Archive for April 2010

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Education and Training Excerpt…

28/04/2010

…from the 2010 Country Commercial Guide for Vietnam (U.S. Commercial Service).  This 2.5 page document provides some very basic background information about this particular sector in Vietnam and one of the U.S.’ leading service sector exports.  If you’re interested in reading the document in its entirety – all 148 pages of it – follow this link to the PDF version. 

Note:  There are two mistakes on p. 2 of the excerpt, one of which I put in bold.  First, Vietnam has far more than 20,000 students studying abroad.  Perhaps the authors mean annually.  (There are that many in Australia alone.)  Total estimates range from 60,000 to 100,000.  Secondly, Vietnam ranks 2nd (not 3rd) among sending countries for international students enrolled in U.S. community colleges – surpassing Japan and closing in on S. Korea.

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“How many dollars are hidden under the bed?”

26/04/2010

It is estimated that Vietnam has $40 billion in cash, including $10 billion in foreign currency reserves, $20 billion held by banks, and $10 billion in the hands (and safes) of individuals. 

What is this money for?  To purchase big ticket items such as cars, real estate, gold and overseas study, to mention just a few.  See the article excerpt below.  (Note:  Five billion dong is about $263,158 at an exchange rate of 19,000 VND: $1.)    

Before Tet, Nguyen Van Hung, a car dealer in Hanoi, spent five billion dong to purchase dollars on the black market.

One third will go to his daughter, who is studying at Oxford University in the UK, while the other two-thirds will be put into his coffer at home. 

“My daughter will study for five years at the university, which will cost some five billion dong. I decided to keep dollars because I worry that the dong will depreciate,” Hung remarked. 

It is very difficult to reckon how many parents there are like Huy, but it is clear that the number is very big. Statistics from four embassies (US, UK, Australia and Singapore) alone showed that tens of thousands of Vietnamese students are studying at schools in the four countries. The cash sent abroad for the students must be very large.

There are over 40,000 Vietnamese studying in the countries listed above.

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VietAbroader Organizes Career Conference in New York

22/04/2010

VietAbroader, in conjunction with New York University School of Law’s Asia Law Society, will organize the VietAbroader Career Conference (VACC). The conference will take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25, 2010 at the New York University School of Law. 

VACC marks the first offshore project implemented by VietAbroader, and is a pioneering career conference organized in the U.S. focusing on a wide range of professional opportunities in Vietnam.  VACC provides a venue for leading companies and organizations in Vietnam to discuss career opportunities with top-notch students and young professionals in the U.S.

Check out this trailer…

VietAbroader is a student-run organization whose mission is to empower Vietnamese youth to contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam.  It organizes educational and professional programs designed to equip Vietnamese youth with knowledge and provide them with a support network for their academic and professional development.  VietAbroader is the largest network of Vietnamese students and alumni in the U.S. with more than 23,000 members.  

For more information about the VACC follow this link to a 18 April article by Huong Le, a U.S.-educated reporter for Thanh Nien News.  

Full disclosure:  I am one of two VietAbroader advisers;  the other is Henry B. Nguyen, who is the Managing General Partner of IDG Ventures Vietnam.  

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U.S. Students in Vietnam

21/04/2010

According to the latest statistics (i.e., 2007/08), there are fewer than 700 U.S. students in Vietnam.  Most come with short-term programs, including study tours.  In contrast, there were nearly 13,000 Vietnamese students enrolled in U.S. degree programs last year – the higher education equivalent of a massive trade imbalance.

In addition to quantity, it would be great to see more diversity in the U.S. students coming to Vietnam.  Study abroad doesn’t come cheap, however, which explains why the majority of  U.S. students are white and well-off.  Incidentally, over half are also female. 

 In the 2007/08 academic year, 262, 416 US students studied abroad; that’s about 1.4% of total US higher education enrollment.  Of that number 82% were white and 65% female.

 Below is a partial list of US higher education institutions and organizations that offer programs in Vietnam for US students: 

  • CET Academic Programs (on behalf of client schools)
  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges & Union College
  • Loyola University Chicago
  • Lewis and Clark College
  • Penn State University-Greater Allegheny
  • School for International Training (SIT)
  • SUNY-Brockport
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Michigan
  • Westfield State College (MA)

 There are also small numbers of young Americans, mostly recent college graduates, coming to Vietnam to teach English for a year under the auspices of U.S. government programs (e.g., Fulbright ETA), nonprofit organizations and on their own.

In Vietnam, US students ‘think different’ about culture, war (Thanh Nien Daily, 8.2.10)

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Vietnamese Students in Australia: A Reality Check

21/04/2010

Last year, there were more than 20,000 Vietnamese students in all sectors in Australia,  including higher education, vocational education and training (VET), English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and other courses (non-credit courses, enabling courses, eyc.).  5,400 were in VET and 5,300 in the higher education sector as of February 2010, according to the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.     

The total number of international students enrolled in Australian postsecondary was 389,461, as of February 2010.  That’s pretty impressive for a country with a population of 22 million, wouldn’t you agree?  Compare that with the U.S., a country of 308 million and host to 1,054,049 nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents, as of March 2010.  This means that Australia, whose population is 7% that of the U.S., has 37% of international students between the two.  

