Vietnam Study Tour

All you did was sightsee and eat!

julieatmsu — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:06:37 +0700

It has been a very exciting, and reflective, time here, stateside. Naturally, social media is alive with photos that my colleagues have uploaded to their Facebook profiles, and we have been asked to complete a post-tour reflection/survey. People unrelated to the tour—unrelated to MSU, in many cases—have many questions. I think that, much like our typical greetings (i.e., “How are you?”), few people really want a response when they ask, “How was your trip?” so I suspect we’re both happy that my response to their “how was your trip?” is mostly “It was hot, but amazing. Great food, beautiful country, wonderful people, very interesting culture. And I learned a TON.”

But usually, we move on after that. It is likely just as well, since less than a week home, I’m not sure what my lifelong takeaways will be. Obviously, the technical visits were very interesting, and very informative, and I continue to be amazed to think about the pressures and opportunities that the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) places on individual schools at all levels. I sense both a percieved paralysis on the part of individual schools and their teachers, but I also sense a creative resistance, innovative ways to cope and explore despite stringent expectations and regulations. In that sense, it is a system that appears to be very much one way, a single way, even. But it is also hugely multi-faceted and decentralized in another way, in the ways that individual campuses create for themselves solutions to problems that have ben both posed to them by MoET, and identified by themselves as points of concern.

But here’s the thing: at this stage in my reflection, I am noticing that the technical visits engaged me on an intellectual level but that as I slide back into my life, it was the more visceral experiences that really stick out for me, and hint at ways in which these new experiences have imprinted on me, as a person.

For example, I can say that the heat of Vietnam has, at least temporarily, changed my attitude toward warm weather: It was sunny and 92 degrees Fahrenheit in MI, and I never once even really felt hot, even as my friends and family were positively wilting.

I have noticed how reverting to my more typical American diet has made me feel: much less fish, much more dairy, for example. Fish can be pricey here, and certainly seafood (even shrimp) is beyond my budget, but I will say that I miss eating more fish and such, and less bread…I also miss having those delicious meals prepared for me.

These may seem like really boring, basic observations, sadly low on hierarchy of needs (food and climate control, apparently). But the truth is they are the most “real” right now, not only for me, but with the people in my life who at least care enough to ask “how was your trip?” When they joke that “It seems like all you did was sightsee and eat!” I remind them that “No one wants to hear about the many hours a day I spent in a conference room!” And no one will notice that my thinking about education reform is different: but they did notice more visceral changes: that I got sun, that I’m not complaining about the sun, that I’m drinking less Diet Coke and more water than I did (for now, Justina. For now).

This soon after the tour, there are ways in which I am different, and they go beyond what I know.

~Julie

Post study tour reflections Several components of our study tour...

dirkx — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:21:00 +0700

Post study tour reflections

Several components of our study tour can be identified as critical to the learning experiences derived. These include the use of thoughtful questions, deep listening, and direct and emotionally evocative experiences with the host culture. Here we are involved in informal discussions with members of the Open University and Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City. These photos include the Vice-Rector for Open University and the President of Hoa Sean University. In the rural visit, we are visiting with a family that participating in Chris Wheeler’s community development project in Hoa Giang Province.

Post study-tour reflections Debriefings are a critical component...

dirkx — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:02:00 +0700

Post study-tour reflections

Debriefings are a critical component of the learning experiences in study tours and short-term study abroad experiences. In this, our final, in-country debriefing, two teams summarize what they have learned about teacher preparation and teacher professional development (primary, secondary and postsecondary) and internationalization within schools, universities and colleges.jd

Post study tour reflections The last cultural visit we made on...

dirkx — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:41:00 +0700

Post study tour reflections

The last cultural visit we made on our study tour was to Rung Sac, a Viet Cong base during the Vietnam war. We traveled to this base via motorboat, and the driver had fun with us, speeding through the maze of tributaries, twists, and turns to arrive at the base. It was hot and quit humid in this place, deep in the Vietnamese jungle about two and half hours east of Ho Chi Minh City, but I am glad we made the trip.

