DTU student Tran Cong Thu was quickly hired by the Military when he graduated from the DTU Faculty of Architecture & Arts, armed with outstanding grades and a first prize at the 2012 Architecture Festival.
Mr. Tran Cong Thu, General Director of VietConstruction Design & Construction
However, Tran Cong Thu soon decided to found his own startup, VietConstruction (VICO) Design & Construction. Let’s chat with CEO Thu to find out more about his company and the current demand for architecture professionals.
Reporter: Hello Mr. Thu. Actually, after graduating in Construction Architecture from DTU and with many job opportunities at big companies, you finally decided to open your own. Can you tell us a bit more about your choice?
General Director Tran Cong Thu: After graduating, I found a job in the Military, but after working there for a while, I discovered that my university education and work skills would allow me to develop more freely elsewhere. That is why I founded VietConstruction, which is a new brand in the architecture and construction industry.
As result of my determination, personal goals, specialized capabilities and market demand, VICO has made several noteworthy achievements. Meanwhile, the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association and the Government named me the Vietnamese Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019.
Reporter: VICO is now a very prestigious company in design consultancy and construction, in Danang and surrounding provinces. With only a few years of experience, you have achieved much. Can you tell us more about what brought you to make this bold decision?
General Director Tran Cong Thu: At that time, very few graduates founded companies as I did. It was a really audacious and daring personal decision on my part that day. However, I still believe that we should dare to dream and dare to do, have faith in ourselves, never stop working and that, if we do so, the future will certainly bring us great success. When I graduated from DTU, I’d had a solid five years of advanced education under my belt. My Architecture Construction curriculum had been designed very carefully, from basic to advanced topics, covering small to large scale construction, from design to structural engineering, materials and construction.
VietConstruction architects design houses, conference and cultural centers..
I was lucky during my time at university that DTU signed agreements with California State University Fullerton, one of the leading public universities on the US West Coast, and with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, ranked fifth in Architecture in the US, to share advanced international Construction and Architecture programs. At that time, very few other universities had planned international partnerships, so I could learn the latest information from around the world, internship at several different companies and learn how to efficiently manage and operate a business of my own, which all led me to setting up VietConstruction.
Reporter: How many employees do you currently have? Do you hire DTU graduates?
General Director Tran Cong Thu: When it was first founded, VICO had only three employees, all from DTU. Over the years, the VICO team of architects, structural engineers, planning engineers and accountants has been continuously increasing, in both number and quality. The technical team is now comprised of twenty staff, fifteen of whom are construction engineers, and 70% of them are DTU graduates.
Architecture is a field requiring dynamism, creativity, logical thinking and acumen and DTU students possess all of those. They have broad experience, their communication and English skills are strong enough to manage their work flexibly and fulfil our requirements, so we favor them for recruitment because we are confident that they will work well in our team
…and cafes & kindergartens
Reporter: What do you think about quality of architectural professionals in Vietnam today? Do new graduates meet your requirements?
General Director Tran Cong Thu: Personally, they are good quality, indicated by the sorts of prizes that Vietnamese architects have won in recent years and the praise they have received in the local and international press. Actually, many of them demonstrate their talents while still at university. On graduation, they already have a basic knowledge, combined with the willpower, determination and a youthful enthusiasm to meet almost all of our needs.
Reporter: From the point of view of a businessman and recruiter, what advice can you give students on their studies and internships that can be of use in their work later on?
General Director Tran Cong Thu: At DTU, I was Vice-Chairman of the Arts Club and Chairman of the Calligraphy Association. I participated in many extramural activities and found my life there very meaningful. That’s why I’d like to give today’s architecture students the following advice: Dedication to learning studiously is your main duty but you must also proactively take part in Party activities and extracurricular activities.
Combine study with play, discover and exploit your strengths and expand your knowledge to make your student days the most memorable and most beautiful times of your lives.
Reporter: Students sometimes find jobs outside school and leave in the third or fourth years. It is true today that a degree in Architecture not so important and that skills and experience are what really count?
General Director Tran Cong Thu: Completing your degree course will allow you to acquire the fullest education, from basic to advanced, with all the necessary professional and soft skills, which are all vital in building a foundation for a career. You should always put studying first, complete your education and obtain a degree confirming you are a true architect. In that way, you will have far more attractive opportunities. Anyway, in your third or fourth years, you can intern to get a taste for work. Gaining extra experience while still studying will allow you to get acquainted with the work environment and prevent you from becoming overwhelmed by the colossal amount of work in a full-time corporate position after graduation.
Reporter: Thank you for our interesting conversation Mr. Thu.
In 2020, DTU continues to award preferential scholarships to Architecture students:
• 720 High school graduation scores (HSGS) scholarships worth one to five million dong each for applicants with HSGS scores three to ten points higher than admission requirements, including Architecture applicants.
• 700 scholarships worth 500,000 to 2 million dong each for applicants with total high school scores of 22 or higher, including Architecture applicants.
• 5 full-scholarships (100% of tuition fees throughout the course) for applicants in the CSU International-standard Architecture program, who have three-subject HSGE scores of 22.5 or higher,
• First-year tuition scholarships discounted by 15% for Architecture applicants.
• 10 CSU scholarships worth 10 million dong each.
• 10 DTU scholarships worth 5 million dong each for applicants in the CSU International-standard program.
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DTU
- Among Asia's 500 best universities ranked by the QS in 2020
- The second university in Vietnam to be ABET accredited
- The third of eight Vietnamese universities ranked by URAP
- Ranked 1,854th in the top 2,000 universities worldwide and third of the four Vietnamese universities in the CWUR ranking
- Second in Vietnam in the Nature Index ranking
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For more information, please contact:
The DTU Enrolment Center at 254 Nguyen Van Linh, Danang
Hot line: 1 900 2252 - 090 529 4390 - 090 529 4391
Website: http://tuyensinh.duytan.edu.vn
Email: tuyensinh@duytan.edu.vn
(Media Center)