Vietnamese Alumni Lunch

Deputy Head of Mission, Justin Baguley, distinguished guests, Queensland alumni.

Kaye and I are delighted to have the opportunity of meeting you during this, my first official visit to Vietnam as Governor of Queensland. Thank you for joining us today.

All of us here come from different fields of study and different walks of life, but we all have something in common: We Kaye and I include ourselves here - we are all proud graduates of Queensland institutions.

And in an increasingly globalised world it is the things that we have in common that unite us. The greater the knowledge that we have of each other, the greater the understanding.

That is not to say that we should all be the same, far from it. It is the differences from country to country and culture to culture that make studying abroad so intriguing and so appealing.

Many hundreds of Queensland students take part every year in exchange programs in countries all over the world, and they come back with their unique experiences to the great benefit of Queensland as a whole.

You, in choosing to study at a Queensland university and complete your degrees over there, have embodied the spirit of exchange on a whole different level.

It takes courage to leave all that is familiar and move to a different country to undertake studies in a different context and a different language. The challenges are considerable, but so are the benefits.

We are proud of our alumni, and we follow their fortunes with great interest.

There are currently over two and a half thousand Vietnamese students studying at Queensland institutions, and they are valued by those institutions and the community.

Queensland is committed to the welfare and long-term interests of our students.   

Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns have created student hubs to provide information, help and advice at every stage of an international student’s journey. Some of you may have experienced one of these hubs. Kaye and I visited the Gold Coast student hub earlier this year and were most impressed by its vibrancy and the range of activities and support on offer.

We welcome your feedback on your experience of studying in Queensland. You are all informal ambassadors for Queensland, and as such you are uniquely positioned to promote the advantages of a Queensland education.

As you know, Queensland is a place of great opportunity where people from all over the world are able to bring to life their dreams of success, in both their studies and career.

I hope that you will continue to strengthen your connections with Queensland, and we look forward to welcoming you back again soon.