex to say the least. Though, few cases go to trial, the legal industry thrives off of various legal services, such as company establishment, legal consultation, trademarks, intellectual property rights, etc. I have learned a great deal about the legal processes here in Vietnam, specifically the process of company establishment. There exists a critical distinction in the company establishment process between foreign capital invested companies and Vietnamese capital invested companies. For instance, foreign invested companies must receive both a Investment Registration Certificate as well as an Enterprise Registration Certificate. Foreign invested  companies are also far more surveillance than Vietnamese invested companies. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to establish a “branch” company here in Vietnam, with the exception of a few financial service companies( i.e. PWC, Deloitte), because one needs approval from the Department of Industry and Trade for a branch certificate which is almost always denied. 

PLF’s strengths would be the qualified, hard working staff members, its dedication to detail & to its product, as well as the positive and supportive working environment. PLF’s weaknesses are its lack of English fluency across all staff members, its need for more office space, and its lack of partners in Hong Kong & Singapore. Some foreseen opportunities for PLF are its shift towards an internationalized client base, though PLF already has focused primarily on international clients, with the recent addition of a foreign associate PLF is providing legal services to more higher profile clients. I believe that the expansion of foreign staff by a couple members, the improvement of English proficiency amongst staff members by means of providing a free couple week course, and the improvement of the firm’s media presence (website, social media, etc.) would open a variety of doors for the law firm. Some threats that PLF may encounter in the future is the threat of too much power in the hands of one man, because the internationalization of the company is heavily weighted on the one foreign attorney, giving him a great deal of power, but also a great deal of pressure, which does not always result in a positive outcome. Furthermore, another threat that  PLF faces is losing the race to internationalizing their firm. Many similar tiered law firms are making the same shift in the industry, but time is money and the firms that successfully make the shift first will end up with the higher profile clients.

An amazing moment I have had in HCMC is living a moment and knowing that someday it will be a memory. I was just eating at a lovely restaurant, Pizza 4Ps, with a group of my friends, and I just thought to myself one day i will soon look back and remember this very time, this split second, this conversation, this dinner. I will remember laughing about the jokes one made and everyone sharing their food with one another. Most of all I will remember the great friendships I established here in HCMC.

One of the most challenging aspects of my internship is the lack of communication between me and some of my co-workers or my supervisors at some times. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a severe challenge, but many times there have been small miscommunications, thus I have found myself asking a myriad of questions when I receive a new assignment. Another challenging aspect to my internship is the level of prestige I feel in the workplace environment. I am surrounded by seventeen lawyers and the other legal intern is also in law school, thus working on legal briefs, service proposals, and doing research is sometimes an intimidating task for someone who has very minimalistic legal background. Though it can be difficult to understand a task or lack knowledge on a legal subject, I have realized that this position is far more of an opportunity than anything else. Every day I learn so much more about Vietnamese Law, International Law, Foreign Investment Law, Holding Companies, etc. This internship has given me some insight on a career I wish to pursue in the future and that alone leaves me grateful for my placement.

On the other hand, some unique and admirable characteristics of my internship are the workplace environment and personal relationships. I’m so excited for this weekend, because I have the opportunity to attend my supervisor’s wedding. The entire company is going to the wedding in my boss’s home town, near the Mekong River Delta. I believe that this experience will be very culturally enriching as well as personally significant. My goal when I entered my workplace was to not only perform to my best capabilities at my internship, but also to strive to build relationships with my co-workers. The kind gesture of my supervisor inviting me to her wedding touches me deeply. To be present in such an important day in one’s life demonstrates that I have created a bond with my supervisor Workwise, this week I have been finishing up one of my big projects with the other intern. Last week we went to a networking event in order to get to know the startup companies we were presenting to. At the networking event I also got to meet a variety of experts in various fields: hospitality, technology, reality, etc.. 

My favorite food dish I have tried here in Saigon is either the Katzu from this restaurant in the Japanese region of Saigon called Fujiro or it is food from the restaurant Ciao Bella, their food is decadent. I enjoy Vietnamese food, but I don’t think I’ve had a dish that genuinely stood out in comparison with some other foods of international cuisine. Though, I have become beyond obsessed with Boba Tea. Boba Tea is by far one of my favorite beverages I’ve had in my life. I normally order the Lychee Oolong Tea, the Peach Green Tea, or the Mango Green Tea. Another thing that I really enjoy is street food, for lunch we usually get something along the lines of street food, and it’s 9 times out of 10 something to do with noodles and soup or rice and soup. I have yet to have a meal in Saigon without a carbohydrate.

As the time goes on, I feel like the days change more rapidly. I realized that traveling on the weekends makes every minute precious. I’m already nostalgic of the first week, even though it feels like just yesterday.

