Pham Ho Hoang Long on preparatory year in Moscow

Ha Nguen interviews a Vietnamese student, who is to start his masters in Law at HSE this year.

Pham Ho Hoang Long on preparatory year in Moscow

As far as I know, you already had 2 bachelor degrees of Law and Economics, and you were Bailiff’s Assistant in your country. Can you tell me about the reasons why you decided to choose to study abroad in Russia? And why did you choose HSE ?

First of all, the reason I chose to study abroad is to achieve higher Education, which is a fundamental requirement to receive well-paid jobs in Vietnam and increase opportunities to get a promotion. After doing some research about scholarships, Russia has become my first priority because Vietnamese Government is going to pay my scholarship and living-fee in this country. And also, my father used to study here so I decided to have some experience in the place where my father spent his youth. As other HSE students, this is reputable University, so that I chose to study here.

When you decided to study for a master's degree in Russia, was this your first visit to Russia? What did you expect before being in Russia? 

This is my first time here, I don't expect anything much, just enjoy the moment when I live here.

I hope all is good now. Is there  anything not in your expectations and then turned in a negative direction?

Everything is ok. However, I was expecting a nice dormitory room like an apartment, or at least a single room for a student studying for a master degree, but it turned out to be a totally different scenery. But soon I got used to it. Actually I live in a dormitory near Prospekt Mira Metro, which is very close to the center of Moscow so that we can hang out with friends easily.

That’s a nice place. Due to the spread of COVID19  you had to enroll in distance learning in Vietnam for several months and You just arrived in Moscow 2-3 months ago . How are you studying now? 

I dont see any difference while studying here. I am still studying online, everything is totally fine so far. However there are some problems about how I communicate with groupmates, because some of them are not good at English. In that case, Russian becomes the most suitable solution together with various signs from our body language.

How about your student life?

Totally great when you don't have to worry about making money for living thanks to this scholarship. And also, It seems like the preparatory programs are getting harder and harder than previous years. It is not a complaint, and we have to try our best to pass the final exam.

Besides, we have opportunities to study with extremely super cute teachers Ivan Stenin and Anastasia Ivachenko, who did help us a lot in the first moments when we did not know any words in Russian. Now I can utilize my Russian skill to buy stuff in the market.

Seems everything has gotten better so far. Do you have any memorable experiences in Moscow? Could you share with us?

Here in Moscow I have met many great people of many ages. I have both Vietnamese and International friends at HSE, we had a BBQ day in a Park when Russian celebrated Victory Day. It was such an unforgettable moment. I had never experienced the feeling of cosiness like this although we are in a freaking cold country.

Thank you for your time. We hope you will have a nice time here and will successful with your study!

Interview by

Ha Nguyen