A Vietnamese woman has been selected as an international student ambassador for an Australian city this year.

Ha Le, a third-year economics major at the University of Queensland, was among 33 students from 29 countries to be appointed recently to the Brisbane International Student Ambassador 2013 roles by Graham Quirk, Lord Mayor of Queensland’s capital city Brisbane.

Ha comes from Ho Chi Minh City and she used to be a student at Tran Dai Nghia High School, a top-tier institution of its kind in the city, with specialization in foreign language programs.

These student ambassadors are expected to help promote the image of Brisbane to their countries of origin while enjoying the services and lifestyle of the city. 

"Brisbane has 33 passionate new advocates from 29 countries. They will share what it’s like to study and live in our city,” said the Lord Mayor at an awards ceremony.

The ambassadors will participate in media interviews as well as multicultural events, and assist in hosting official visiting delegations from Brisbane's sister cities, Quirk elaborated.

"The 2013 ambassadors were selected from 178 applicants; a 140 percent increase since the program began in 2009,” Quirk added. "These enthusiastic international student ambassadors will help us grow the industry even further by promoting Brisbane as a leading study destination in their countries of origin."

The ambassadors are enrolled in a clutch of disciplines, including hotel management, nursing, business, arts, science, environmental architecture and public policy, across eight of Brisbane’s leading education institutions.

Now in its fifth year, the Brisbane International Student Ambassador program is an initiative managed by the Study Brisbane team under Brisbane Marketing, a subsidiary of Brisbane City Council, with a view to creating global advocates for Brisbane City.

The 2013 program includes students aged 18 to 34, hailing from Vietnam, China, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Singapore, among others.

International students have contributed substantially to Brisbane on an economic level, and helped strengthen the city’s network with cities the world over.