Successful Student Recruitment in Vietnam: Stories from the Field

19/05/202219/05/2022 maavn Announcement COVID-19, international recruitment, nafsa 2022, overseas study, student recruitment, vietnam

Wednesday, June 1, 2022 from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM MDT Some institutions currently active in Vietnam are achieving their recruitment goals with impressive results. This session takes a look at a U.S. high school with a boarding option, a community college, and a four-year university that have been successful recruiting high performing Vietnamese students and … Continue reading Successful Student Recruitment in Vietnam: Stories from the Field

“U.S. will have to work hard to win over Vietnam’s conservatives”

18/05/2022 maavn Articles, Commentary conservatives, peaceful evolution, reformers, us foreign policy, vietnam

Anti-American sentiments remain entrenched among certain groups. Winning over "Vietnam's conservatives" would not be in the best interests of Viet Nam. In fact, the country's foreign policy is characterized by independence and openness. Here's an excerpt from the description on the website of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in the US: … Continue reading “U.S. will have to work hard to win over Vietnam’s conservatives”

“The Empire” Strikes Back… at the Environment

14/05/202213/05/2022 maavn Commentary environmental degredation, hanoi, hung yen province, overdevelopment, property fever, vinhomes ocean park 2

Credit: Vinhomes I love the names of some condo buildings and developments here, e.g., The Authentic, The One, Zen. They're so pretentious and over-the-top. Some put a smile on my face while others make me want to cry and mourn the loss of agricultural land and the scenic beauty that is (was) Vietnam. Translation: The … Continue reading “The Empire” Strikes Back… at the Environment

Vinmart to Win-Mart

10/05/2022 maavn Commentary vingroup, vinmart, winmart

Credit: MAA The renaming of Vinmart to WinMart is an example of serendipity in the corporate world. Vingroup sold its retail subsidiary VinCommerce, which operates VinMart, VinMart+ and agriculture arm VinEco, to Masan Group in a merger deal in December 2019. There are other recent examples of Vingroup selling subsidiaries, or stakes in the same, … Continue reading Vinmart to Win-Mart

The Shadowy Business of International Education

06/05/202206/05/2022 maavn Articles, Commentary canada, commission-based reccruitment, international education, international student recruitment

Credit: Academic Matters (OCUFA) "According to Broitman, the economics of the system reveal a fundamental truth: a student who walks into an agent’s shop is not the client—they’re the product. If an agent is getting commissions from an unremarkable community college in rural Ontario, then their only motivation is to get every teenager who walks … Continue reading The Shadowy Business of International Education

Marijuana & Viet Nam

03/05/202205/05/2022 maavn Commentary cannabis, industrial hemp, legalization, marijuana, vienam

Source Here's a topic I have yet to address on the hallowed pages of this venerable blog. I'm confident that it encompasses the holy trinity of the main themes, Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue, the trifecta of blogging, so to speak. You be the judge. Why Not? In response to an article about the tax … Continue reading Marijuana & Viet Nam

“Nothing is Impossible” Finds It Impossible to Tell the Truth About Vietnam

29/04/2022 maavn Articles, Books, Commentary bob kerrey, fulbright university vietnam, john kerry, madeleine albright, nothing is impossible, ted osius, viet nam, vietnam

Here's my latest for CounterPunch. Thanks to Rutgers University Press for the review copy. Better late than never. Here are some excerpts, including the two paragraphs followed by a section entitled The Measure of the Man. Enjoy (or not)! Just before the Lunar New Year, I finally received my review copy of Nothing is Impossible: America’s … Continue reading “Nothing is Impossible” Finds It Impossible to Tell the Truth About Vietnam

Ha Long Before & in the Midst of Hyperdevelopment

27/04/202226/04/2022 maavn Commentary halong bay, hyperdevelopment, overdevelopment

Photo by MAA My first trip to Ha Long Bay was 26 years ago this June. I had traveled to Viet Nam, the second time that year, to look in on a summer study abroad program I created. I went with a group of US students and two program staff. I remember the students complaining … Continue reading Ha Long Before & in the Midst of Hyperdevelopment

Mark Ashwill to Lead 5th Annual Viet Nam Recruitment Seminar at NAFSA 2022

25/04/202219/05/2022 maavn Announcement nafsa 2022, pre-conference seminar, recruit in vietnam, Vietnamese students

And now, a word from my employer... 😀 After two years of COVID-19 interruption, Capstone Vietnam is pleased to announce that Dr. Mark Ashwill, managing director and co-founder, will speak at an unofficial, pre-conference Viet Nam student recruitment seminar from 1-3 p.m. on May 30, 2022 in Denver, CO, USA. The Viet Nam Recruitment Seminar consists of a … Continue reading Mark Ashwill to Lead 5th Annual Viet Nam Recruitment Seminar at NAFSA 2022

It’s Time to Ban Tobacco Products

14/04/202224/04/2022 maavn Commentary cancer, smoking, tobacco, viet nam, vietnam

Our vocation can nourish our understanding and compassion or erode them. We should be awake to the consequences, far and near, of the way we earn our living. - Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926-2022) Credit: Vietnam smoking via Michael Hero / Shutterstock.com It's time to ban tobacco products. There, I said it, what some are thinking but … Continue reading It’s Time to Ban Tobacco Products