Home!

dirkx — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:32:00 +0700

Eight of us arrived home Monday, after 30 plus hours of traveling from Ho Chi Minh City. Others are going on to visits home or to other places in Southeast Asia and will be joining us later in the summer or fall. Madhur’s spouse graciously provided a number of us with transport home, thus avoiding another two hours on yet another bus. Thanks to them for the generous offer. The ride provided a wonderful opportunity for further conversations with Siddharth about education in Southeast Asia, as well as furhter reflections on international travel.

I suspect at least some of us will be taking a little while to figure out what continent we are on, but look for post-tour reflections and pics in the days ahead. -JD

where they should go? in Vietnam, only 20% child can go to...

yuhanhung — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:46:41 +0700

where they should go? in Vietnam, only 20% child can go to universities, other 80% kids living in a disadvantage environment, lacking resource and opportunities, where they should go, what can they do?

Our Return

dirkx — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:40:00 +0700

We are, indeed, on our way home, with a several hour layover in Tokyo before boarding a plane for the U.S. Eight of us left our hotel, and six others who are staying on for varying lengths of time, about 7:30 last night. Our departing flight to Tokyo was at 11:40 and only partially full, so it gave us an opportunity to spread out a little.

Sunday was another fascinating day, with a visit to Can Gio, another rural district east of Ho Chi Minh City province, and bordering the East Sea. It is the location of the Rung Sac, the mangrove forest and another location of the Viet Cong. Among other things, they shelled parts of the American base in Saigon from this location, about 60 kilometers from downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Unlike the tunnels from Saturday, however, this location was all above ground, on bamboo walkways and floors elevated about the swampy, crocodile infested waters. While sheltered from the sun due to the tall trees that populated this area, it was still incredibly warm, and we all sweated profusely, largely due, I suppose, to the humidity. We arrived via “canoes,” which are in fact longer, more slender versions of our powered motorboats. We had a bit of a hot-dog operator, who navigated the infinite tributaries that lace this area to bring us to the Viet Cong camp. Despite the nature of the visit, we found it quite fun, after we were able to relaxed and no longer feel we would be overturned or thrown out of the boat. At one level, it felt like we were being kidnapped by Deliverance type folks (wholly in my fantasies and bearing little to no resemblance to who actually operated our boat) and being taken back into the deep, dark recesses of the swamp. Still, the visit was yet another sobering reflection of the Vietnam War. Hope to post some pics later when we arrive home.

We arrive in Detroit Monday about 2:30. The study tour was another really interesting experience for me. I was looking at and experiencing it from multiple perspectives: as a faculty-led internationalizing experience for graduate students, as a sort of pilgrimage, as a student of Vietnamese higher education, as one interested in contributing to capacity building processes in the country, and as a tourist. I will need some time to sort all this out. Still, I will be quite glad to be home. jd

Tokyo, Japan

kloebick — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:33:36 +0700

And the adventure continues! Travel day!!!!

Traffic here presents a challenge for all who want to venture in...

dirkx — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:45:00 +0700

Traffic here presents a challenge for all who want to venture in or across the street. Others in this blog have referred to this issue and here is a view looking out forward from our bus. This is downtown Ho Chi Minh. Check out the motorbike attempting to weave it way through the convention of taxis.

On this, our second to last day in Vietnam, we paid a sobering...

dirkx — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 19:15:49 +0700

On this, our second to last day in Vietnam, we paid a sobering visit to the Cu Chi tunnels in the rural Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City Province, about 90 minutes from our hotel in downtown Ho Chi Min City. This area was a stronghold for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or American War, depending on your perspective). These tunnels are a vast network of underground passages, with multiple levels, that provided shelter and hiding for thousands from American and South Vietnamese forces. This visit, as well as our visit later in the afternoon to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, brought back a lot of memories of the war and the anti-war movement. I found it to be a very sobering place and had mixed feelings about making a tourist spot out of such an horrendous time in the histories of both our countries. But, as Christina pointed out today, it provides a counter-story to the dominant narrative so many of us were given in the Western press.

