Truong Thanh Tra – A journey from financial student to strategy analyst at M-service, MoMo E-Wallet
“The lessons I have learned from my family, DUE’s faculty, and colleagues have nurtured my passion for work, motivated me, and pushed me to continuously move forward and overcome challenges to bring more values to the society.”
From an enthusiastic class president, Truong Thanh Tra (a former student of class 40K16-CLC, Faculty of Finance - University of Economics – The University of Danang), after graduating, has become a shining example of a dynamic youngster pursuing his dreams, helping to develop the digital economy as well as the financial services industry of Vietnam. Let’s talk with Thanh Tra!
Faculty of Finance: Hi, Tra. It’s our pleasure to have the opportunity to talk to you today. Could you please share a little bit about your current job?
Thanh Tra: “Hi, it’s my pleasure as well. I am now working at M_ Services Joint Stock Company, which is also known as a more memorable name - MoMo E-Wallet. Before that, I worked in the Deals Strategy team at PwC Vietnam.”
Faculty of Finance: As soon as you graduated, you decided to move to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to work. Could you share with us the reason making you come up with that decision?
Thanh Tra: “It was actually the result of the extremely careful consideration and one of the game-changing decisions of my life. When I had just graduated, with the youth energy, I was determined to step out of my comfort zone to engage in a dynamic, open-minded, but challenging environment. After having consulted others’ previous experience, I boldly shared my desire to relocate to HCMC with my parents. At that time, I just thought about going to work for a few years to gain experience. But the more I work and live here, the more I desire to learn and discover new things from people around me. So far, it has been six years in HCMC and probably more. *laugh*"
Faculty of Finance: You had a dream job in the Big 4 that almost every student at University of Economics wants to experience once. What motivated you to leave Big 4 to work at MoMo?
Thanh Tra: “Working at PwC Vietnam has helped me expand my knowledge in many sectors. Because of project-based work, the most extended project only lasted three months, so I had the opportunity to approach dozens of different businesses in just three years. In addition to traditional industries such as financial services and retail, I analyzed many modern sectors such as electronic chip production, waste treatment, etc. In particular, I also learned a lot about problem-solving and decision-making skillset from my colleagues. After three years working here, with the skills and knowledge I have acquired, I decided to dive into a major that I am passionate about and devoted much thought to - the financial services industry. With the desire to learn more about how to apply technology to help develop the financial services industry in Vietnam, I joined as a Strategy Analyst at MoMo - the largest e-wallet in Vietnam today.
Faculty of Finance: Tra regularly organizes talks with students on personal finance. Could you tell us what led you to these meaningful activities?
Thanh Tra: “As I said, I’m especially concerned about the question: “How can Vietnam develop the financial services industry like other countries?” Thanks to the knowledge I have learned from my teachers, friends, colleagues and my ability, I am fortunate enough to have healthy personal financial health. However, I know that there are many people out there who are still struggling. In particular, the impact of the Covid pandemic has caused many families to fall into the situation of having to pledge assets, even getting entangled in black credit with “exorbitant” interest rates. I strongly believe that holding personal finance talks is my way of giving values and contributing to the development of society. I choose to start from a group of students with the simplest knowledge, such as saving, and apply technology examples instead of traditional methods, such as “saving by keeping money under the pillow.” Such an approach will help young people easily absorb and continue to spread to those around them, such as parents and relatives - thereby strongly impacting the community’s awareness and behavior.”
Faculty of Finance: On your personal page, you share a lot about running. Why do you like this sport?
Thanh Tra: “I like running because it requires little technique but brings great results. After two years of training, I realized that there are only three techniques to remember when running: taking small steps, landing with the middle of the foot, and running the second half of the distance faster than the first. The rest is simply perseverance – something we can practice.
I enjoyed the book “Born to Run” about a tribe that hunted deer not by outrunning them but by chasing them until the beast collapsed from exhaustion. The other day when I was jogging, I thought that sometimes I don’t need to be faster but keep moving forward and never stop. Lessons learned from running: Set goals and take action with small, steady steps. I believe this is not just a lesson for this sport but also work and life!”
Faculty of Finance: Thank you for the exciting talk!