Malisha’s report from HEX in Vietnam (June 2024)

The HEX Vietnam experience was a magical experience for me, where I made friends for a lifetime and learnt so much about startups! I found out about the experience through 360 International, and they gave me a subsidised scholarship which I am incredibly grateful for. The programme experience was not what I was expecting at all, as I thought it would be a large cohort and quite lecture-heavy, but it was completely different. The cohort size was 11 and super intimate, which was perfect as the program was tailored and really specific to our needs!

The program, in a nutshell, taught us how to build a startup in two weeks, and we pitched our ideas in the end. We had workshops on the weekdays, which were ideation, LinkedIn sessions, market research, leadership, AI tech, Figma prototyping, personal branding, UX design, fundraising 101 and many more! A personal favourite workshop for me was the LinkedIn session, which was a roast session where we delved into everyone’s profiles. Another favourite was the UX design session, where we truly got to learn how a user thinks from a psychological perspective and how colour, interface, and even button shapes make a huge difference! Also, most workshops were held by founders from vast backgrounds, so it was really interesting to learn about everyone’s journeys. Every few days, we had checkpoints so the HEX team could make sure we were on track without our startups. The workload varied a lot over the two weeks but, overall, was very manageable, and when you’re working with a cohort, everyone is super helpful too. 

But it wasn’t just work, the HEX team really encouraged us to bond as a cohort, so there were lots of fun activities we did together, such as food tours, pool, boat tour, supper club and sightseeing. The best part of the experience was meeting new people and becoming so close as a group in such a short time. You also get downtime in the evenings and weekends, so we got to explore the city, and I got the life-changing hair massage. Our cohort was really diverse, and we had people from England, Wales, Australia, Bangladesh, Palestine and Taiwan!

Some personal learning for me on this trip was gaining confidence in getting into the startup sector after university. It isn’t a super conventional pathway, so I have been hesitant, but this program helped me solidify that I want to give it a go! There is so much time in the program to get mentoring, too, so just having conversations with experienced people helped me understand more about myself and how to use my skills effectively. Also, you realise how much you can fit into two weeks, and you get to see so much that it’s quite eye-opening how many opportunities are out there too. 

A challenge I encountered was getting food poisoning, but I definitely think that’s just a universal experience when travelling and I like to see it as gaining immunity for the rest of the trip. Also, I was quite nervous about pitches as it was to an incredible judging panel, and the audience was full of people who work in VCs and startups. But the cohort is so supportive and pitch night went so smoothly!

The accommodation was INCREDIBLE. We stayed at the WINK Hotel in Ho Chi Minh, and I have no complaints at all. Breakfast was provided by the hotel, so I stuffed myself every day with delicious food, and that was such a bonus. The whole cohort was on the same level for rooms, so was super easy to hang out in downtime! There are also gym/washing-machine facilities in the building and a co-working space, so it was perfect when we were in focus mode trying to finish our pitch presentations and would camp there till late.  

If you are on the fence about the experience, DEFINITELY GO FOR IT. Message me through email (malishamuni@gmail.com) or Instagram (@malisha.muni) if you have any questions at all, I’m always down for a chat. This experience is so worth the cost as well, and you learn so much in two weeks plus get to see the beauty of Vietnam! Also, who doesn’t like Vietnamese food it was unreal and for only an average price of $3-5 NZD?? So what are you waiting for? Apply now!

Were you satisfied with the cross-cultural experiences this programme provided?
Yes! I learned so much about Vietnamese culture and its startup ecosystem. It was so rich with ideas and feels really energetic there. I would definitely go back in the future and work there possibly, as I just loved the people, and the startup sector is really booming there. Also, it is the perfect balance of being full of opportunities and a really affordable cost of living. Specific experiences of cross-cultural engagement were trying lots of local food every day and getting to visit local startup offices and hear their stories. I travelled with my family before the HEX programme, but with that got to visit temples, museums and villages, where I learnt a lot about Vietnamese culture/history. Our programme was run by a local Vietnamese startup accelerator as well as the HEX team, so the program coordinators taught us a lot about everyday life and customs. Also, as our cohort was so diverse, I got to learn about everyone else’s cultures too, which was so fascinating. I got everyone saying Kia Ora by the end of the trip, haha.

What skills do you think this experience helped you gain, and how so? How might this differ from the experience you could otherwise gain in New Zealand?

  • Learnt how to build a business
  • Pitching skills & Presentation skills
  • Confidence in doing a startup career pathway
  • How to use AI tools to grow your business
  • Networking skills

I think this differs from skills gained in New Zealand as it comes from more of a global perspective. NZ is so far from everything you can’t help but naturally think quite local-contextually, and this programme really challenges you to think big and grow a lot. Also, the programme is super tailored, and you get a lot of 1 on 1 support which I think is lacking in university, where you are more just a number in a large cohort than a person. But that is my perspective plus I do engineering, so it may differ for other degrees. 

You rated this experience as one you were “Highly likely to recommend” to a friend. What gives you the confidence in doing so?

Great layout of the programme, an amazing cohort and Vietnam is such a beautiful place. 

Apply for your own experience with HEX in Vietnam here!

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