PERSONAL STATEMENT

I was born and grew up in a northernmost mountainous province of Vietnam bordering

China. My entire childhood was surrounded by chronic poverty and pervasive ignorance
in a little village where children of my age knew nothing but undulating ranges of
grandeur mountains that even in my dream I would never have thought of one day I could
break out of the vicious circle of illiteracy and innumeracy to become a lawyer and make
an ambitious plan for further study in a world-class university in USA. Unlike peer friends
whose sole dream was to have decent meals and warm clothes every day after school, I
looked for another world from the foreign magazines that my dad subscribed for me using
his scanty military salary. In my mind, a society where people were vested with rights to
decent life, education and advancement was conjured up. And I cherished a passion to
learn and explore that unknown world.
As early as high school days, I realized that English was not only a valuable tool for me to
discover the world but also helped shape my outlook with more comprehensive and
impartial eyes. Thus, I kept learning days after days to build up my English competency in
a hope for a day when I could communicate confidently and fluently as a native. I still
remember my feeling when I read the book Message from Nam by Danielle Steel and
knew for the first time how the American viewed the Vietnam War. But for a certain
command of English, my view of the War would have been biased with distorted
historical education in Vietnam. Moreover, with a strictly-controlled education and media,
knowing another language means having one additional means of communications that
allows me to bypass the draconian censorship and to have more outward-looking, multidimensional and critical thoughts. All these have enabled to open my mind to the global
world and kindled my desire for escaping from the stagnant life to a horizon of eruditeness
and civility.
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The year 2002 marked an important milestone in my life when I was admitted to the most
prestigious university in Vietnam []1. For the first time of living far away from the
cocoon of mom and dad, I learned to walk on my own feet. Unintentionally, I gradually
appreciated the values of independence and freedom, and determined to find them on my
own. I realized that acquiring knowledge little by little, was the most sustainable means
for me towards that goal. And that was the time for my personal character to take shape,
my academic capacity to develop and my ambitious plans to unfold.
I chose to major in International Law the fundamental principles of which taught me the
way this political-economic world was shaped and governed. In particular, I was
passionate with learning how international organizations and their rules function and
dominate this world of trade, how international treaties should be interpreted, why there
are international regulations on international trade, and how crucial intellectual property
rights protection is. I also learned that the axis of power of the world was run by giant
powerhouses, including the U.S.A. It was these rudimentary courses at []2 had provoked
my curiosity for further knowledge and since then I cherished a wish for an education in
American universities to answer my questions back home.
In 2006, I graduated with honors from []3 and was recruited by []4, a leading local law firm
exclusively providing legal services for foreign investors. There, I was exposed to an
intense legal profession and worked under the supervision of experienced Vietnamese
lawyers. I quickly learned the trade of practicing laws: a profession in which you treat
clients problems as yours and devote to solve them. While other colleagues viewed
working late and handling urgent client requests as an annoying burden, I appreciated
every client work I had as a great chance to learn a real business life. I was commonly
seen spending at least 11 hours per day in the office to research law, review clients files,

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prepare legal advice, draft contracts, or attend negotiations with clients. Unconsciously, a
professional and disciplined lawyering culture has taken shape and rooted in my vein. I
was highly appreciated among partners and associates as an outstanding solicitor of the
firm.
11 January 2007 witnessed a momentous day for Vietnam when the country became the
149th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). News on opportunities and
challenges brought by this event was ubiquitous. Both the business community and
authorities seemed not yet ready for the accession: many Vietnamese exporters faced antidumping investigations abroad but no qualified Vietnamese lawyer was available to
defend them; licensing authorities just ignored WTO commitments and adhered to their
out-dated and conservative domestic regulations; and foreign investors could not
implement the rights they were entitled to under Vietnams WTO schedule of
commitments. These bafflings had a knock-on influence on my choice of legal practice
and study. I applied for a fellowship to pursue International Trade Law at the World Trade
Institute (WTI) and was admitted. Beyond my expectations, the international law and
economics courses at WTI were delivered by top-notch professors and practitioners
worldwide. My daily exposure to and discussions with world economists and trade experts
had enabled me to obtain a comprehensive body of knowledge on international trade rules.
Interestingly, I was most impressed by lecturers from the United States or those with
American educational background whose hand-on experience in handling classical trade
cases had inspired me to pursue further education in the United States. During these ten
consecutive months at WTI experiencing intensive courses with weekly exams, interacting
with international professors, sharing the dormitory with other international students, and
participating in extra-curricular activities, I had found no challenge living and working in
an international and multi-cultural environment and that should be the life I wanted upon
return to Vietnam.
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Upon earning a summa cum laude master degree from WTI, I was luckily selected among
3,000 candidates for a prestigious internship at the WTO and then received a couple of
employment offers from some think tanks and law firms in Brussels in addition to those
from [

]5. I decided on [] and hoped for practicing law in an international environment. I

was assigned to work in Information Technology and Communication and Trade and
Commerce practice groups. The challenges at [] was not only a high demand on quality
and a huge workload but also the difficulties in explaining to international clients about
the gaps between law and practice. I understand that the key to practice laws in Vietnam is
to figure out how to use legal basis to persuade the authorities to speed up the licensing
process without engaging in bribery, and at the same time try to educate them of the costs
caused by red-tape and the need to comply with international commitments of Vietnam. In
my role as a legal adviser to international clients, a mediator between the clients and the
authorities, and a regular contributor to the legal reform process of Vietnam, I have
undergone these untold difficulties to lead clients to final success without enduring bribery
and corruption. I was, therefore, voted as the best performer by my colleagues at []6 office
in Hanoi. In addition, I was evaluated by my work supervisors in two consecutive years as
consistently exceeding expectations. My work products were laudable among clients
and partners of the firm. And State officials were not hesitating to contact me when they
need legal consultation. These serve as empirical evidence that working hard with passion
and with a strongest sense of responsibility has always been a key to my every success.
However, my outstanding achievements in work and study so far have been necessary but
far away from being sufficient. I still have way to go to reach the level of an international
lawyer whose analytical, problem-solving and client-attracting skills must have taken time
and painful training. More importantly, I realized that people with deep legal knowledge
and being familiar with best international practices can bring changes to this country. Thus,

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with the LLM at Harvard Law School, I foresee myself as a contributor to such
transformation process. However, I do need your financial support to realize my dream. I
believe in my future successful career as a lawyer in a top international law firm and by
that time my financial donations as a way of return for your generosity would enrich
Harvard endowment fund.