What happens when professionals from different markets step into each other’s worlds?

You get more than professional development.

You get new perspectives, deeper market insight and relationships that can open the door to what comes next.

Earlier this year, HEX took part in the Australian Government’s Professional Placements Program, hosting two professionals from Vietnam for three-week placements in Melbourne.

Thao-Anh Nguyen, Founder and CEO of Everyday Communications, and Vy Tran, E-Commerce Operations Specialist at Vinamilk, joined the HEX team to experience the Australian business and innovation ecosystem while contributing to real projects.

And the exchange did not stop there.

In June, HEX CMO Shaye Pumar travelled to Ho Chi Minh City for a two-week placement with BSSC, continuing the knowledge exchange and strengthening HEX’s connection with Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem.

Bringing Vietnam and Melbourne together

For Thao-Anh Nguyen of Everyday Communications and Vy Tran of Vinamilk, the Melbourne placements offered a chance to experience a different business environment first-hand.

For HEX, it was an opportunity to better understand Vietnam’s business and education landscape, strengthen regional relationships and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

It was a genuine two-way exchange.

Thao-Anh was hosted by Julia Tai, Chief of Staff at HEX, while Vy worked with Jess Merlo, Head of Learning and Experience.

The experience brought different perspectives into the HEX team while giving both participants a closer look at how Australian businesses operate.

Learning by doing

The placements were not about sitting on the sidelines.

Both participants contributed to real work, including client meetings, stakeholder engagement, market research and business development.

Thao-Anh developed and supported new marketing strategies, while Vy conducted a comprehensive systems-thinking analysis of the HEX business. 

That practical experience is where international placements really come to life.

You can read about a market. You can join a webinar. You can have a Zoom call with someone on the other side of the world.

But working alongside a local team gives you something different: context.

You start to understand how people communicate, how businesses operate and where opportunities might actually exist.

From Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City

The story did not end when the three-week placements wrapped up.

In June 2026, Shaye joined BSSC in Ho Chi Minh City for a two-week placement, gaining insights into local market trends, project development and cross-cultural business practices while expanding her network across Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem. 

It created another layer of knowledge exchange between Australia and Vietnam.

And that is what makes international mobility so valuable.

It is not simply about sending someone overseas.

It is about creating opportunities for people, organisations and markets to learn from each other.

What international placements can unlock

For professionals and businesses looking beyond their home market, international placements can create opportunities to:

• Understand new markets: Gain first-hand insight into local business environments, market conditions and opportunities.
• Build cross-cultural capability: Develop stronger communication and collaboration skills across different cultures.
• Expand professional networks: Create relationships with people who can become future collaborators, partners or clients.
• Bring new ideas home: Take lessons from another market and apply them in a different context.
• Explore future opportunities: Use a short-term placement as a starting point for longer-term partnerships and market expansion.

The SDG case study highlights several of these outcomes, including increased understanding of Australian and Vietnamese markets, stronger cross-cultural capability and potential pathways for future partnerships and market entry. 

More Than a Three-Week Experience

The placement might last three weeks.

The relationships can last much longer.

That was clear from the experience of both Vietnamese participants. Vy shared that she remained in contact with the HEX team, with both sides interested in working together in the future. Thao-Anh also highlighted the ongoing relationships she planned to maintain with HEX and the other business connections she made during the program. 

For HEX, those relationships have continued to create momentum, with Shaye’s placement in Vietnam providing another opportunity to learn, collaborate and strengthen ties across the region.

This is where international placements become more than a professional experience.

They become a pathway to new ideas, new markets and new relationships.

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Read the full story

Strategic Development Group recently shared the full case study behind the Professional Placements Program, including the experiences of Vy, Thao-Anh, HEX and BSSC.

Read “Creating Pathways for Market Expansion Through International Placements” on Strategic Development Group