Despite a range of internationalisation efforts at the government and institutional levels, Vietnam remains on the periphery of the existing scholarship on international education, especially inbound mobility. Drawing on interviews with 38 participants, this article provides insights into how Australian students arrive at a comparative, international perspective in their field of study and develop Vietnamese cultural literacy during their short-term mobility to Vietnam. The study also brings to the fore the hindrances, in particular language barrier, facing Australian students in mobility programs. The article points out how the New Colombo Plan can play an important role in raising the awareness of the value of learning an Asian language like Vietnamese and enriching Vietnamese cultural literacy among young Australians. It concludes with practical recommendations for incorporating the development of regional languages and cultural literacy in learning abroad programs.