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Chung Pham (1996) left Vietnam around the end of February 2023 to go to Australia for a working holiday. At that time, she had been working as an accountant for 4 years since graduating. Her trip lasted from 1 to 3 years, depending on her wishes.
Simply put, a Working Holiday in Australia is participating in a working holiday program in Australia. This is not a labor export program, employment program, or study abroad program. It's essentially a holiday that allows citizens of other countries to travel to Australia, explore the culture, and even live and work in the country for a specified period.
Working Holiday Australia is an annual program held in Australia that has attracted considerable interest from young people, especially those in Generation Z.
“The Working Holiday Visa is suitable for young people who want the opportunity to study, work, and experience life abroad for a certain period of time. It offers a 1-3 year gap year to explore a new country, new people, a new culture, a new environment... to better understand themselves and make new plans for the future,” Chung Pham said.
Depending on individual goals, people can balance their time between "working" and "holiday." Chung Pham, however, combines both work and holiday simultaneously. To date, her working holiday in Australia has lasted six months, spanning four out of six states: Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.
Chung Pham left Vietnam around the end of February 2023 to go to Australia for a working holiday, and her trip has now lasted exactly 6 months.
“Speaking of the working-holiday trend, quite common in Western countries, a gap year is a very normal experience for most students. Students there take a year off before or after starting university or college. The most frequent gap year is probably for students before entering university. Next are university graduates who don't want to start working immediately but want to dedicate a certain amount of time to pursuing their hobbies, interests, and passions. Actually, every change and choice has its own unique appeal, although it also presents some challenges,” Chung Pham said.
Step out of your comfort zone and set foot in a new country.
Stepping out of one's comfort zone to explore new things in a new country is not easy. According to Chung Pham, the first major challenge is the language barrier. Although obtaining a visa to Australia requires meeting IELTS/PTE (international English language proficiency) standards, communicating with foreigners, especially Australians, in the beginning can be quite difficult.
Communication is the bridge between people; without it, one naturally feels lost, isolated, and disconnected. This then leads to issues related to work, housing, transportation, making new friends, and more.
"If life is an equation with variables like work, housing, transportation, and building new relationships, then changing any one of those variables can change the equation of life. And that's how we'll experience things in the new place, where we'll go, how we'll get there, what the costs will be, and how we'll make the most of our experiences," she confided.
Chung Pham and the Vietnamese community in Australia
She had the opportunity to interact with many foreign friends, and the police in Australia were particularly friendly.
Recounting her most memorable experience, Chung Pham recalled the moment she left her job at a coffee shop, where her colleagues hugged her and cried with her. That moment truly moved her. For her, every farewell holds a special meaning; it's difficult to leave if you've developed feelings for someone, but life still offers many more journeys to experience. Love knows no age, language, or geographical location... In the places she visits, receiving love from people in foreign countries is truly a blessing for Chung Pham. Or the chance encounters with friends and colleagues during her working holiday make her feel incredibly fortunate and warm.
A road trip from South Australia to Northern Australia.
Chung Pham further shared: “Australia is truly vast and beautiful, with its fields of golden rapeseed flowers, vineyards, rows of strawberries, spectacular sunsets, and endless pine hills… witnessing firsthand what nature has to offer is truly fascinating.”
During his working holiday, Chung Pham spent a month road trip from South Australia to Northern Australia in the winter, a trip that clearly showed the difference in landscape and climate compared to the other seasons.
Vast pine hills in Australia
According to Chung Pham's account, winters in South Australia are very cold. Traveling from Melbourne provides an escape from the Australian chill, with trees shedding their leaves. Moving to Adelaide, South Australia, the trees are lush, and the climate is cooler and more pleasant. But as you move further inland, the climate becomes dry and arid, the soil is red, the vegetation turns yellow, and occasionally, some areas experience intense heat and wildfires. These changes are very noticeable, day by day, throughout the journey.
Upon arriving here, Chung Pham learned about the Aboriginal people and the unique aspects of their culture. For example, the Anangu people who live around the legendary Uluru rock and the sacredness and spirit associated with it. Furthermore, learning about the history, cultural diversity of the peoples, and characteristics of the Australian states added uniqueness to her road trip.
Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the state of Victoria, Australia.
“Actually, making the trip isn't too difficult. You just need a car, a phone with enough credit and signal, and a few interesting travel companions... to have a great trip. Australia has a camping culture, so there are many convenient and complete services to immerse yourself in nature. Road trips are usually long, so adopt a minimalist lifestyle, only bringing what's truly necessary to make the trip enjoyable and memorable. The priority for a long trip is ensuring safety,” Chung Pham suggests.
What should you keep in mind when planning a "working holiday"?
The Australian Working Holiday program for Vietnamese people has now entered its sixth year (starting in 2017), and this trend is becoming increasingly popular. As of 2021, the Vietnamese community in Australia numbers 308,000 people. Whether on a working holiday, as a student, or with permanent residency (green card)... if possible, let's help each other and develop together in this country.
The appropriate age for a citizen to undertake a working holiday is 18 to 31 years old at the time of visa application. The applicant must have a university or college degree and be on a gap year. In particular, consideration should be given to the required English language proficiency certificates, such as a minimum IELTS 4.5, PTE 30, or equivalent valid certificates.
The Australian working holiday program for Vietnamese citizens has now entered its sixth year (starting in 2017), and this trend is becoming increasingly popular.
To participate in the Working Holiday program, you need an Australian working holiday visa (visa subclass 462 or 417) issued by the Australian government. Vietnam is on the 462 visa list. For a perfect experience and to be granted an Australian working holiday visa, you must meet the following requirements: English language skills, personal documents, financial means, education, health, and employment. This is an opportunity to explore a new and incredibly exciting land.
“If possible, dedicate a year to experiencing life in your own unique and memorable way. Step outside your comfort zone, let go of your fears. Don't be afraid to learn anything new along the way, have a strong passion for experiencing and exploring. Be highly independent, don't shy away from hard work, because there will be times of pressure and loneliness. Only when you've experienced everything about working and vacationing will it truly be impressive and memorable every time you look back,” Chung Pham further shared.
