Postgraduate Student Life @ CUHK

For Pham Nhat Vi DO, the path from clinical practice in Vietnam to the forefront of international cancer research was never going to follow a straight line. Now a PhD candidate at The Nethersole School of Nursing at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Vi is pioneering research into colorectal cancer survivorship - using digital health technology to close the gap between academic innovation and real-world patient care. It is ambitious work, and she has found the perfect environment in which to do it.

A Strategic Choice for Regional Impact

When Vi began weighing her doctoral options, the usual destinations - the United States, Europe, the UK - were all on the table. She chose differently. “Choosing The Nethersole School of Nursing was a strategic decision driven by its unparalleled global standing,” she explains.

“While the US and Europe are popular destinations, CUHK offers an equal, if not higher, caliber of research infrastructure and mentorship. It provides a world-class PhD environment that is culturally and geographically closer to my home in Vietnam, significantly reducing logistical hurdles while allowing me to maintain a vital connection to the healthcare landscape of our region.”

Ranked #1 in Asia and #6 worldwide, The Nethersole School of Nursing offered Vi something that no Western institution could easily replicate - prestige without distance. The decision has already proven its worth. In just her first year, her research on colorectal cancer survivorship earned recognition for its innovative use of mHealth interventions, tools that remain largely unavailable in Vietnam. Access to expansive global databases and mentorship from pioneers in digital health have allowed her to develop a scalable model with implications that stretch well beyond Hong Kong.

Building a Global Academic Profile

For Vi, a CUHK postgraduate education has meant far more than time spent in a laboratory. The Nethersole School of Nursing's commitment to internationalisation has opened doors she might not have reached otherwise, including dedicated grants for overseas research that ensure financial constraints never become a ceiling on ambition.

“Last year, I had the honour of presenting at the 50th Annual Oncology Nursing Society Conference in the United States, and I am looking forward to presenting my work in Canada this July,” she says. “These experiences have allowed me to network with leading international scholars and share my findings on a world stage. A PhD at CUHK is not just a local degree; it is a passport to the global scientific community.”

Her journey with CUHK actually began before she enrolled. The Nethersole Summer Workshop in 2023 gave her a first taste of the programme - two weeks of hands-on learning, punctuated by candid accounts from final-year PhD students about the realities of doctoral research. That experience gave her the clarity she needed to craft a successful application. Since joining, she has gone on to participate in the Eighth Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference cum Second Cochrane Hong Kong Symposium, steadily building the professional confidence and real-world networks that define a truly international research career.

A City That Pushes You to Grow

Beyond the laboratory and the lecture hall, Hong Kong itself has played an unexpected role in Vi's development. The city's blend of tradition and relentless forward momentum creates an environment where intellectual ambition feels natural - even contagious. For international students in Hong Kong, the opportunity to connect with peers from across the world, engage in cultural exchange, and build a genuinely global perspective is woven into everyday life.

CUHK's campus has been central to that experience. Spacious, mountainous, and looking out toward the sea, it provides a rare sense of calm amid the intensity of doctoral study. The University library and dedicated function rooms help Vi maintain a healthy study-life balance, while dormitory priority for international students in Hong Kong ensured that her transition to life in a new country was as smooth as possible from day one.

Advice for the Next Generation of Nursing Scholars

For nursing students in Vietnam and across Asia considering Hong Kong postgraduate studies, Vi's recommendation is unequivocal. “To become an outstanding scholar, learn from outstanding mentors,” she says simply. In her view, Hong Kong graduate school offers something increasingly rare - world-class research infrastructure and an English-speaking academic environment, at a cost and proximity that Western institutions simply cannot match for researchers based in Asia.

Her own sights are set firmly on the future. Vi intends to continue her work in digital health, with the long-term goal of introducing cutting-edge methodologies into Vietnam's healthcare system. Her PhD at The Chinese University of Hong Kong has shown her what becomes possible when the right institutional support meets a researcher who is ready to use it - and she is only getting started.