Vietnamese universities attracting more foreign students
An increasing number of foreign students, primarily from other Asian countries, are now choosing to study in Vietnam.
“At first, foreign students came here out of curiosity about post-war Vietnam,” said Dr.
Nguyen Van Hue, head of the department of Vietnamese studies at the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
“In recent years though, as our economy has developed, they have been coming to study the Vietnamese language and culture to pave the way for their future investment in the country.”
Of all the subjects available to international students, Vietnamese studies are among the most popular, attracting a considerable number of foreign students worldwide, especially from the Republic of Korea.
Park Won Oh, 26, has been studying Vietnamese at the HCMC University of Education for four years.
Oh said he chose to study in Vietnam rather than China, which is generally considered to be more developed in terms of its higher education system and economy.
“Many Korean businessmen are already working and investing in China which would mean fierce competition for me if I wanted to do business there,” Oh said.
“On the other hand, the presence of Korean people in Vietnam is yet to be marked.”
Oh's brother also studied Vietnamese at the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Oh says his decision to study internationally had a lot to do with his brother's experience in the country.
Dr. Hue says that most foreign students like Oh decide to work in Vietnam permanently after their studies end.
“I will work for a Vietnamese-Korean joint venture in HCMC after graduating,” says Oh.
“Many international students struggle with mandatory courses like Marxist-Leninist philosophy and political science which can be hard nuts to crack – even for Vietnamese students,” said Dr. Du Ngoc Ngan, head of the linguistics department at the HCMC University of Education.
Dr. Ngan says that Vietnamese instructors, however, try their best to help international students overcome any difficulties they encounter along the way.
Vietnamese professors, she says, take great pains to adapt their teaching methods and utilize modern equipment to make their lessons vivid and interesting to international students.
Universities also organize field trips and cultural activities for foreign students, allowing them to practice their language skills and explore Vietnamese culture outside the classroom.
“Vietnamese teachers and students have been very friendly to foreign students like myself,” said Oh. “They've taken me many places and always answer any questions I have.”
Dr. Ngan says foreign students are eligible for the same opportunities as Vietnamese students.
They are eligible to apply for dormitory rooms, for instance, though most prefer to live off campus.
They can also apply for scholarships if their records are strong enough, she said.
“We also help foreign students with the necessary paper work during their studies and provide academic advising, housing and career services. If they have any legal problems, we can also help,” said Dr. Ngan.
The HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities has recently established a service center exclusively for international students, also directed by Dr. Hue.
“The center is developing a web-site to give foreign students access to employment opportunities in Vietnam and ‘a Vietnamese as a Second Language' training program for those interested in teaching Vietnamese to foreigners,” said Dr. Hue.
Vietnamese instructors have a high regard for foreign students' learning attitudes.
“They come to class on time and easily integrate with Vietnamese students,” says Dr. Ngan.
By Phuong Anh - Thanh Nien - December 4, 2007
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