About Me — Hoa Nguyen (Henry)
This is an extended version of me in a new location, with some stories to add and a past to reckon on. Anyway, it is still me in writing.
1. An old me
My name is Hoa Nguyen, a journalist from Vietnam who had spent 16 years on reporting, editing, and managing jobs. At that time, just like most of those who are familiar with the news industry, I was always busy and often brought pressure home after a long enough day of work.
Well, I was traveling quite extensively then. I have been to the UK, Germany, France, Turkey, Hungary, Denmark, Austria, and many other Asian countries. These trips gave me some experience about history, politics, and religious studies.
One day in 2011, I decided to go back to school for a Masters’ degree in Media and Communication Management. I finally did that after three years of struggling between work and classes.
Before that, I was granted an opportunity to study in the US under the Humphrey Fellowship Program in 2007. This is a one-year management program sponsored by the State Department.
2. A little bit about my home country, Vietnam, and the digital landscape
Let me make things a bit clearer here.
I came from Vietnam.
I now live in the DC area in the United States.
Vietnam is a market with a population of 97 million, with a growing body of social media users, 65 million as of 2020. Vietnam’s digital economy was expected to reach US$14 billion in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent, and will likely reach US$52 billion in 2025. During the Covid-19 health crisis, this is among the few countries that could maintain a positive growth of 2.91% in 2020.
One day, I was asked about Vietnam’s digital economy’s scale and scope, an area closely related to my Communication studies. It turned out that I did not pay much attention to this area of expertise. After digging into it for a while, I have seen an opportunity to combine my strategic communication skills and the transformation of a developing economy into my articles.
3. What can I write about, and who cares?
I am very interested in digital content, digital economy, audience metrics, strategic communication, data science, and, believe it or not, movies. I have written a few short stories in Vietnamese and a novel in English as well.
I am also excited about traveling and often write about what I see, hear and experience along the way. I can work with a camera; thus, I edit the footage and put them on YouTube just for fun.
If there is one thing I am sure about, there are so many beautiful things about life out there. One just tries to take one first step, and their view is totally different from a moment ago.
As an academic, a tech enthusiast, and a communicator, I am building my profile with journalism and communication studies publications. Apart from that, I write on Medium to let off steam and enjoy writing as a hobby.
My target readers are Medium writers and readers who can contribute to my newly created publication Vietnam Digital Economy and those who love to read about movies, digital content, digital economy, and creative industries.
I also welcome your comments, suggestions, and collaboration for any possible writing projects on Medium.
4. Small thought here about Covid-19 and its powerful transformation, among many other things
Writing at this time is seemingly embedded with the term “Covid-19” in one way or another.
I want to mark my new endeavor with this timestamp to make it unforgettable in the long run.
Covid-19 is both a pandemic and a transformational force. It has the ability to turn yes into no or “haves” to “have-nots.” It is an intangible catalyst that came from nowhere and turned things up and down. Corporations of different sizes are rethinking their operations and strategies while employees are unsure about their future either.
I found Covid-19 a powerful transformational force. I have published at least two papers on this topic alone.
Many people I know have seen life in a different light.
The world has changed, and it will never come back to what it ever was for years to come.
5. A new me in a new phase of life, chanting a song about a reason for being
Here I am, ready for the next step of my life after fulfilling requirements for a Doctoral degree in Journalism and Communication Studies. Although I will have to go through some further steps for official approval, I believe this is an excellent time to plan and write about what I like most.
Life is not a novel. It is more like a series of events and choices; once romanticized and dramatized at some level, life might turn into so many things one wants to remember or forget right away. And yet, it is the simmering flow of those events that would bring substance to one’s life.
Let us, together, tell more stories about that.
Thank you very much for reading!
