Hundreds of alumni representing every Vietnam Executive MBA (VEMBA) cohort, from the inaugural Class 1 to the current Class 33, joined faculty, university leaders and distinguished guests at the Meliá Hanoi Hotel on July 8 and The Reverie Saigon on July 11 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business’ VEMBA program. Since its founding in 2001, VEMBA has graduated more than 1,000 business leaders who now serve in executive roles across Vietnam and beyond.

Held in both Hanoi, where the program welcomed its first cohort, and Ho Chi Minh City, where it later expanded to meet growing demand, the celebrations honored a quarter century of academic excellence, international partnership and leadership development. Alumni representing all 33 cohorts reunited with classmates and faculty, while university leaders and internationally recognized professors reflected on the program’s remarkable journey from an ambitious vision to one of Vietnam’s most respected executive education programs.

“As we celebrate this milestone, we also look toward the future by expanding our impact throughout Southeast Asia while continuing to strengthen the global network that has become one of VEMBA’s greatest strengths.”

Vance Roley
Dean, Shidler College of Business

“The VEMBA program is the only program of its kind and has established itself as a leader in executive education in Vietnam,” Shidler College Dean Vance Roley said. “As we celebrate this milestone, we also look toward the future by expanding our impact throughout Southeast Asia while continuing to strengthen the global network that has become one of VEMBA’s greatest strengths.”

Celebrating 25 years across Vietnam

The celebrations featured remarks from university leaders, faculty reflections, alumni tributes, commemorative videos and opportunities for graduates spanning 25 years to reconnect and celebrate the program’s enduring legacy.

From an ambitious idea to a national network

VEMBA traces its roots to a 1997 United States Agency for International Development-funded initiative that brought Shidler College faculty to Vietnam to help train business educators as the country transitioned to a market economy. That effort inspired the creation of Vietnam’s first Executive MBA program offered by an American university.

The inaugural cohort welcomed 29 executives in Hanoi in 2001, followed by the program’s expansion to Ho Chi Minh City in 2007. In 2024, VEMBA evolved into one nationwide cohort, further strengthening connections among executives across the country.

Tra My Nguyen, VEMBA ’06, CEO and vice chairwoman of The PAN Group and president of the VEMBA Alumni Association, spoke on behalf of the alumni.

“As president of the VEMBA Alumni Association and a lifelong supporter of the program, I thank VEMBA for shaping our leadership, inspiring lifelong learning and creating a community that continues to support one another, contribute to Vietnam and make a positive difference in the world,” she said.

Alumni serve as CEOs, founders and senior executives across banking, telecommunications, aviation, logistics, manufacturing, technology and other key industries, helping shape Vietnam’s rapidly evolving economy.

Growing alongside Vietnam’s economy

Reflecting on the program’s evolution, Tung Bui, professor of information technology management, Matson Navigation Company Chair of Global Business and longtime faculty director of VEMBA, noted that the program has grown alongside Vietnam’s own economic transformation.

“Twenty-five years ago, the primary concern of VEMBA students was how to optimize operations, improve accounting systems and refine internal human resource management,” Bui said. “Today, our executives are thinking much bigger and looking outward. The most vibrant classroom discussions now revolve around artificial intelligence, global branding, exports and navigating international supply chains.”

As Vietnam’s economy has evolved, so too have the ambitions of its business leaders. Student projects that once focused on exporting rice and coffee now explore topics such as artificial intelligence, fintech, global branding and international expansion, reflecting the country’s growing role in the global economy.

A lifelong VEMBA ʻohana

While VEMBA is recognized for its rigorous curriculum and distinguished international faculty, alumni often point to another defining characteristic: the sense of ʻohana. Rooted in Hawaiian values of trust, collaboration and mutual support, the program has cultivated a lifelong network that extends well beyond graduation.

Alumni mentor one another, launch businesses together, recruit fellow graduates and remain actively engaged with the program, something that was evident throughout both anniversary celebrations.

“The first thing they keep telling me is that the program changes their lives professionally and personally,” Bui said. “There is a sense of gratitude from the graduates.”

That reputation has also earned praise from visiting faculty.

“Teaching VEMBA students is such an enriching experience,” said Jeanne Brett, professor emerita of dispute resolution and organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “I’ve been telling everyone that my Vietnamese students were absolutely first rate.”

Looking toward the next 25 years

For Bui, the program’s greatest achievement is not measured by the number of graduates or years in operation, but by the community it has built over the past quarter century.

As alumni from every VEMBA cohort gathered to celebrate the program’s first 25 years, the anniversary served not only as a reflection on its remarkable history, but also as a reminder that its greatest strength has always been its people.

About the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Founded in 1949, the Shidler College of Business was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. Since his initial gift of $25 million in 2006, Shidler has given approximately $238 million to the college in cash, land leases and in-kind donations. His contributions represent the largest individual donation to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the second-largest known gift to a U.S. public university business school.

In 2019, the School of Travel Industry Management rejoined the college. The college is renowned for its multicultural learning environment and expertise in international business education and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report.

Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the college offers a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The college has the only graduate business programs in the state of Hawaiʻi and Vietnam accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit shidler.hawaii.edu.