Creating Pathways for Market Expansion Through International Placements
Unlocking new market opportunities, regional insights, and lasting business relationships through cross-border professional placements
Vietnamese participants Vy Tran, Vinamilk (left) and Thao-Anh Nguyen, Everyday Communications (middle right), with their host Julia Tai, HEX, and Justin Whyatt, First Assistant Secretary, DFAT, during the Celebratory Closing Event of the Melbourne 2026 Program
Overview
Strategic Development Group (Strategic) implemented the Professional Placements Program on behalf of the Australian Government to enable Australian and Southeast Asian businesses to send and receive early- to mid-career professionals for international professional placements. Through this program, Strategic has enabled knowledge exchange and capacity-building opportunities for 58 businesses, fostering enduring business-to-business relationships grounded in strong people-to-people connections.
In April and May 2026, HEX, an Australian education and innovation organisation, hosted two professionals from Vietnamese companies, Vinamilk and Everyday Communications, for three-week placements through the Professional Placements Program.
Participating organisations
Three organisations participated in this professional placement.
Australian Host Business: HEX
Education and innovation organisation, Melbourne, Australia
HEX is an education and innovation organisation that delivers entrepreneurship, technology, and leadership programs through online, in‑person, and global experiential learning formats. It supports students, early‑career professionals, founders, and organisations to build real‑world skills, career pathways, and startup capability through mentor‑led programs, internships, and university‑recognised courses.
The Opportunity: For HEX, the program presented an opportunity to support its expansion into Vietnam by gaining first-hand insights into the country's business and education landscape and strengthening connections with emerging leaders. By hosting professionals from leading Vietnamese organisations, HEX saw the program as an opportunity to deepen its understanding of regional market dynamics and build relationships that could support future partnerships, collaboration, and program delivery in Vietnam.
Vietnamese Business: Everyday Communications
Stakeholder strategy firm, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Everyday Communications is a Vietnam‑based communications and digital marketing agency providing brand strategy, content, and campaign execution services.
The Opportunity: Everyday Communications viewed the program as a strategic opportunity to strengthen its engagement with the Australian market. By sending Founder and CEO Thao-Anh Nguyen to Melbourne, the company aimed to build new business relationships, gain exposure to Australia’s innovation ecosystem, and identify opportunities for future partnerships.
Thao-Anh Nguyen, Founder and CEO, Everyday Communications, Vietnam, with her Australian host representative Julia Tai, Chief of Staff, HEX
“My main motivation for applying to this program is highly practical: I want to expand my network and build direct business partnerships with Australian companies… Ultimately, I want to use this placement as a stepping stone to deeply immerse myself in the Australian market and facilitate tangible business connections between Vietnam and Australia…
As the business owner, my primary incentive was to personally establish direct business partnerships and expand our company’s footprint in the Australian market. Additionally, I wanted to immerse myself in Melbourne’s innovative ecosystem to bring a global mindset and new operational strategies back to our core business in Vietnam.”
Vietnamese Business: Vinamilk
Dairy company, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vinamilk is Vietnam’s largest dairy company, operating across the full value chain from farming and production to retail and e‑commerce distribution. The company is a regional market leader known for large‑scale digital transformation and omnichannel consumer engagement.
Vy Tran, E-Commerce Operations Specialist, Vinamilk, Vietnam, with her Australian host representative Jess Merlo, Head of Learning and Experience, HEX
The Opportunity: Vinamilk participated in the program to support the professional development of Vy Tran, E-Commerce Operations Specialist, while gaining exposure to new perspectives and international business practices. The placement provided an opportunity to expand professional networks, strengthen cross-cultural capabilities, and bring fresh insights back to the organisation to support its ongoing digital transformation and growth initiatives.
Placement outcomes
During the three-week placement, both participants made valuable contributions through client meetings, stakeholder engagement activities, market research, and on-the-ground business development. Their work delivered tangible outcomes for their host organisations. Thao-Anh Nguyen developed and supported the launch of new marketing strategies, while Vy Tran conducted a comprehensive systems-thinking analysis of the business. Together, their projects helped strengthen the company's market-entry efforts in Vietnam and enabled direct engagement with senior leadership teams.
Reflecting on her placement experience, Thao-Anh highlighted the unique combination of professional development and cultural immersion offered through the program:
“The program provided a perfect platform for cultural and professional immersion. Being hosted by a local company allowed me to work on practical, highly feasible projects, helping me truly soak in the Australian business environment. Furthermore, the program facilitated face-to-face networking, enabling me to meet with existing and potential partners, which directly aligned with my goal of strengthening cross-border collaborations.”
Thao-Anh also reflected on the broader value of the program for both participants and businesses:
“For individuals, it is a transformative experience that bridges the gap between local mindsets and global industry standards. For businesses, it acts as a strategic gateway. It breaks down geographical barriers, allowing companies to build authentic, face-to-face relationships, understand foreign market nuances, and explore bilateral partnership opportunities that wouldn’t be possible through online interactions alone.”
Vietnamese participants Vy Tran, E-Commerce Operations Specialist, Vinamilk (left) and Thao-Anh Nguyen, Founder and CEO, Everyday Communications (right) with Melbourne 2026 Program participants
The impact of the placement extended well beyond the three-week program, with both participants identifying ongoing opportunities for future collaboration and professional growth. Vy Tran emphasised the lasting relationships established through the experience and the potential for future partnerships:
“I am keeping in good touch with the people from HEX, and both sides wish to work together in the future. This is just a matter of time.”
For Thao-Anh, the experience also shaped the way she intends to approach her work and professional relationships moving forward:
“Professionally, I will adopt a more collaborative, proactive, and ‘no-judge’ approach to my work, heavily inspired by the Australian workplace culture I experienced. I definitely plan to maintain my relationship with my host company, as well as the other business partners I connected with during this trip.”
In June 2026, HEX built on this momentum by placing its Chief Marketing Officer, Shaye Pumar, with BSSC in Ho Chi Minh City for a two-week placement. During her time with one of Vietnam’s leading startup support organisations, Shaye gained valuable insights into local market trends, project development, and cross-cultural business practices, while expanding her professional network across Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem. It was wonderful to see the momentum from the initial placements continue to grow, fostering deeper partnerships, new business opportunities, and ongoing collaboration between Australia and Vietnam.
Mutual Benefits and Broader Impact from this Placement
Identified potential pathways for future partnerships, client relationships, and market entry.
Strengthened cross-cultural capability, global perspectives, and leadership skills
Increased understanding of market conditions and growth opportunities in Australia and Vietnam.
Supported business development and market expansion opportunities.
Conclusion
The Professional Placements Program demonstrated how international mobility can create meaningful outcomes for businesses and individuals alike. Through immersive, hands-on experiences, HEX, Vinamilk, Everyday Communications and BSSC gained valuable market insights, expanded their professional networks, and developed relationships that continue to deliver benefits beyond the placement period.
By bringing together emerging leaders from Australia and Vietnam, the program helped strengthen business connections, foster mutual understanding, and create new opportunities for collaboration. The continued engagement between participants and organisations highlights the program's lasting impact and its contribution to deeper Australia-Vietnam economic and people-to-people ties.
About the Professional Placements program
The Professional Placements Program was an 18-month pilot program funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. The program offered support to Australian and Southeast Asian businesses to send or host temporary professional placements of young professionals between Australia and Southeast Asia. Countries included Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