My status on my work is quite superb. I learn so much about the legal sector, specifically Vietnamese Corporate Law, every day. Right now, I have just submitted two large projects for review. One project was a workshop template that I have been working on with the other intern, Mohamed. The official workshop will take place in July and we will both be in attendance, which I’m very excited about. Tonight, we have a small event regarding the workshop in which we meet the start-up companies who will be participating in the work shop. Furthermore, I am performing various small tasks while I was trying to finish my partnership project. For my partnership project I had to write three Memorandums of Understanding, draft emails, and draft partnership letters. Also, I find it a little amusing, but the company thinks that I’m good at graphic design, because I once used a very colorful PowerPoint Template. Now I’m designing the workshop presentation, parts of the website, etc. I believe, even with my very basic level of design skills and with my English skills I will be able to help the marketing of the firm by means of: cleaning up small English errors and by improving the website & other presentation graphics.

I think the best part of me being an international intern is the dynamic way of thinking that is involved between myself and the rest of the employees. I learn so much about the co-workers and their culture from their actions, mannerisms, and work etiquette. I personally would say a strength of mine is my people skills, which is a useful skill when working with foreign clients. On the other hand, I would say a strength of most of my co-workers is an un-nerving work ethic. My fellow co-workers are beyond driven, young, and put great time into their work, which I can even notice as an outsider. Something I’ve learned while being in Ho Chi Minh City is that growing up is not as great as it seems. Working an 8-5:30 job, though is great experience, gives retrospect to what life will be like outside of college. To be quite frank it is quite exhausting, I am grateful and happy for all of my experiences and I love working at PLF Law Firm, but I am also pleased that I have a few years left before I permanently join the work force.

My supervisor’s western name is Ms.Megan, so that’s what I call her. Ms.Megan is considered an associate here at PLF Law Firm, signifying she is a working attorney. Ms..Megan is about 4 feet and ten inches tall and brimming with a vibrant personality. She is someone I have begun to admire over the past week or so. She always maintains a positive attitude, even though her work day begins at 8 in the morning every morning and ends at 8 in the evening, or even later many evenings. Her work day is consumed with reaching out to clients, drafting service proposals, meeting with clients, drafting formal contracts, traveling to various public departments across the city, and numerous other tasks that she manages to take on. M.Megan is always beaming with a smile, amidst her stressful work situation. Though it has only been a week, I have already learned so much from Ms.Megan. She has graced me with the opportunity to sit in on meetings with clients, and given me projects that I would never have access to in the United States. Ms.Megan beams intelligence, poise, and grit.

My internship role is more than I was initially expecting. My preconceived notions had me thinking I would be translating documents, but I would like to believe my role is beyond a proofreader. Right now I have two large projects that I have been working on over the course of the time being. One is a presentation for a workshop that will be hosted on the 2nd of July.

Some specific tasks I’ve taken on since the start of my internship at PLF Law Firm began are drafting service proposal, drafting legal alerts, drafting legal briefs, drafting emails between the firm and clients, reviewing documents and contracts in English, creating a presentation for an upcoming workshop, researching laws, etc. I have received two larger scale projects since I’ve been here. One of the larger scale projects is the establishment of a list of possible partners across the range of three foreign sectors, the creation of an email template to propose a cooperation agreement, and a draft memorandum of understanding. The other larger scale project is a presentation that will be given at a medium-sized startup workshop, which I will be attending on July 12th. So far I have learned far more than I could have ever imagined and I am truly grateful for this niche placement I have received.

Something special that I’ve noticed about Saigon is the people. The most important part about immersing oneself in a different culture, is much deeper than the food one eats and the the traditional dress one displays. The most crucial and memorable take away from immersing oneself in a different culture is the relationships you build. It’s the jokes that we’re telling at the workplace when we all failed at cutting the birthday cake. It’s the smile that my supervisor and I share every morning, every afternoon, and every evening. It’s the gesture of my co-worker buying me lunch. It’s the taxi driver asking my name. It’s the wave from the security officer as he opens the door to me as I enter the building. It’s the people.  

I am placed at PLF Law Firm, in the legal department. PLF Law Firm specialized in international corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property rights. As I boarded the elevator of my new office building, I felt my palms getting sweaty. The person introducing me also failed to mention, until that very moment that “my employers were quite mad, because they didn’t know I would be late. I reacted with little expression, because there was nothing I could do then.

As I walked into the office, I was taken by how fancy the door was, embodying pure glass with a fingerprint scanner. I was quickly shoved into a conference room and given a slide show presentation on work etiquette. After the presentation, I felt the nervousness again. I then had to face meeting the entire office full of people. As I turned the corner I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the office. A large carpeted office space filled with sixteen cubicles, a quaint break room area, and the managing partner’s desk placed at the head of the room. I entered the room with my head up, hand out, ready to meet my fellow colleagues; there was about twelve colleagues present. I was greeted with friendly smiles and warm greetings. My supervisor ended up being the woman who interviewed me. It felt great to be greeted by a familiar face.

Mrs. Megan, my supervisor, is a young female attorney she is about 4’10 but full of enthusiasm and a hard work ethic. My first day of work was consumed with tasks. On the first day I drafted three emails to clients, composed a research proposal for a client that wanted more information, I wrote a legal alert, I scanned in contracts to send over to clients, and I proofed a couple documents for correct translation and formatting. Though my first day was busy, Mr. James, the managing partner, took me out to lunch.

