A Talk with Guest Speaker Le Nguyen Minh Quang

These are significant qualities emphasized by Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Quang, Former Head of Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) to MPP20 students (Leadership & Management concentration). Mr. Quang is a rare case of recruitment in public sector. With over 20 years working at top positions in foreign construction corporations, Mr. Quang decided to take an unexpected route when accepting the offer to become Head of MAUR in June 2016 to realize his dreams of rapid transit in urban Vietnam. 

Mr. Quang shared the biggest obstables for him moving from private to public sector are not reduced income or technical problems.  “Technically, Metro is a complicated system. Fortunately, my education in HCMC University of Technology and in France provided me with solid background to quickly grasp the technical aspects of the project.” 

“I encouraged my fellows to work their ways towards success and invented a motivating slogan using the 4 initials from the English name of our office: M (transparency); A (safety); U (concensus); and R (timeliness). I emphasized that these four dimensions are critical for the success of the project. Transparency is the most important factor, resulting in safety. Concensus among internal agencies and concensus between the government and affected population must be reached. Timeliness is necessary for the project to meet due deadlines.” 

Concluding the talk, Mr. Quang urged MPP students to venture themselves fervently into various environments, be it public or private sectors. With expertise knowledge and repertoire of soft skills acquired during their time at Fulbright School, the speaker strongly believed students are at prime opportunities to contribute for the country’s next step in growth.