Minh: ECOVIP is a Rollercoaster of Emotions and Priceless Experiences

Hello there! I’m Nguyễn Như Hoàng Minh, but most people call me Nick. I’m a student from Nha Trang University in Vietnam. This summer, I had the unforgettable opportunity to attend the ECOVIP Summer Camp focused on eco-tourism and entrepreneurship. When I think back to the ECOVIP BootCamp, it’s not just the specialized knowledge or new skills we learned that stand out, but also the personal experiences, priceless moments, and fun memories we created along the way. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, from the valuable lessons to the delicious food and those special encounters.

This was my first time visiting the beautiful Philippines, a place I’d eagerly revisit if given the chance! Our journey wasn’t exactly smooth sailing, though. We spent what felt like an eternity waiting at the airport and endured a grueling 12-hour trip that left us exhausted. On the first day of Bootcamp, I was quite impressed (and a little soggy) by a torrential downpour at 5 AM, which delayed our trip from Manila to Batangas. And as if that wasn’t enough, my dorm room had a water leak for some mysterious reason. With all these obstacles, the Bootcamp was starting to feel like a test of patience, but it wasn’t all bad!

How about those traditional Filipino dances before our first class? Pretty cool, right? And the EcoVip-branded goodies we received were quite a treat! The ice-breaking sessions with other teams were a blast, too! The eye-opening presentations on various startup projects and the engaging lessons taught by fascinating instructors were absolutely mind-blowing! All these experiences in the very first day left me excited and eager for the days ahead at Bootcamp.

On the first night, I got to experience what it’s like to ride in a jeepney. Imagine the refreshing breeze after a downpour hitting everyone’s face except mine. I had to sit on the floor for the entire ride because there were no seats left. The second most memorable thing about this ride was the sore and numb legs I had by the end of it. But the most unforgettable part? It was meeting this cute, neat, and friendly guy. And the reason we struck up a conversation was because I was sitting at his feet. “Hi, I’m Michael. What’s your name?”—that’s how our story began!

Not only did I hit it off with Michael, but just by sharing a dorm with students from various schools, I ended up making a ton of friends. And let me tell you, the people I met were incredibly lovable, sociable, and surprisingly funny. Some of them had so much in common with me that it felt like we must have been "super best friends" in a past life. Plus, everyone I met had this extraordinary drive—working so hard they practically sacrificed their sleep, and they were smart and talented to the point where I felt a bit envious. Watching them work on their projects and seeing how they improved made me admire them even more. I really felt lucky and grateful for the chance to meet and bond with such amazing people.

One morning, after an early rain, the weather was quite pleasant. Suddenly, colorful candies rained down from the sky, right into my face, while I was trying to squeeze through a dense crowd. The air was buzzing with cheers from the audience as they watched a parade of intricately decorated floats, lively music, and traditional dancers performing spectacular, unique moves. Oh my goodness, I was totally losing my mind with excitement! It was the 55th anniversary celebration of Batangas City. It was the first time in my life I’d seen such a vibrant, explosive, and joyful festival! This was one of the activities on our BootCamp schedule. The organizers had skillfully mixed fascinating and slightly intense lessons with real-life cultural experiences, tours, and visits to famous tourist spots and amazing eco-tourism sites in “beautiful” Batangas City. The EcoVip team’s schedule was perfectly organized and well-structured to ensure that participants got to experience all “72 shades” of amazing!

“Stressful” is definitely the right word to describe the lessons, and “fun” is equally accurate for how I’d sum them up. The amount of knowledge from the lessons almost made my tiny brain want to leap out of my head and run far, far away. But the witty and engaging way each teacher delivered the content made my brain reconsider its hasty escape plan and stick around a little longer. The startup lessons were delivered by experienced professors and lecturers from Europe, the Philippines, and Vietnam. I can confidently say that even a somewhat clueless and lazy student like me learned a lot. Thanks to this, I realized that our team and our project had a lot of gaps and needed quite a bit of improvement. 

My brain is out of ideas, so this will be the final part of my write-up. Before I wrap things up, let me send out some heartfelt thanks.

First, to the mentors from our university – NTU. Mr. Quảng, Ms. Thư, Ms. Dung, and all the other mentors who dedicated their time to support us. I’m genuinely grateful for everything you’ve done for us — from the early days when our project was still a work in progress, guiding us toward the right direction, to taking care of us like a surrogate parent once we arrived in the Philippines. A huge thank you once again!

Second, to the EcoVip organizers. Creating such a marvelous program gave me, and probably many other participants, an incredible opportunity to learn, experience, and absorb so much. From startup knowledge to eco-tourism, the importance of raising awareness about environmental changes, and even lessons about local culture and people, not to mention deeper reflections on life. It’s truly the organizers’ fault that the summer camp memories keep lingering in my mind. Oh, I miss it so much!

Third, to LPU – Batangas. Thank you for providing the facilities where we could sleep comfortably, study, and work in ease, not to mention the delicious food. Thanks to the faculty for running everything so smoothly, allowing us to have such a fantastic experience during the summer camp. I truly appreciate everyone’s time and effort. A heartfelt thank you!

And lastly, a big shoutout to all my dear friends. You made the summer camp days so much more colorful and exciting. Allieah, Bảo, CJ, Tiên, Hanna, Hồng, Jan, Jerome, KC, Kylene, Michael, Quân, Nathalie, Duy, Đạt, Chloe, Kiel, Bắc, Samara, and Trisha—getting to know and bond with you all has been an honor. (I still vividly remember that Jollibee night, it was insanely fun). And to my two friends who stuck with me through thick and thin, Diễm and Huy. I wouldn’t be where I am without you two, even though we had our fair share of arguments and disagreements. But in the end, we learned and achieved so much together. Thank you both for making this chapter of my life unforgettable. I truly hope all of us get to reunite again someday.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end. I hope this write-up brings you a bit of inspiration and a big smile!