In 2023, Vietnamese student Thân Trọng Nghĩa came to Shanghai on a Confucius Institute scholarship to pursue a master's degree at East China Normal University. Over his two years in China, he gained a firsthand understanding of the country he had once known through textbooks – from the efficiency and order of city life to the energy of young people and the warmth he found in daily encounters. Now back in Vietnam, he works as a Chinese language teacher, sharing his experiences in China with his students. He hopes more Chinese people will visit Vietnam and explore its culture, and that more young Vietnamese will have the chance to come to China and experience life there for themselves.