9th July 2024, by Truong Trong Hoang
Thanks to the support of EM4FIT, I was given an opportunity to participate in a research exchange project to University of Southern Denmark (SDU) for 1 month. The rich history of SDU could be traced back to 1998 as its establishment was based on the merger of Odense University, the Southern Denmark School of Business and Engineering and South Jutland University Centre. SDU provides a wide range of educational and training courses with 5 faculties including Humanities, Science, Business and Social Sciences, Health Sciences and Engineering. With more than 21,000 students of 80 nationalities, SDU is an educational institution with high level of internationalization and diversity.
SDU has campuses in 6 cities and I was located in Sønderborg which is a peaceful town in Southern Denmark with the population of 30,000 people. On the first day of my arrival, I received a warm welcome from SDU in general and the Department of Business and Sustainability in particular. I was granted an office to work during my stay and invited to take part in seminars. The first seminar was related to “gig economy” presented by Professor Mustafa Khalil Mahmood. I think the presentation was well-organized and full of interesting information. As part of the exchange activity, I also contributed and delivered a presentation with the topic “Factors influencing battery electric vehicle purchase in Vietnam: A step towards greener transportation”. In my presentation, I have provided a general view of electric vehicle (EV) market in Vietnam as well as determinants of Vietnamese consumers’ purchase behavior towards EVs. Based on the research results, I have discussed several solutions with participants in order to develop green transportation in Vietnam. I really enjoyed the supportive atmosphere during the seminar and appreciated comments from Professor Simon Jebsen, Martin Senderovitz, Mia Thyregod Rasmussen and Marquardt Petersen.
During my secondment, I also had an opportunity to cooperate with Professor Claudio Petti from University of Salento, Italy. The research is conducted with the aim of investigating the influence of internal and external factors on academic entrepreneurial activities with the collaboration of partners in Italy, Denmark and Vietnam. Being a part of this research has improved my research skills and exposure to international research project.
The trip to SDU also allows me to explore the beauty of the culture of Denmark. With the population of roughly 6 million people, Denmark is consistently ranked among the happiest countries in the world. Known for its progressive and welcoming society, Denmark creates a safe and inclusive environment for all visitors.