Here Sihua and Jim emerge from one of the areas of the tunnels used to demonstrate for tourists. I went through this section of the tunnels, about 40 meters, at first squatting, but about half-way through I needed to go to my hands and knees for the remainder of the distance. It was very warm in the tunnel and there was not much air. I gave passing thought to going the longer distance but then thought about my age, health, etc, and decided that 40 m was long enough for me to get the message.

The whole experience underscored for me the horror of war. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for those on either side.

Cu Chi Tunnels

kloebick — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 19:08:26 +0700

Most of my life, I have felt as a fairly average sized woman…that is until today. Waddling my way thru the Cu Chi tunnels, I realize my enormity in comparison to the people who fascinatingly survived in a world under ground. My shoulders brushing the walls on both sides and my knees scraping the ground underneath, I silently prayed that Dr. Dirkx would not stop up ahead leaving me wedged in between the stone, stuffy warm air, and no light at all. For those who know me, spiders only briefly entered my mind as I had just witnessed a huge one right outside the entrance :). A multilayered cobweb like system, the tunnels span over 200 kilometers. The patience and dedication required to build such a structure is unimaginable. I can only imagine the memories of children or anyone who survived who lived underground for those years. I was impressed by the creativity in creating the traps and weapons. It is a bit uncomfortable to think what this creativity was for, however, I can understand survival.

From the video at the beginning of the tour to the end, I was surprised at the nature of the information presented. Surprise is not the correct word as I expected it, just didn’t realize quite the extreme it would be relayed. Americans were referred to as devils ( Julie, please insert the quote as I can’t remember exactly) and the brutality of the Americans was described using interesting language.

A very eye opening day and experience, followed by the War Remnants Museum.

This afternoon was our LAST technical visit. We went to Ho Chi...

michymalk — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 00:16:11 +0700

This afternoon was our LAST technical visit. We went to Ho Chi Minh City Open University. The University has 68,000 students with 50,000 of them learning in distant education. Distant education, here, is self-study primarily, with special textbooks as well as lectures provided through recording at a Provencial service center. The lecturers (faculty) go to each Province during the semester and spend 1 to 1 1/2 days with the students who are in their courses to go through the course and answer questions. While the Open University would like to expand to online distant education, resources are very tight. It has probably the most diverse student body of the institutions we visited - with many older adult students, ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, and even (former?) drug addicts taking courses. Instead of reliance on passing the national exam, anyone who has passed high school or the equivalent may enroll.

This morning we met with representatives from Hoa Sen University...

michymalk — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:53:22 +0700

This morning we met with representatives from Hoa Sen University - a private University in Ho Chi Minh City. It was amazing to learn that two of the most prominent people in the University are women. It was the first institution we attended that mentioned they are doing research on gender issues. They talked a lot about “internationalization,” but the best part was their statement that they see internationalization being global… “Internationalization is not Americanization” and they want students to have an “open mind to the world.” You can probably tell… I was impressed!!

Active Learning, Indeed

julieatmsu — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:47:02 +0700

Each time I cross the street in these busy cities, I am amazed that I make it across safely. But there are two realities here: one, I am big, white, and very noticeable…and two, there is a chaotic, but sophisticated, way of moving in such cities that keep people, surprisingly, safe. You may recall that before our trip, someone posted a video of a person crossing the street, and it is highly accurate.

It occurred to me that if I were designing a course here in HCMC—perhaps a study abroad course, or if faculty members here had the flexibility to do it in Vietnam—you could build a hugely interdisciplinary course around studying the crossing behavior.

Physics and math courses could explore the movement of bodies in space, paths and trajectories, and rates of speed. For example, “What is the optimum speed and stride length to cross a 50 foot crosswalk at a ninety-degree intersection with 400 motorbikes traveling at a speed of 35 MPH” (yes, I used MPH, and not KmPH, which is really American-centric. But you get the idea).

Social Scientists could explore the informal body-language cues that pedestrians and motorists alike use to communicate their intentions regard to movement, speed, and intended destination. Also, you could study the reaction of passersby in the (albeit rare) event of an accident.

