Program 1: Vietnams language and culture

- Program overview
- Program highlights
- Educational excursions
- Home-stays
1. Program overview
Vietnamese cultures have taken shape through thousands of years of the Vietnamese
nations labor, creativity and struggles for independence
!fter several decades of war and being segregated as well as "# years of restoring the
country, Vietnam nowadays has been developing considerably, following the
globali$ation trend and integrating into international economy However, Vietnam has
been facing with the difficulties in managing natural resources, urbani$ation, profound
changes in economic structure, composition of society and family %eing an official
member of &'(, Vietnam has many chances to develop as well as challenges in
preserving the national character
)nternational students who come to Vietnam for the program of Vietnams language
and culture will witness this changing process 'hrough interdisciplinary coursework,
field study, educational excursions and independent study pro*ect instructed by some
professors and community experts, students will learn Vietnams language, history,
cultures, society and tendency of economic development
! crash course in Vietnamese and home-stays will help students to infiltrate into the
native culture and compare different cultures
+ield study and educational excursions are essential contents of the program ,uring
the term, students can learn about the cultural backgrounds and changing process of
cultures and social economy in four different regions of Vietnam- 'he .outh, /iddle,
0orth and Highlands
,uring the last month of the course, students can carry out independent study pro*ect
under instruction of experts and experienced researchers
2. Outstanding points of the program
)nternational students who come to Vietnam for the program will do research in
traditional cultures of Vietnam, systems of values and changes in economy, society and
environment of Vietnam under the impact of globali$ation
2.1 Study duration:
!utumn and spring term- 12 weeks
.ummer term- 3 weeks
.pring term- from the middle of +ebruary to the end of /ay
!utumn term- from the middle of !ugust to the middle of ,ecember
.ummer term- from the middle of 4une to the middle of !ugust
2.2 um!ers of credits:
!utumn and spring term- 15
.ummer term- 3
6" "ain study location: Ho 7hi /inh city and %inh ,uong
.tudents spend 5 weeks in Ho 7hi /inh city and 1 week in %inh ,uong learning
Vietnamese, *oining seminars, visiting some places 8&ar museum, History museum, !rts
museum, 7u 7hi tunnel, 7an 9io biosphere reserve, Phu !n bamboo reserve, colonial
architecture:, and learning porcelain and ceramic trade at /inh ;ong company and 'hanh
;e company 8two famous companies in this industry: in %inh ,uong
2.# "ain su!$ects:
.tudents must be received 15 credit units for these following sub*ects in the spring and
autumn terms-
% &nstant Vietnamese course: 7hoose one of the following levels-
a V)E' 1### 85 credit units< =# periods:- %asic Vietnamese 8for beginners:
b V)E' 6### 85 credit units< =# periods:- )ntermediate Vietnamese
% 'ultures( development and integration 8seminar:
8!.)! "###< > credit units< 5# periods:
'he contents of seminars will be addressed in English? more reading and discussions
about Vietnamese history, changes in economy and society in Vietnam, traditional
cultures and changes, religion and religious beliefs, ethnic minoritys cultures in Vietnam,
women and families in Vietnam, etc are also re@uired
'he instructors for the seminars will be experts, professors from many universities 8.tate
Aniversity, Aniversity of Economics:, institutes in Ho 7hi /inh 7ity, +ulbright Program
7enter in Ho 7hi /inh 7ity, %inh ,uong Aniversity and some other local universities
8when students visit and learn in localities in Vietnam:
% )ield *esearch 8seminar:-
8!0'H "###< 6 credit units< "# periods:
'his sub*ect is a part of anthropology whose content focuses on researching and
comparing different nations cultures in reality .tudents will learn sociological and
anthropological research methods, participate in community activities as well as develop
their ability in observing and interviewing? during the process students can determine
their own independent research sub*ect and collect documents relating to their sub*ects
% &ndependent study su!$ect:
8).PB "###< > credit units< 16# periods:
)t will be implemented in the last " months of the program in Ho 7hi /inh 7ity, %inh
