SMU-XO students with their mentors and senior management of VinaCapital

The picture was taken after the students' presentations to the mentors and senior management of VinaCapital in Ho Chi Minh City. VinaCapital, one of Vietnam’s leading investment management companies, sponsored the SMU-X Overseas (SMU-XO) project of ECON248 Overseas Project Experience (Macroeconomics in Asia). (Front row from left): Mr. Andy Ho, CIO of VinaCapital; Ms. Que Hoang-Phuong Vu, Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Economics, SMU; Mr. Derek Chiang, Senior Development Partner of SMU-X; and Mr. Brook Taylor, CEO of Asset Management and Executive Director at VinaCapital. Through projects, students gained first-hand experience in the fast-paced buy-side analyst role, identifying high-alpha projects to benefit various VinaCapital funds. They also deepened their knowledge of modern and sophisticated financial products such as SPACs and digital assets, understanding how these products have different characteristics under various macroeconomic and financial market conditions, especially in developing countries. As final deliverables to VinaCapital, students evaluated investment projects from different stakeholders’ perspectives and provided recommendations. They gained insights into the investment process and learned how to leverage market fluctuations to identify asset classes that could deliver positive investment returns. They also had the opportunity to interact with faculty and students at the Vietnam National University, network with aspiring start-up founders and SMU alumni based in Ho Chi Minh City. They also managed to squeeze in some time to soak in the sights and sounds of the city, and visit cultural sites like the Cu Chi Tunnel and Mekong River.