Female consuls general meet with Ho Chi Minh City students on International Day of Women in Diplomacy

The event brought together the consuls general of Italy, the UK, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, and the Netherlands, and dozens of students from the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.

The session was organized in a rotating small-group discussion format lasting more than one hour.

At each table, a female consul general spoke with a group of around five students, sharing her career journey, experience in diplomacy, and answering questions while offering advice to young people interested in the field.

Each discussion session lasted about 10 minutes, after which the consuls general moved to the next table to meet a new group of students and discuss a different topic.

The format gave students the opportunity to interact directly with diplomats from a variety of countries, all within the same morning.

The discussions offered diverse perspectives on diplomatic careers while also delivering broader lessons on how young people, especially women, can navigate uncertainty, overcome failure, cope with social pressures, and discover their own paths.

'Your dreams are possible'

“The 24th of June is the proclaimed International Day of Women in Diplomacy and it really is a moment where we celebrate what women have achieved in diplomacy, and where we raise awareness of the challenges that still exist,” Raissa Marteaux, Consul General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre News at the event.

The Dutch diplomat added the event was also to encourage the next generation to believe that achieving their dreams is possible.

“We are there to support you. So, go for it,” she added.

According to her, the students were very open to learning from the female consuls general's stories and advice.

“We all have had our individual journeys, and hopefully, they were inspirational to the students,” Marteaux said.

She added that the young people at the event were already the leaders of tomorrow, emphasizing that leadership starts long before people reach management positions.

“One of the discussions was about leadership. There is this assumption that leadership only starts when you reach a certain stage in your career. But I told them there's a difference between leadership and management,” Marteaux said.

She agreed that management is something people typically attain only after reaching a certain stage in their careers.

However, the Dutch consul general stressed that the students were already showing signs of leadership and questioned why they should wait another 10 or 20 years before calling themselves leaders.

“If you take an initiative and you implement it, that is leadership. If you bring a group together and lead it, that is leadership. It can be as small or as big as you make it, but these are already our future leaders,”she explained.

Que Anh, a second-year student majoring in international relations at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, was impressed by the openness of the female consuls general in sharing the barriers and stereotypes they had faced on their journeys into diplomacy.

The diplomats’ real-life experiences and advice gave the student greater confidence, helping her realize that women have many choices and opportunities to grow in this field.

She was most inspired by the message from the Italian consul general: to believe in yourself and always be well prepared for any situation.

Uncertainty is not a weakness

Amid rapid technological advancements, as artificial intelligence gradually replaces many traditional jobs and entirely new professions continue to emerge, many young people worry that they do not know what they truly want to do or how they should prepare for the future.

“When I meet students who feel uncertain, I always reassure them that it is not a weakness, but a starting point,” said Alexandra Smith, British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.

“What matter is not having all the answers, but actively seeking opportunities to grow and adapt."

She encouraged young people to prioritize transferable skills over fixed job titles, saying that strong communication, problem-solving abilities, cultural intelligence, adaptability, and solid technical knowledge can take them far and help them stand on their own in unstable times.

“In an unpredictable world, your greatest asset is your ability to keep learning,” she said.

“Be curious, be brave, and don’t be afraid to change direction—because every step will shape who you become.”

Meanwhile, Indonesian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Carolina Tinangon sees opportunity amid these very disruptions.

She believes that advanced technology and artificial intelligence are not only eliminating certain jobs but also enabling young people to create jobs for themselves.

Young people do not necessarily have to depend on companies. They can create their own jobs by taking advantage of new technologies, she said.

However, she stressed that the key is not merely knowing how to use AI, but using technology wisely.

She also encouraged young people to look beyond major cities and recognize the potential of rural areas, where opportunities are emerging in agriculture, renewable energy, and the green economy.

'Believe in yourself'

Failure was one of the topics that resonated most with the students.

According to Thai Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Wiraka Moodhitaporn, one thing adults often forget to tell young people is that both success and failure are normal parts of life.

She believes that young people are naturally willing to take risks, and that what matters more is learning how to deal with setbacks.

She noted that many young people today feel pressured to succeed at all costs and view failure as a disaster, even though success means different things to different people.

Italian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Alessandra Tognonato said she hoped young people would feel more confident, more daring and find the courage to be themselves.

“Basically, I think the students I met today are very well prepared, have ambition and they are just struggling with some prejudices that are still running in societies and unfortunately also inside the families,” she said.

“I hope that through these conversations, I managed to give more courage and inspiration to these girls so that they find the courage to be themselves, without listening to what they think society expects from them as young women.”

The Italian consul general called it rewarding to mentor young people and be seen as a role model, saying she had lacked such guidance when she was starting out in her career.