Through all her experiences teaching at Webster University Thailand, it’s the personal relationships she forged with students there that Assistant Professor Sally Howald treasures the most.

Howald returned to Southeast Asia in December to reunite with several of those students. They met over dinner in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, formerly known as Saigon.

“Somehow we have all stayed in touch and, to my great joy, everyone is incredibly successful!” Howald said. “They all remained really close and have gone on to get these tremendous jobs with tremendous companies.”

The students — most of whom are Vietnamese by birth — now work for international companies located throughout the growing city. They credit their success to the American degree they earned from Webster and a strong command of the English language.

“It’s so interesting and inspiring to see how successful everyone is,” said Vu Minh San (BA, Advertising and Marketing Communications, 2003). “And, of course, meeting again with my Webster teacher whose classes I enjoyed was wonderful.”



Today, Vu Minh San is a partner at Ogilvy & Mather, one of the largest marketing communications network in the world.

Also attending the dinner was:

• Nguyen Tuong Luan, a senior manager with British American Tobacco;
• Nguyen Dinh Lien Chi, a public relations manager with L’Oreal Vietnam;
• Giang Huong, an office manger for Nokia;
• Tran Nhat Phu, marketing director for real-estate company SACOMREAL; and,
• Bo Khanh An, an executive trainee for brand activation at Nestlé.

For Howald, the reunion was a testament to the entrepreneurial she saw in all of them as students in Cha-Am, Thailand, and a reminder of just how close a group they remain. Giang Huong and Tran Nhat Phu married after graduation. Vu Minh San and Nguyen Dinh Lien Chi will be married this summer.

“As international companies were just beginning to do business in Vietnam, our Webster grads were ready to break into the job market with a college degree from an American university,” Howald said.

“This amazing group was well-equipped with practical, hands-on training in advertising and public relations; excellent communication skills in English and Vietnamese; and the desire to work hard. They’re contributing to a whole new generation of successful entrepreneurs and I’m so happy they get to do it in their home country.”

Do you have a similar story to share? E-mail scan@webster.edu

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