Pham Phuong, a 15-year-old student at the Canadian International School, has played the role of Canadian consul general in HCMC after her victory in a contest.

Pham Phuong (C), the winner of the “Consul General for a Day” contest, meets with the Consul General of Canada in HCMC, Kyle Nunas (R), and his staff at the consulate on Thursday

Having won the “Consul General for a Day” contest organized by the Canadian Consulate General, Phuong visited the Canadian Consulate General in HCMC on Thursday and served as Canadian consul general for a day.

The ninth grader met with consulate staff to learn about what was happening at the Canadian Consulate and worked with an education promotion team to share her thoughts on how to raise awareness of the benefits of studying in Canada.

She told the Canadian Consul General in HCMC, Kyle Nunas, and the trade promotion team that she hopes Canada will import coconuts from Vietnam.

The contest was held by the Consulate General of Canada for high school students of grades 8 to 11 in HCMC by answering the question “Why is Canadian education a popular choice in Vietnam and what can be done to make Canadian education more popular in Vietnam?”

Pham Phuong’s essay beat those of 24 other contestants. Phuong said she did not expect to win as she saw the competition as a way to practice writing an essay.

Consul General Nunas said he felt happy when Vietnamese students have a deep understanding of Canada. He expected the program would contribute to strengthening the cooperative relationship between the two countries.

SGT