The guest of today's Humans of VietSeeds is "you-know-who" - Nhật Anh, the "jack of all trades." After 4 years, he has held almost every position: from Mentor to Volunteer to Sponsor to Trainer to SCL to Manager, etc. The only thing he cannot do is being a VietSeeds student. Even though he is extremely busy, Nhật Anh always finds time to play board games, drink bubble tea, shoot the breeze, or discuss with the Seeds. So if you have time, don't forget to drop by the VietSeeds office in Hanoi, Nhật Anh will be there most days of the week. Now, let's see what's interesting in Nhật Anh's exclusive interview on "VietSeeds TV"!

Question 1: Did it take Mr. Nhật Anh long to decide to join VietSeeds?

Answer: In 2016, I graduated from university. At that time, I didn't know what to do like many other fresh graduates. The only difference was that I had "a big wad of cash" in my hand because I had just sold my business. So I started looking for volunteer positions at some organizations. First, I worked for a project of the US Embassy with the position of Mentor. The project lasted for a year and after it ended, I realized that I was good at this job. I felt the joy when I saw the program succeed, saw the kids finally realize whether they were good at or not at something... However, at that time, the concept of "Mentor" was not yet popular in Vietnam, so it was not easy for me to find a similar position. Until the end of 2016, a friend tagged me in a Mentor recruitment post of VietSeeds. I applied almost immediately, because I had been searching and waiting long enough to be a Mentor again.

Question 2: As of today, you have been with VietSeeds for 4 years and have held almost every position that can be held - a period of time that is not short but not long enough for a few changes. However, you are still accompanying VietSeeds, what is the reason?

Answer: Many people are surprised that I have only been with VietSeeds for 4 years, everyone thinks it must be a long time ago. Actually, at first, I only planned to be a Mentor for about 2 years, but I don't know why I was persuaded to participate in every position from one to another (laugh). The story started when I realized that the mentors were a little inactive, so I founded a group called "The VietSeeds Mentors' Association", inviting each other to go for coffee, organizing "mentor groups" and then expanding to extracurricular activities... I think Mrs Tường (VietSeeds Co-founder) saw me as too enthusiastic (laugh) so she "deluded" me into taking the position of Mentor Manager. It sounded cool so I agreed. After a while, Mrs Tường again "deluded" me to interview for F8. Not long after, Mrs Tường said that VietSeeds still needed the position of Babi/Mami, so I did it right away. At that time, the work was still light, it didn't take much time, but then chị Tường said, "Anyway, you've done everything, so why don't you manage VietSeeds Hanoi?" And as you can see, I agreed again. Of course, I'm not "easy to fool", but it's because at VietSeeds, I find a lot of interesting things. Besides, even though I've graduated, I still miss my student days, so the real reason I stay is because I want to cling to my youth through our students (laugh).

Question 3: What is your experience like when evaluating and selecting a new generation of Seeds?

Answer: I always find it interesting. It feels like standing in front of closed boxes, not knowing what's inside, and slowly opening each box one by one. There are those that open and you just want to close them again (maybe they were sent to the wrong address?), there are those that you will want to give to someone else because they are too good, and there are those boxes that you just want to keep for yourself.

Question 4: Do you have any special criteria in the process of "unboxing" that way?

Answer:  If you notice, the cover photo on my Facebook is quite interesting. Cats, but not just ordinary cute cats, but cats acting like humans. It seems absurd, different, unusual, but basically, that's what always makes me amused. One could say that I always seek out such "cats" every time I “unbox", like a cat smoking a pipe, for example. (laugh)

Question 5: “Honesty” is one of the five core values of VietSeeds and it is also the first requirement for each applicant. But do you always follow the principle of “if you are not honest, I will eliminate you”?

Answer: No. Many people may be surprised, but my answer is no. The problem is where the lack of honesty comes from, what is the story behind it? Those who lie to achieve their goals will definitely be eliminated, but there are also those who lie because they are afraid. Afraid of being judged, not brave enough to tell the truth about themselves, especially in the first meeting. And I think I have enough experience and skills to recognize that.

Question 6: Which feeling does Mr. Nhật Anh prefer: welcoming a new generation of Seeds or saying goodbye to an old generation of Seeds?

For me, I think I prefer to welcome a new generation of Seeds. When a journey begins, I see the Seeds growing up in my “arms,” and it feels happy and reassuring. After they graduate, I have done my best to support them, whether they are good or not at that time depends entirely on themselves. Sometimes I am also afraid that the storms of life outside will make you want to come back to find peace at VietSeeds (laughs).

Question 7: Thank you very much, Mr. Nhật Anh! We know for sure that you will stay at VietSeeds for a long time, so we will not ask any more questions!