This is the title of a fascinating diplomatic cable from the US Embassy-Hanoi, about Ambassador Michael Michalak's 25 April 2008 meeting with the legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap at the latter's home in Hanoi. This unclassified document appears on the Wikileaks Cable Viewer website. It's one of several devoted to education in Vietnam and US-Vietnam educational exchange. … Continue reading Subject: Still Lucid at 97: General Vo Nguyen Giap Talks Education
Commentary
Vietnamese Student Visa Applications to Australia Drop by 31%
A Guest Post By Justin Birch Australia has enjoyed its status as the number one destination for Vietnamese university students but it shouldn't get too comfortable. A recent report released by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship reveals that offshore applications from Vietnamese students dropped by 31%. This decrease is not the largest, however, with India’s applications having … Continue reading Vietnamese Student Visa Applications to Australia Drop by 31%
Chutzpah & Unaccredited (US) Higher Education Providers
Chutzpah (pronounced /ˈhʊtspə/) is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad, but it is generally used negatively. The word derives from the Hebrew word ḥuṣpâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "audacity", and "impertinence." This word, one of my favorites, describes with great precision a recent email exchange I had with the representative of an unaccredited California-based school. … Continue reading Chutzpah & Unaccredited (US) Higher Education Providers
A Year Ago Today
Today is the first anniversary of the day that An International Educator received the most traffic ever in a 24-hour period - 1,315 views. The catalyst? An interview in the Vietnamese language media (i.e., Tuổi Trẻ Online) about unaccredited US schools in Vietnam that spread like wildfire. 2010-07-30 Title Views Home page 1,015 US-Based or Affiliated … Continue reading A Year Ago Today
Location, Location, Location…
... combined with the laws of supply and demand=a small (53 m2/602 ft2) building in downtown Hanoi that recently sold for $2.3 million. Where this charming Hanoi house once stood is now a pile of rubble. On this site, at the intersection of Hang Bai and Hai Ba Trung streets in the Hoan Kiem District, which I pass … Continue reading Location, Location, Location…
O Canada! One of the Hottest Destinations for Overseas Study
Canada permits graduates of public postsecondary institutions and degree programs at private institutions to work for up to three years, depending upon the length of their program of study. The government has also created an immigration program specifically for international graduates known as the Canadian Experience Class. Graduates with a Canadian degree and/or work experience … Continue reading O Canada! One of the Hottest Destinations for Overseas Study
Trần Mạnh Tuấn: Bridging Cultural & Musical Worlds
Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. (Confucius) This is a post about music, a saxophonist par excellence, and one of Vietnam’s finest musicians - a man who has taken full advantage of the opportunity to attend a world-class music college, indulge his passion for jazz and pursue his dream … Continue reading Trần Mạnh Tuấn: Bridging Cultural & Musical Worlds
Reality Check/When One Government Speaks with Two Voices
Below is my response to a 23 June Chronicle of Higher Education article by Beth McMurtrie entitled Colleges Are Warned Against a 'Gold Rush' Pursuit of International Studentsabout how to better promote American higher education abroad, discussed at a recent three-day EducationUSA conference. This may be difficult to comprehend in Washington, D.C. and its corridors of power (e.g., the … Continue reading Reality Check/When One Government Speaks with Two Voices
Honor by Association?
A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled U. of Wales’s Vetting of Overseas Partners Questioned does not come as a surprise. The Welsh Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, who initiated the inquiry, was quoted as saying the university must "move quickly" to address the shortcomings. "The present situation cannot be allowed to continue. The reputation … Continue reading Honor by Association?
Letting in the Fresh Air and the Flies: The Mixed Impact of US Higher Education on Vietnam
Among the growing number of US universities and colleges that have acknowledged Vietnam as a promising market for student recruitment, online and in-country education and training programs (among other activities), most are well-intentioned and accredited. Others, however, see a golden opportunity to reap substantial profits from a market that has rosy long-term prospects. The bittersweet … Continue reading Letting in the Fresh Air and the Flies: The Mixed Impact of US Higher Education on Vietnam
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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