So why has Australia been so successful in competing with the U.S.?    On the positive side:  marketing and promotion, the IDP model, constructive engagement with selected education agents, cost, high visa issuance rate, scholarships, ease of emigration, etc.   On the negative side:  the tendency of the U.S. to live in the past and rest on its laurels.  Only recently – in discussions about  international student “market share” – has the U.S. begun to take its main friendly competitor seriously.   

While the U.S. is the first choice destination and is rated the highest for overall favorable impression compared to the U.K., Australia, Singapore and France, as survey and anecdotal evidence reveal, Australia is the most popular second choice.  So guess where those young Vietnamese whose U.S. visa applications are rejected (30-40%) end up going?

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US Embassy-Hanoi Hiring New Fulbright Director

20/04/2010

From the position announcement (PDF): 

Under the general supervision of the Public Affairs Officer, incumbent of the position will manage Fulbright Program in Vietnam, one of the largest Fulbright Programs in Asia.  (The annual budget for the Fulbright Program in Vietnam is $2.2 million.)  The incumbent will oversee three Fulbright Assistants in implementing the many components of the nationwide program. In consultation with Educational Cultural Affairs (ECA’s) East Asian & Pacific (EAP) Fulbright Program Office and the Public Affairs Officer, the incumbent will manage the in-country expense budget of the Program. In addition, he/she will be responsible for developing and maintaining a wide array of contacts at universities and other educational institutions throughout Vietnam. 

ANNUAL SALARY: *Not-Ordinarily Resident (holding diplomatic passport): US$52,601 (Starting salary)

(Position Grade: FP-5 will be confirmed by Washington) – *Ordinarily Resident: US$15,795 (Starting salary)

Best wishes to the former director, Dr. Trần Xuân Thảo, who took a position with Tan Tao University.

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“Shady education practices corrupt young minds”

18/04/2010

In this 4 April article from the English edition of Thanh Nien News Dennis McCornac, a professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, is quoted.  In 2008, McCornac wrote an article for the Boston College Center for International Higher Education newsletter (number 50, winter 2008) entitled  Corruption in Vietnamese Higher Education.

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SEVIS by the Numbers: Vietnam

14/04/2010

Unlike the annual Open Doors international academic mobility report, which contains information from the previous fall semester (i.e., one year before the report is released), the quarterly reports issued by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) are up-to-date snapshots of the total number of international students studying in the U.S.  (At the risk of stating the obvious, if these quarterly reports included breakdowns by level of study and type of institution, the Open Doors report, something of a rite of autumn in U.S. international education circles, would become obsolete. )

The main qualitative distinction between the two sources of data is that Open Doors includes higher education enrollments only, while the SEVIS/SEVP reports encompass all types of institutions (e.g., high schools, language training, vocational schools, colleges and universities) and all visa categories. 

 According to the March 2010 report (PDF), there are over 16,000 Vietnamese studying in the U.S. and Vietnam ranks 8th among all sending countries.  

California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Florida and Illinois have the highest number of active students.  Together these six states host half of all international students in the U.S.  The top three host states for Vietnamese higher ed students are California, Texas and Washington.  There is considerable untapped potential in many of the 47 other states. 

 

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“US $180 million for 1st international public university”

12/04/2010

The Vietnam-Germany University (VGU), the first international public university to be founded in Vietnam, will be built on an area of 50 ha in the southern province of Binh Duong with the investment capital of US $180 million. 

This is the first of several “international universities” envisioned by the Vietnamese government.  It is one of the “next frontiers” that will enabled qualified Vietnamese students to benefit from an international standard higher education without having to study overseas.  The Bachelor’s degree programs at VGU will include a semester or year at a German university and an internship with a multinational company.  The undergraduate tuition is $1,500 per year. 

Check out this Dan Tri International article from 4.4.10 for more information.

Excerpted from the FAQ section of the Vietnamese-German University website:

Is the VGU a German university?

No, the VGU is a Vietnamese state university. It does, however, receive financial, conceptual and personnel support from Germany. Furthermore, its academic and administrative structures follow a German model. This leads to an overall focus on the integration of teaching and research. In that sense the VGU is a German university in Vietnam.

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Center for Global Advancement of Community Colleges (CGACC)

03/04/2010

I’m pleased to share some information about a bright new star on the US higher education horizon: the recent establishment of The Center for Global Advancement of Community Colleges (CGACC). According to its website, CGACC “is dedicated to increasing global knowledge and understanding of U.S. community colleges, bridging cultures through awareness, serving as a resource, advancing institutional internationalization efforts, and partnering with national and international entities to expand and enhance educational opportunities.”  You can download this announcement that was sent out last week. 

CGACC is the brainchild of Judy Irwin, former Director of International Programs and Service, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).  Judy, a woman of considerable talent, energy and vision, serves as the CGACC Executive Vice President, Global and College Alliances.  Speaking of vision, the organization “will serve as the primary source for advancing and promoting U.S. community colleges globally through international exchanges and education. (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the Judy Irwin Fan Club, having worked with her on several projects in Vietnam since 2006.)

CGACC has an outstanding executive team, including Judy and Kent Farnsworth, Director, University of Missouri-St. Louis Center for International Community College Education and Leadership (CICCEL) and the Community College Leadership Academy College and former president, Crowder Community College, who serves as President.  The Center also has a distinguished Advisory Board and Global Council. There is a compelling need for this organization.  That, combined with the quality of people associated with CGACC, will contribute greatly to its success.  I look forward to working with CGACC in Vietnam, which ranks 2nd among all places of origin in international student enrollment at community colleges.

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