Oraiden Manuel Sabonete, born in 2000, is a student at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) majoring in electrical engineering. Before leaving for Vietnam, he once studied computing at a top-tier university in Mozambique.

“Everyone was surprised by my decision to go to Vietnam. My parents even tried to stop me because they thought Vietnam was still at war," Oraiden recalled. 

But the student said there were many reasons for him to make the decision.

“My parents’ financial capability is not good enough to fund my study. Therefore, when hearing about the government scholarship which can cover tuition and daily needs, I believed that this was a great opportunity for me,” he said.

The other reason for him to go to Vietnam – love for Vietnam’s history.  He is impressed by the lessons about heroic and resilient Vietnamese in the battles against foreign invaders. Particularly, both Vietnam and Mozambique are members of the Non-aligned Movement, have similarities, and have maintained diplomatic relations since 1975.

When learning Vietnamese language at Thai Nguyen University, he was shocked as he did not think it would be so difficult to learn.

However, Oraiden feels lucky as Vietnamese like communicating with foreigners and don’t feel bothered about talking with other people.

“I often go to cafes or go downtown to seek Vietnamese people to talk with. Many people are willing to help me and show me how to pronounce words properly,” he said. “I like talking with children, who can talk about everything, and old people, who talk about history, culture and social issues."

Though understanding grammar rules and having good vocabulary, Oraiden still felt pressure when starting at HUST.

“Though I studied analytics in Mozambique, I still found it very difficult in Vietnam. I even had to retake some general subjects,” he recalled.

However, with great efforts, self-study hours and support and encouragement from lecturers, he has adapted to the schooling environment in Vietnam and begun conducting research.

In 2021, he won the first prize at the university-level competition on students’ scientific research with the topic "Vietnam - Mozambique economic relations from the perspective of Vietnam's international economic integration policy”.

The student, together with his lecturer, attended za competition on protecting the ideological foundation of the Communist Party and won the promising prize.

Most recently, Oraiden and two other students from Laos and Cambodia attended an eloquence contest for foreign students in Vietnam and won the consolation prize. 

Phan Dau