The questions, and answers, could fill an entire curriculum. Honestly, as with all good social phenomenon (I suppose), you could approach the event of crossing the street in HCMC from any numerous angles, and as a site of inquiry, Vietnamese students could explore truly interdisciplnary questions and discover fascinating information. This kind of hands-on learning, rooted in a common phenomenon, would be a rich resource of critical thinking and response.

Getting IRB approval might be another question, but I’ll leave that up to someone else…

I am so glad that you had a good time in Nha Trang, where I worked before I left for the States. All your reflections and pictures make me want to go home. And, I have been following you guys. Hoa

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:27:35 +0700

This afternoon we visited the Institute for Educational Research...

michymalk — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:13:04 +0700

This afternoon we visited the Institute for Educational Research (part of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education).

This morning we visited Vietnam National University - Ho Chi...

michymalk — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:07:00 +0700

students working with a Cat Scanner

We view a science labratory

the library

This morning we visited Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City International University. All courses at the International University are also taught in English. Some interesting facts about the Vietnamese educational system were shared with us, including that there are currently about 418 Universities, over 2M students, approximately 75,000 lecturers (as of 2010) and a ratio of about 29 students for every one lecturer. Vietnam refers to most of their “teaching staff” as lecturers rather than professors. Also, many lecturers do not have a PhD. For example, at the International University, approximately 62% of the faculty (lecturers) have Phd’s. Similar to the U.S., lecturers are expected at the International University to conduct research. According to the Vice-Rector, Lecturers spend approximately 45% of their time teaching, 35% conducting research, and 20% in service. Another interesting fact is that the average salary for most lecturers is about $20 million dong/month… sounds like a lot (right??). Actually, it is about $1,000 USD per month. Many lecturers and other University staff live on campus in University sponsored housing.

Here are some pics from our time at the International University.

Our final days - Ho Chi Minh City

dirkx — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:47:00 +0700

Tomorrow (Friday) we conclude our technical visits with meetings at Hoa Sen University and Open University. The former is an interesting example of a private university and the latter an effort to provide access to those who may not score high enough in the general entrance exam to qualify for regular university admission.

Over the past two plus weeks, we have explored a wide range of universities and a more limited range of schools. Such a range of experiences has provided us with interesting observations and questions about the relationship of education to society, from the Gifted High School in Hanoi to the struggling primary and middle schools in the poor province of Hoa Giang in the south, from the relatively elite National University Hanoi and National University Ho Chi Minh City to the more regional and provincial universities in the Mekong Delta. The number of private universities are increasing but creating questions of quality and sustainability (sound familiar?).

My perspective: Some answers, but lots and lots of questions. Improving the schools and universities in a developing country seems like an overwhelming task. So much to do, so little to do it with.

Stay tuned for final reflections by our group members.

The War Room. Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City. We arrived here...

dirkx — Thu, 31 May 2012 07:44:38 +0700

The War Room. Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City. We arrived here mid-afternoon on Wednesday, after about another five to six hours in our bubble bus. One of our cultural visits in the afternoon was to the Presidential Palace, where the the South Vietnamese essentially “ran” the war effort. Here we are in the basement of the palace, where much of the communication and planning, etc, apparently occurred. Fascinating glimpse at a history that preceded the birth of almost all of our group members. I found the experience to evoke a lot of memories of the anti-war movement in the United States, marches, demonstrates on the UW-Madison campus, and the horrific bombing of the Army Math Research Center there on campus in the summer of 1970. Recalling the countless times I walked to class and by the destruction left by this bombing, I still believe that single event essentially defused the anti-war movement in the U.S.

But clearly Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City has moved on, as others have commented here in this blog.

We made it to Ho Chi Minh City this afternoon and were...

michymalk — Wed, 30 May 2012 22:37:00 +0700

Independence Palace

We made it to Ho Chi Minh City this afternoon and were immediately struck by how modern this city appears compared to the other locations we visited in Vietnam. That being said, there are incredible historical buildings here as well. This afternoon we visited the Presidential Independence Palace (built in the 70’s), the post office (used to be the train station), and a church based on Notre Dame.