Overall, I feel that I had a very successful first day. As the week progressed my task load has grown lighter, but I have received some amazing opportunities. The other intern, Mohammed, and I are creating a presentation for a startup workshop that will be held in a month about how to start a company in Vietnam. I’m very excited to be able to put my presentation skills to use alongside with my creative aptitudes. Furthermore, I have made a personal presentation about myself that I will present to the office at the next faculty training on the 14th of June.

I’m even more ecstatic about my opportunity to sit in on a meeting with a client on Thursday. The meeting was most definitely not what I had expected, and the meeting solely lasted about twenty minutes. This opportunity would be very rare to come by in the States, thus I am so appreciative for my amazing placement at PLF Law Firm.  Just within the first week I have learned so much about legal guidelines of mergers and acquisitions here in Vietnam, I feel that I may have even memorized the law by now. I learned about the structure of a Law Firm, how payments and service proposals work, and i learned about the office culture of the Vietnamese. All in all, I am so happy to be able to say I’ve gotten off to a great start in Vietnam and I am ready for what’s in store in the next upcoming weeks.

Throughout the first week exploring the beautiful city of Saigon and its surrounding area, we participated in various culturally enriching events, but one particularly touched me, meal time. The concept of a meal is one that contains differing meaning in different cultures and throughout the first week I got a glimpse into the importance of food in the Vietnamese culture. The Can Tho floating market on the Mekong River Delta embodies the daily life of many in Vietnam, notably highlighting the value of a meal. One can purchase fresh fruits, Vietnamese coffee, and meals prepared fresh on board a small three-meter boat from a variety of different vendors at the Can Tho floating market. The real epiphany occurred to me when I watched one particular woman cooking on her boat. She seemed to be an older woman, short, dressed in long flowing black pants and long-sleeved floral shirt. Her expression was that of a smile, consumed with the bliss of preparing food for others. Through the chaotic exchange of money and food this woman stood out in particular to me. Her way of life was dependent on the preparation and sale of food. The time and artistry put into making each bowl of soup and grilling each skewer of chicken all aboard a small boat left me aghast. This experience shed perspective on the way I view Vietnamese culture, particularly when it comes to food. Food here is a product of hard work, time, and dedication. Though rice is abundant at most meals, its presence is respected. The Vietnamese are morally grateful of food, appreciating its pure origins and labor-intensive processes. An invitation to share a meal is seen as a kind gesture and leaving rice in your bowl is viewed as a harsh superstition. All in all, the various encounters with food I have experienced so far has expanded my outlook on something that many take for granted, a fresh meal.

My first impressions of Vietnam have been blown away. Coming in as an obvious outsider, I thought that I would be treated in low disregard. My preconceived notions are false. Every individual I have come into contact with, whether it be on the street selling food or in a grab has been nothing but kind. The Vietnamese culture is very welcoming, making it an exciting endeavor to explore the city. The chaotic city of Saigon is consumed with vespas, construction, and hole in the wall establishments, yet possesses an overwhelmingly positive character of bewilderment that is indescribable. I am so excited to begin my journey here in Saigon with such beautiful beginnings. I hope to learn more about the importance of work in the locals daily lives here in Vietnam and to what extent the changing modernity of the city effects locals here in Saigon over the next two months.

Throughout my first week of class my mind was truly enlightened by many aspects of the Vietnamese culture and history, specifically the core fundamentals of society. These fundamentals are outlined by traditional values, Confucian and Taoist values, Buddhist values, Western values and Socialist values.

Vietnam embodies a unique nation, one bombarded by the struggle to maintain sovereignty, the diversity within its borders, and the values that shape its culture. As an American, one’s perspective is naturally jaded towards a previous war, yet remarkably the majority of Vietnamese have little resentment regarding the “Vietnam War” as we call it or the “American War” as referred to in Vietnam.

Though Vietnam today resembles a communist governing system, industry is thriving more than ever. Personally, I was surprised by the cultural emphasis with regard to “honor” in traditional Vietnamese Culture. Relationships are built upon the ideals of respect, familiarity, and personal trust. The concept of “saving face”, or the principle that harmony must be maintained in a relationship between two people, plays a large role in Vietnamese relationships. Definitively, the act of “saving face” sheds light on the level of importance the sense of community plays in Vietnamese society. For instance, one may avoid confrontation or maintain harmony in a relationship, even in the event of a problem arising, in order for the betterment of the community and maintain a positive relationship. Contrastingly, Americans tend to be more individualistic in nature when it comes to relationships. Instead of making a decision within a relationship that either betters or harms the community, one simply just makes an individually based decision. The cultural aspect of community may impact my experience in Vietnam through means of both work and leisure life. I expect to incur a slight challenge when it comes to the concept of “saving face”, for I am a very expressive being by nature. In the same sense, I feel that in the work setting social encounters may come more naturally, due to natural boundaries solidified by the cultural concept of “saving face”. On the other hand, I sense that I may struggle with being able to identify a friend or acquaintances emotions or social cues outside a professional work environment.

My perspective on Vietnam has been cultivated over the past week and a incur that along the way my understanding for Vietnamese culture shall grow even more thorough during this journey that lies ahead.