Campus infrastructure:
When I first arrived at the university, I was initially quite confused by the campus structure. The campus where exchange students attend classes consists mainly of one large building with 15 floors. Most classes take place on the 14th floor, which is accessed by five elevators—two reserved for teachers and three for students.
This setup creates significant elevator traffic, as stairs are rarely used due to the heat and lack of air conditioning. It is not uncommon to wait up to 20 minutes for an elevator during peak times, which needs to be considered in daily planning to arrive on time for classes. As an exchange student, I occasionally used the teachers’ elevator, which was generally not strictly controlled.
Overall, the campus is relatively small and compact compared to WU Vienna. On the ground floor, the foyer often hosts exhibitions and project showcases, including AI projects and student startup ideas, which I really liked There is also a large piano in the entrance area.
The classrooms themselves are very simple. One notable aspect is the strong air conditioning - the rooms are often very cold, and some exchange students became sick because of this. I would therefore recommend always bringing a jacket or a face mask, which is also useful when air pollution outside is high. The university Wi-Fi is available but unreliable, something that even professors joke about during lectures. There is also an “English-speaking area,” which is essentially a small garden space intended for studying or socializing, although English is rarely spoken there in practice.
Additionally, there is a library on the sixth floor, but due to the cold temperature, I personally preferred studying in cafés, which are very common and well-suited for studying in Ho Chi Minh City.
It is also worth noting that UEH has a main campus in District 3, which is visually much more impressive. However, ISB students typically do not have classes there.
Academic Culture:
Academic life at UEH is strongly group-work focused, and most courses are built around continuous group projects rather than individual assignments. As an exchange student, working in Vietnamese groups can be both rewarding and challenging. Depending on the group, communication can vary significantly: some groups speak very good English and are very open, which makes collaboration enjoyable, while others communicate very little in English, which can make exchange students feel somewhat excluded.
There is also a general perception that exchange students contribute less, which means that local students are sometimes hesitant to work with them. However, once you actively participate and prove your commitment, this attitude usually changes, and group work becomes much more positive and engaging.
Group work is organized differently compared to WU Vienna. Typically, one group leader is appointed who is responsible for coordinating the entire project and assigning tasks. Work is highly structured and mainly organized through tools such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, which provides clarity and clear responsibilities.
Overall, despite the high workload and occasional communication challenges, I felt that the courses offered a great deal of practical, hands-on experience, which made the academic part of the exchange very valuable.
Teaching Style:
It's quite different overall, but it varies a lot depending on the professor. You get a very heavy workload and have to do everything in great detail. For example, my SMAM prof always gave us really good feedback, whereas the Leadership & Entrepreneurship prof clearly hadn't even read our report before our presentation. In MMP, the main professor only showed up for 3 out of all the sessions - otherwise, it was always a guest lecturer, and there was no attendance check.
In class generally, you don't really learn much, which is a shame because you end up with tons of workload that has nothing to do with what gets covered in lectures. On the plus side, you can use that class time to work on other projects or assignments.
Courses:
I took four courses at UEH: (24 ETCS)
• Social Media Analytics in Marketing (highly recommend with Mr. Anh)
• Digital Marketing (recommend, fun class and chill)
• Leadership in Entrepreneurship (so so, it was okay)
• Marketing Planning Project (don't recommend)
I would highly recommend Social Media Analytics, especially with Professor An. He previously studied in Australia and has strong expertise in AI, data analysis, and business analytics. This was by far the most valuable course for me, and I learned a great deal that I can directly apply in practice.
Digital Marketing was also very interesting. While the teaching style of the professor was unconventional, the course itself was highly practical. We designed a website and an app, developed a product, and actually sold it to students, which was a very valuable hands-on experience. My group was also really nice and welcoming.
In general, UEH courses involve significantly more continuous workload than comparable courses at WU Vienna, but they are also more applied. I strongly recommend choosing courses that genuinely interest you. Taking very basic “principles” courses can be unengaging and often means working with first-year students, which can be frustrating. Courses with third-year students tend to be more challenging, motivating, and rewarding.
That said, I have to say I'm so, so glad I took those courses. Despite all the differences, I learned so many practical things, especially in marketing. We had to create several campaigns and develop them down to the finest details, plus build a website and app where users could place orders.