As Vietnam’s largest and most dynamic city, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has emerged as both an economic powerhouse and a growing center for healthcare modernization and medical tourism. Welcoming more than 30 million visitors annually, the city has experienced rapid investment in internationally accredited private hospitals and foreign-oriented healthcare infrastructure designed to attract travelers and meet the demands of an expanding urban middle class. While these developments promise world-class care, advanced technology, and global competitiveness, they also raise an important question: who ultimately benefits from these investments, and who remains excluded? This mixed-methods study explores how tourism-driven healthcare investment shapes local experiences of healthcare access, affordability, and belonging in HCMC within Vietnam’s broader pursuit of universal health coverage. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and surveys with healthcare professionals, university students, and community homestay hosts, complemented by analysis of policy documents, media sources, and academic literature. Findings suggest that although healthcare modernization is widely perceived to improve quality and elevate standards of care, it may also reinforce inequities by creating financial and symbolic barriers to “world-class” medicine for lower- and middle-income residents. Situating these findings within human development and social equity frameworks, this project highlights the growing tension between healthcare as a public good and healthcare as a global commodity in contemporary urban Vietnam.

Although women make up a big portion of the accounting profession, they stay underrepresented in leadership positions. One possible factor influencing career advancement is mentorship, but the quality and availability of mentoring relationships can vary. Understanding how these experiences affect women's careers is important for addressing gender disparities within this career. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of mentorship on the career advancement of women in accounting and determine how different mentoring experiences influence professional success. This study uses a qualitative research approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with women at different stages of their accounting careers. The interviews will explore different experiences with mentorship, like the guidance, networking opportunities, and advocacy they have received and how those experiences have affected their career growth. It is expected that women who receive strong mentorship and active support will report greater career advancement, including increased leadership opportunities and faster promotions. Differences in access to effective mentorship may also help explain why fewer women reach senior leadership positions in accounting. The findings of this study could provide valuable insight into the role mentorship plays in reducing gender disparities in the accounting profession and help firms develop mentorship programs that better support the advancement of women.