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Vietnam Study Tour Report

2012年9月6日更新

From August 31 to September 6, 2012, a group of eleven students, second-year undergraduate to doctoral programs, took part in a study tour in Vietnam, carried out as part of the Global Collaboration Center’s activities. With the kind cooperation of Dr. Tuan, vice president of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, and Ms. Hoang of the International Affairs, the group visited sites in and around two major southern cities: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest urban center, and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta region which is considered to be the “rice basket of Vietnam.”

Prior to the departure, participants had separated into three groups based on their own fields of study and personal interest which were children’s education, nutrition and public health system and social policy in Vietnam. The students had done series of study session to deepen their knowledge and to prepare for the tour.

(Orphanage1)

Under the Doi Moi policy adopted at the Sixth Party Congress in 1986, Vietnam has been shifting toward a market economy, even while maintaining the socialist system by Communist one-party rule. According to the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects, Vietnam’s dynamic economy is on track to rise to number 22 in the world over the next two years, as measured by gross domestic product. With 50% of its population aged 30 or younger^∗1, a 93% literacy rate among adults (97% in the 15-24 age group)^∗2, and a strong national work ethic, Vietnam has the fundamentals to sustain brisk economic growth in the years ahead. The tour group’s talented 27-year-old interpreter, who overcame an impoverished background to attend college and become an English instructor, struck us as living testimony to the great potential of Vietnam’s young people. In addition to his language skills, he demonstrated a level of knowledge worthy of a Vietnam tourism ambassador.

(Orphanage2)

The lectures by Dr. Tuan and Dr. Nhi, tour to the Southern Women’s Museum and the War Remnants Museum, visiting the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, conducting research interview to two orphanages in Ho Chi Minh City, two preschool facilities, two hospitals, and a village in the Mekong Delta at Can Tho City, provided valuable learning opportunities relevant to each participant’s topic of study.

(Village in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam)

Since the 2005 amendment of the Vietnamese Education Law, the nation has been attempting a shift from the traditional emphasis on rote learning to a more child-centered approach that emphasizes individual freedom and autonomy. The preschool facilities we visited stressed emotional education and free play, but these practices are not yet widespread, and the teachers seemed to find the unstructured environment a challenge. The orphanages serve as schools for children who are disabled, infected with HIV, and economically disadvantaged, as well as orphans. Hygiene and nutrition were not optimal, either at the children’s facilities or at the hospitals. We were told that many hospitals in the region suffer from a serious shortage of space, equipment, and doctors, and that a ratio of two patients per bed is by no means unusual.

(Nursery School)

Given the limited length of our tour, it would be rash to claim that we came to know the “real” Vietnam. Still, the enthusiastic welcome we received everywhere we went was enough to convince us of the innate warmth and generosity of the Vietnamese people-indeed, that has remained one of the most indelible impressions from our trip. We thank all of our hosts again for their kindness and cooperation.

By participating in the study tour, we were able to learn about life in Vietnam today and deepen our understanding of that nation’s issues by means of direct observation in the field. One of the most important things we gained from the trip was a realization that Japan and Vietnam are grappling with similar problems. It was an experience that is sure to assist us going forward, as we continue to explore ways of “living together in a global society.”

^∗1 According to Dr. Tuan’s lecture; cf. census figures indicating 24.5% of Vietnam’s population is 0-15 years old (Vietnam General Statistics Office, 2010).
^∗2 United Nations Statistics Division, Social Indicators, Education (2012).

(Sayaka YOSHINO, third-year doctoral student, Human Developmental Sciences,
Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences)