Run by Visa and the Central Committee of Vietnam Students’ Association (CCVSA), this program tasked students with using the medium of photography to share their personal stories of overcoming difficulties they’ve faced in managing their finances.
After six months, it has reached millions of students across Vietnam and other countries. The winners will share in a prize pool of VND29 million including flights to Singapore, experiencing life in one of the biggest financial centres in Southeast Asia.
The winning students are as follows:
1st prize: Vu Minh Chien - Hanoi University of Science and Technology
2nd prize: Phan Thanh Hung - Quang Ngai University of Finance and Accountancy
3rd prize: Phan Thi Bao Ngoc - Hoa Sen University; Duong Thi Na - Hue University of Foreign Languages, Hue University
4th prize: Quach Dinh Hieu - Hanoi Architectural University, Nguyen Thien Ngoc Han - Dong Thap University, Hoang Van Tu - Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Nguyen Phuong Thao - Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Photo: ATP
Mr Sean Preston, Visa Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, said: “It’s often said that a picture paints a thousand words and this has never been truer than in this year’s Practical Money Skills competition. The students have yet again demonstrated why Vietnam is considered an entrepreneurial hotspot in Southeast Asia. Their creativity in approaching the challenge of telling their stories of financial management through photography has been incredible, and it augurs well for the future of a country that is truly starting to make its mark on the global stage”.
Under the topic “Every cent worth challenge”, this year’s program was run in two main phases. Started in May, the first phase received nearly 1,000 entries from 46 universities in 20 domestic localities as well as Vietnamese students from USA, Germany, the Republic of Korea and Australia. Each year, the program has also sought to expand its geographical reach.
The best 50 submissions were chosen to participate in the second phase, in which six exhibitions and financial literacy workshops were held in the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Da Nang University of Economics, Quang Ngai University of Finance and Accountancy, Tay Nguyen University, Hoa Sen University of HCMC, and Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
Nguyen Minh Triet, CCVSA Standing Vice Chairman, stressed at the ceremony held in Hanoi: "With the goal of continuing to create a platform for students to experience, test and learn more about practical money skills. The new implementation promotes students’ creativity through the sharing of their experiences in the life, work, and students’ start-up. The students’ entries have shown the message to convey their own precious experience in practical money skills for their friends. This year marked the development through the number of submissions, visits on the fanpage, the website of the program as well as the participation of Vietnamese students studying abroad”.
Run annually since 2012, Practical Money Skills has used a range of different formats to teach students about a topic that, while important, is often challenging to engage with. In previous years, students have been tasked with everything from running discussion forums, designing posters, develop media plan and messages, to creating videos.
As part of the program, Visa also gave away 5,000 copies of “The guardians of the Galaxy” financial literacy themed comic book. The comic pairs Marvel’s iconic superheroes with Visa’s financial smarts, which makes learning about finance management fun and entertaining for students./.