Interview with Tich Bich Lien Nguyen

1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

•     Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

Hy, I’m Lien, I come from Haiphong province. I’m 28 years old. I’m pregnant and will have my second baby in one month. I’m working for Adeco, I’ve been working here for 3 years. I belong to technical department and I’m lab operator in the Haiphong depot. When I graduated, my first job was a technical job in a Japanese company, I stayed only one year and after I joined Adeco. They were making tuners for printer. I did a master of environmental engineering, I did my studies in Haiphong. I manage one girl here, she is my assistant, she is junior engineer.

•     How did you come to engineering and sciences?

I wanted to become strong, to be able to do the same things men can do. When I was a child, I heard on the radio about a scientist and because of this I wanted to do something similar. I’m the first engineer in my family, my parents do agriculture. I have 2 younger sister and they are also graduated from university but in accounting. 

Now that I’m married, the most important thing for me are my children.

I choose a master in environment because around me there was a lot of pollution in the air. But I finally did not work in environmental because I think that you can do something for environment but you’re small and the problem is big.   

•     Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being  a women facilitated it?

The environmental major was the best of the university, we were 23 girls in a class of 40 people. It was not a problem to be a girl. Girls were working more, boys are not very serious! There was also different other majors, for example in mechanical there was a really few girls, the men are more interested in this field and most of the girls are afraid because it’s a heavy job after you graduate. 

It was easier for boys to find a job because they are able to travel. For me it was not too difficult to find a job because I believe in myself. Before getting married I used to travel a lot, during my first year in Adecco I was 2 weeks in Ho Chi Minh and 2 weeks in Haiphong every month (Ho Chi Minh is more than 1500km south from Haiphong) .

•     Why did you choose Adeco?

Because in the Japanese company, I had too much work to do at the beginning and after, when I’ve been able to control everything, I had a really few work and I felt bored, that’s why I changed. I got married after joining Adecco, and I stopped to work for 4 month when I had my baby. My husband is also engeneer,  I don’t like businessmen!! Because a businessman would not have enough time for me, they travel a lot. My husband can help me with the baby. My son is 27 months, he goes to the kid garden since he’s 10 month, before there was one person taking care of him at home.

•     What are the specific qualities required by your job?

I think you must love your job, you must realise that your results are very important for other people. You must work hard.

•     What are your everyday motivations?

The first is that you have money at the end of the month! (Joke) If you don’t work you’re not human. Staying at home is very boring. At work, the monkey become human!

I like the fact that I can meet scientists and understand them.

•     Did you had experiences of mobility?

During one year I was working 2 weeks here and 2 weeks in Ho Chi Minh every month, more than 1500km from here. I liked that because I had a lot of experiences but it was very tiring.

I have not been abroad for my job.

•     How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

My life is easy, I have no problem with the schedules. In the morning I take the baby at the kid garden, I have to wake up very early to do this. At about 5pm, I leave the company, go to the market and take some food and go to the kid garden, take my baby back home and prepare the diner. My husband comes back at 6:30pm, his company is far from home. Soon I will leave the company for 4 month because of my baby, my assistant will do my job during this period, she is a bit afraid!  And when I will come back I will be doing the same job.

•     Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

In the Japanese company, I was proud that I could reduce the production of wrong products from 30% to about 5%.

Here in Adeco, I’m proud because I can do everything by myself. The depot manager left in October and I can do everything by myself, but we are waiting for a new manager. When the costumer complains we have to go to the work site and there we get more experience, when my manager was there, I never went to the work site, now I go often. But I can’t be the manager now because in Vietnam, when you work with the costumer, you must have a relation ship with him, manager have relationships with our costumers, you are not Vietnamese so it’s difficult for you to understand this. Women can also have relationship with the customer, it’s step by step, so after a few years I could be a manager, and I would like to!





2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

•     Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

I think the biggest difference is that the women must get married and take care of the children, they have less time for their job. I don’t think there is a difference between men and women in the way they are organized, it depends on the person. I think that it’s easier for the men to communicate, for the women it’s difficult to talk, the men can control their feelings better than the women. Men can usually handle stressful situations easier than women. But me, I think I can do the things as well as any man, I can control my feelings. The women work more in details than the men and this is important in my job. The men handle better physic work. I don’t think there is a difference between men and women in multitasking.

•     Do you think that a mixed team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

I think it’s better, I think that there is a better atmosphere in a team with half boys and half girls.  Men can then do heavy work, and the women would do the work that they do better than men, like for example the meticulous work, for example when put asphalt in the tool to make tests, it’s easy for women, the men cannot do this properly.

3rd PART:  Vidéo

•     Short representation

Hye, I’m Lien, I’m 28 years old and I’m working in Adeco as a lab operator.

•     Which advice would you give to any young women who hesitate to start engineering studies?

Don’t worry! Don’t be afraid of engineering because women can do everything as men.

•     What has been your biggest difficulty as a women engineer?

I think if you are a women, you must get married and have a baby, men have more time to work than us.

•     What has been your best satisfaction as a women engineer?

The men must have an other look on women because we are engineer and we work with them.

•     What is your next challenge?

My next challenge is to become a women manager!