Daphne Brozyna, Plus3 Business Vietnam, Summer 2026
Before Vietnam, I thought of travel as something I enjoyed, but not necessarily something I would pursue much in my future. I had never been outside the country before, and most of my childhood travel was to Florida for vacation. Applying to Plus3 was a sudden decision, and I’m so glad I did it.
I was seemingly the only person nervous about the 33 hours of travel, the entirely different culture, and being on the other side of the world. But once we got there, I immediately caught the travel bug. I loved it all: the city, the people. It was all so new.
One of the biggest examples of this happened when we visited the United States Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. We met a woman who worked in the economic segment of the consulate, and she explained how her work involved visiting local companies, especially surrounding intellectual property issues. The consulate does not directly stop violations, but they collect information and write reports that are sent to Washington, D.C., where they can later influence policy surrounding tariffs and trade.
I found the entire structure fascinating because it connected the happenings in Vietnam directly to decisions being made in Washington. The American employees also rotate through different locations for relatively short periods of time, so they rely heavily on the local employees who have been there for years and understand the region. I was surprised by how much of international policy depends on people who are physically in another country understanding what is actually happening there.
After the trip, I went to Washington, D.C. for the summer. I had already planned to move there to intern, but the experience in Vietnam changed how I viewed it. The woman I met at the consulate ended up becoming a great mentor and resource for me. We met virtually a few times while I was in D.C., and she introduced me to her entire network from when she lived there. Through her, I was exposed to a whole world of careers and opportunities that I had never really
considered before.
I am now in the application process for the United States Embassy internship program. The application process is extremely extensive, and I do not necessarily know if working in an embassy is something I would want to do long term. But before Vietnam, it was not even something I had considered. That is what makes the experience so meaningful to me. It introduced me to an entire area of work that I did not know I could enjoy and gave me people who could help me explore it.
I think the biggest impact Vietnam had on my future direction is that it made my world feel much bigger. I came into the trip with a pretty limited idea of the places I could go and the careers I might pursue. Now, I want to go back to Asia and study abroad in Australia my junior year. I left knowing that there are so many more possibilities than I had considered.
I think the biggest impact Vietnam had on my future direction is that it made my world feel much bigger. I came into the trip with a pretty limited idea of the places I could go and the careers I might pursue. I left knowing that there are so many more possibilities than I had considered.
Leave a Reply