SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – When Kindness Becomes a Language

If one day you visited the St. Paul Charity Home with class IB24A, you would have witnessed a scene quietly beautiful: young students, still full of energy and laughter, sitting gently beside the grandmothers, holding wrinkled hands that once held decades of memories. They sang, shared stories, and fed warm porridge spoon by spoon — and for a few hours, youth met wisdom, energy met calm, and hearts met hearts. That day, the students did not just give; they received something priceless – the understanding that well-being is not only about health, but also about love and connection. Their visit became a living expression of SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, reminding us that compassion itself heals.

Picture 1. Volunteer Activities of IB24A at Saint Paul Charity Shelter, April 2025

In another corner of Da Nang, class IB23A chose a different yet equally meaningful path. On an April morning, they tied on aprons at a local vegetarian kitchen, preparing meals for the community, then moved on to clean up the area beneath Thuan Phuoc Bridge. Each garbage bag lifted, each shared smile, was a small victory for a cleaner, healthier, more human city. Through their efforts, health was not just physical — it was collective, environmental, and deeply social.

Picture 2. Cooking Support Activity of IB23A at the “5,000 VND Vegetarian Kitchen,” April 2024

And for class IB22A, their journey of care has never paused. Over three years, they have turned service into habit and kindness into tradition. From “Happy Meal” giving free food to street workers, to “Zero-VND Meal” and “Sharing Happiness” projects spreading nutrition and hope; from the “Loving Mid-Autumn Festival” for children affected by Agent Orange to campaigns supporting housing for disadvantaged families, each project carried the same heartbeat: give joy, receive meaning. Their footsteps through the streets of Da Nang have left trails of empathy – proof that international business students, too, can heal communities in their own way.

Picture 3. “Loving Moonlight” Charity Program Organized at the Center for Victims of Agent Orange and Disadvantaged Children, September 2023

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Growing Global Citizens through Real Experience

If SDG 3 is about caring hearts, then SDG 8 is about capable hands – hands ready to build, to create, and to contribute to sustainable economic growth. For International Business students at Dong A University, learning goes far beyond textbooks. Every student is given the chance to step into the real world through structured work placements – in both domestic and international settings – to experience the rhythm of business, culture, and cooperation.

Year 2 & Year 3: Growing through Real Experience

From their second year, students step beyond the classroom for a 10-week professional internship that bridges them with both Vietnamese companies and foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises. Recent placements include An Bao Nhien Import–Export & Trading Co., Ltd (Anvimex), Viet Huong Logistics Co., Ltd, and Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Corporation. For instance, at Anvimex, students conducted market research for exports to the EU, Korea, and Japan, practiced drafting trade documents, and explored international payment systems. “They are young, proactive, and full of potential,” shared Mr. Nguyen Van Duy Linh, the company’s director, reflecting the pride of seeing students transform into true professionals. At the same time, students gain international exposure through internships at FDI companies such as Daiwa Vietnam Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Japan’s Globeride Group in Hoa Khanh Industrial Park, Da Nang. Rotating through import–export, purchasing, and production departments, they witness how Japanese management blends precision, sustainability, and respect for people, inspiring them to embrace a global mindset while staying grounded in local values.

Picture 4. Internship Collaboration with Daiwa Vietnam Co., Ltd, July 2025

Year 4: Stepping into the World

By the fourth year, students embark on a 12-week advanced internship – the final leap before graduation, where knowledge meets purpose. Many continue working with long-term partner enterprises such as Anvimex, Viet Huong, Hoa Tho, and Daiwa, taking on more specialized roles in logistics, trade, and supply chain management. Others take a bold step further – joining international placements that expand not just their résumés, but their horizons. A shining example is Nguyen Hoang Anh, a fourth-year student of class IB21A1A, who is currently interning in Taiwan. “This internship isn’t just work experience  –  it’s a turning point,” Hoang Anh shared. “I’ve learned to communicate across cultures, to adapt quickly, and to see the global market with my own eyes.”

Picture 5. International Internship Collaboration with Taiwanese Enterprises, February 2025

Toward a Sustainable Future

Across health projects and professional internships, the students of International Business have learned something essential: doing good and doing well can go together. Through SDG 3, they learned compassion. Through SDG 8, they gained competence. They will continue to learn, to serve, and to grow – turning every opportunity ahead into a step toward a more sustainable future.

Van Thanh Thao 

#UDA #IB #SDG3 #SDG8