Master of Commerce in Taxation
Vinh Tran is an active member of the UC Vietnamese Student Association, helping bridge the gap between Kiwi and Vietnamese cultures.
“I can gain more knowledge and understanding of the local community while giving a hand to build up a better society. This makes me a more bicultural person which is important because New Zealand and Vietnam have strong bi-lateral relationships, especially in trade, education, and tourism.
“These connections will be of utmost importance upon my graduation, because I understand that these friendships will enrich our global connections in the future.”
Vinh has also gained friendships in the Christchurch community by participating in Parkrun, which is a five kilometre run that takes place every Saturday morning at over 1,400 locations in twenty-two countries around the world.
“Besides keeping fit and building connections with my friends and other people, my motivation to participate in Hagley Parkrun is to help promote community health and well-being.”
Before coming to New Zealand, Vinh worked as a tax consultant at PwC Vietnam, helping many clients from multinational companies. Vinh chose to earn his master’s degree in New Zealand because of New Zealand’s transparency and taxation system.
“Studying a taxation programme in New Zealand will provide me with a deeper understanding of the theoretical, technical, and legal issues underpinning its taxation system. This will enhance my functional capabilities when I graduate. Upon returning home after my study, I will be able to adopt the best practices of companies and the tax authorities in New Zealand to the context of my home country.”
Vinh believes studying at UC was a “life-changing milestone and the right decision”.
“My UC student experience has been fantastic. All of UC’s staff and students are friendly and willing to help me. Moreover, thanks to the open and welcoming environment at UC, I have become more confident than I was before.
“UC not only provides me with a degree, but it also gives me a chance to be a part of ground-breaking research centres in many fields. Therefore, I believe that the courses offered by UC will make me work-ready. Specifically, these courses enhance my critical thinking, and improves my communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills through a curriculum that always focuses on real business contexts.”
Vinh has put the knowledge he has learned into a real working environment by working part-time as a tax consultant at PwC New Zealand.
“The job has enabled me to get hands-on experiences and take on challenging projects at PwC to provide tax advice to various enterprises in New Zealand. It also helps me sharpen my UC7 skills such as research, analysis, writing, and presentation in real-world contexts.”
Vinh hopes his time spent at UC will give him the edge he needs to develop initiatives in Vietnam that will innovate the field of taxation.
