350 People · One Degree · A Two-Country Career

Send one consultant to Saigon.

I'm Arlington A. Santiago. In October 2026 I begin the Master of International Business at RMIT University Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, moving my Canada–Vietnam consulting practice inside the market it serves. Tuition is $35,000 CAD. Living costs, about $10,000, I fund myself through that practice and by teaching Business English. I'm asking 350 people to help with the tuition.

Support the Mission Read the Story
$35,000
Tuition goal · CAD
350
Donors
100%
To tuition
RAISED SO FAR · PUBLISHED IN THE PUBLIC LEDGER, UPDATED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF EVERY GIFT

$100 from 350 people covers a full Master of International Business. Every dollar is published: your name (with permission) or your initials, the amount, and exactly where it went. Tuition, nothing else.

The Story

Why Vietnam. Why now.

Arlington A. Santiago, portrait
Arlington A. Santiago
Calgary → Ho Chi Minh City
LinkedIn ↗

I built the Canada–Vietnam corridor once already, on my own dime. As a business developer for a Calgary immigration law firm, I identified a partner in Ho Chi Minh City, flew there at my own expense, and negotiated directly with their CEO and CFO. The principal's verdict: "the thoroughness of his preparation exceeded what I typically receive from experienced consultants."

Arlington Santiago with Victory Investment Consultants' leadership team, Ho Chi Minh City
With Victory Investment Consultants' leadership · Ho Chi Minh City · the corridor, built once already

Before that, I stewarded $33.3M in PwC-audited assets as VP Operations & Finance of a 29,000-member students' union: signing authority over a $13M budget, a $400K recovery from Coca-Cola through contract forensics, a $1.4M surplus in a pandemic year. I know how to be trusted with other people's money. That's the standard this campaign runs on.

Vietnam is now building an International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, with its own tax, banking, and dispute-resolution regimes. Canadian firms will need people who understand both sides. The MIB at RMIT Vietnam puts me inside the market for two full years, full-time Monday-to-Friday available to clients, coursework in weekend intensives.

"Donations go 100% to tuition. Living costs are self-funded. Every dollar is published in a public ledger."

This isn't a scholarship replacement; I applied for those too. It's the gap between what I can earn and what the degree costs, closed by people who want to see this corridor built.

The Plan

Where the money goes.

One degree, one line item for this campaign. Rent, food, flights, and visas are on me, funded through the consulting practice and my Business English teaching.

ItemAmountFunded by
RMIT Vietnam MIB tuition (12 courses, Oct 2026 – Feb 2028)≈ $35,000 CADThis campaign350 donors · 100% of gifts
Living costs, flights, visa & documents≈ $10,000 CADSelf-fundedConsulting & teaching revenue
Total program cost≈ $45,000 CADShared: you + me
The Self-Funded Half

I earn my half. Here's how.

The $10,000 in living costs on the budget above isn't a hope; it's a service I sell. I teach Business English to adult learners: the meetings, presentations, and negotiations I used to run as a business developer, now taught as a TESOL-trained instructor. Written feedback from my TESOL course:

“It's great that you are already thinking about developing a niche at this stage of your training. Business English, particularly for adult learners at the intermediate level, is an area where I believe there is considerable demand. Your academic and professional background could certainly help you develop specialized courses focusing on business communication and presentation skills. The TESOL course will help you acquire the skills to create lesson plans.”
— TESOL course instructor, written feedback
1:1 Coaching

Business English, one-on-one

For intermediate professionals who already speak English and need it to perform: presentations, client calls, difficult emails, interviews. Online, evenings (ICT), lesson plans built around your actual work.

Small Groups · 2–4

Conversation practice with stakes

Workplace scenarios, not textbook dialogues: negotiate a contract, run a meeting, push back politely. Same intermediate level, lower cost per person, more speaking time than any classroom.

Corporate Workshops

For teams with foreign clients

Half-day intensives for companies doing business in English: email standards, presentation structure, and the vocabulary of your industry. Scoped and quoted per team.

Book a Trial Session

First session is a free 20-minute assessment of level and goals. Rates quoted by email. Tutoring is invoiced and paid separately from this campaign; nothing here touches the donation ledger.

Give

Two rails in. Zero fees taken.

In Canada · Interac e-Transfer

Zero fees. Every dollar arrives whole.

Autodeposit is on: no security question, no fees on either side. Send any amount from your Canadian banking app; you'll get a personal thank-you within 48 hours and a receipt entry in the public ledger.

Send e-Transfer toaasantiago.ca@gmail.com

Autodeposit is registered to this address, so the money lands directly with no security question. Questions first? Email me.

In Vietnam · VietQR · VND

Scan with any Vietnamese banking app.

For supporters in Vietnam: open your banking app, scan the code, confirm "ARLINGTON ANTONIO SANTIAGO," send. VND gifts are converted in the public ledger at the day's rate.

VietQR code, Vietcombank account 1072740694, Arlington Antonio Santiago
Vietcombank · account1072740694

Domestic VND transfers only. Outside Vietnam, please use card or e-Transfer.

$25$50$100$250$500 · Match

Giving $250 or more from outside Canada? Email me and I'll send direct wire details for my Canadian or Vietnamese account; on larger gifts a bank wire beats any platform fee.

Full transparency: every donation and every tuition payment is published in the public ledger. Names appear only with donor opt-in; otherwise initials or "Anonymous." Gifts are personal gifts, not charitable donations, so no tax receipt and no middleman taking a cut.

Fair Questions

Asked before you give.

Anything else? Ask directly. The answer gets added here.

Is my gift tax-deductible?
No. These are personal gifts to an individual, not charitable donations; there is no registered charity involved and no tax receipt. What you get instead is radical transparency: the public ledger shows your dollar arriving and the tuition receipt it left as.
What happens if the goal isn't reached?
Every dollar still goes to tuition: a partial fund covers partial tuition, and the gap shifts to consulting income and student employment permitted under Vietnam's rules for enrolled international students. The ledger publishes the outcome either way.
Why should I trust the "100% to tuition" promise?
Because it's verifiable. The public ledger lists every gift; tuition receipts are published against it each semester; and the person making the promise spent two years as a fiduciary leader of a PwC-audited, $33.3M institution. Verification beats trust; that's the point of publishing everything.
Can I help without money?
Yes, three ways. Forward this page to one person who cares about education or Canada–Asia trade. If you know a Canadian SME eyeing Vietnam, an introduction to the consulting practice directly funds the self-funded half. And if you've studied or worked in Vietnam, your advice is genuinely useful.