,uong or appropriate localities for doing research .ome sub*ects can be taken for a
research such as- /igrations impact in the process of globali$ation, womens role in
Vietnamese society nowadays, traditional trade villages, Vietnamese traditional music
and the trend of new music, the concord between forces in opposition during war in
Vietnam, colonial architecture in Ho 7hi /inh 7ity, folk religious beliefs of the
Vietnamese and ethnic minorities in Vietnam, etc
.tudents will perform the results of their researches independently in front of some
researchers after finishing the sub*ect
8'he credit units in this program can be replaced or transferred to other correlative
sub*ects for university program if there is a written consent between %inh ,uong
Aniversity and the university in which the student study in their own country Each
period lasts >2 minutes:
+. Study visits:
'his program offers students direct contact with the communities, and helps them
discover basic issues in the process of economic integration and interference of cultures,
developmental features of rural and urban areas, values of spiritual and material cultures
of Vietnam, nature reserves in VietnamC %esides Ho 7hi /inh 7ity and %inh ,uong,
there are > more places for students to visit-
,ighlands 81 week:
+or this week, students are visiting ,alat, a tourist center and famous flowers city in
Vietnam 'hey also learn about ethnic minorities cultures, especially 9ong D a musical
instrument which A0E.7( acknowledged as an immaterial cultural heritage in the world
in 6##2, study /ahayana and Een %uddhism at 'ruc ;am Een /onastery, learn about
'ea culture and embroidering !rts of Vietnam, visit some flower and vegetable farms as
well as subdue ;angbian mount
"e-ong .eltas area 86 weeks:
.tudents will study garden economy 8planting ornamental plant and fruit trees, keeping
bees: on the islands in 'ien 9iang river, rearing fish in cages under rafts in Hau river,
shrimp farming of coastal folks, wet-seeded rice culture, Hinayana and Fhmer Froms
cultures in the .outh Vietnam, /uslim community in !n 9iang, habits of hundreds of
water birds and other animals in 7a*uput +orests and 'ra .u +orest 8G## ha wide:
respectively 'hey also visit !rchaeological vestiges of (c Eo cultures existing from the
6
nd
century to the 5
th
century .taying in Hinayana pagodas for studying the religiouss life
and spending nights at some garden houses in /ekong ,elta are considered Home-stay
Program which students will first experience
.a ang and ,oi /n 0 ,ue /ncient 7ity 81 week:
.tudents will learn about " world cultural heritages acknowledged by A0E.7( D
+orbidden 7ity and ancient royal tombs in Hue, Hoi !n ancient city, and /y .on Holy
;and 8with many ancient towers belonging to 7hampa cultures: 'hey also visit the
museum of 7hampa cultures, and research 7hampa sculpture and Hue ceremonial music
8.tudents can see more information about the > world cultural heritages 8Hue, Hoi !n,
/y .on and Ha ;ong bay in Vietnam: at A0E.7(s websites:
orth Vietnam: Visiting ,a oi( ,oa 1inh( ,a 2ong !ay and inh 1inh 86 weeks:
;ocated by Hong Biver, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam with many government agencies,
and the cradle of Vietnamese cultures )n Hanoi, students will meet some historians and
members of Parliament to discuss about politic problems in modern society, visit some
places such as famous historical vestiges eg Van /ieu D the first and long standing
Aniversity in Vietnam, Ho 7hi /inhs presidency palace and mausoleum, museum of
Vietnams nations, 'hang ;ong rampart built in the 1#
th
century
)n Hoa %inh, students will research and compare the native cultures of the Vietnamese,
/uong people, black 'hai people in /ai 7hau, etc %esides, they are supposed to learn
about rice cultivation and irrigation system in mountainous area
!t Ha ;ong bay, students will visit the worlds nature wonders, discover ;imestone
/ountains and grottos, fishing trade and industry of exploiting coals and mineral in
Vietnam
)n 0inh %inh, students will discover 7uc Phuong national +orest Beserve for many rare
plants and animals of Vietnam and the world 'his is also the settlement of /uong ethnic
minority 'hey will have chance to have a direct interview with /uong people in Fhanh
village, learn about Fhanhs cultures, eating and drinking, costumes, dances, and musical
instruments and visit some %ai ,inh pagoda D a large %uddhist centre in Vietnam