Updates

Record Number of B Visas Issued to Vietnamese in 2017

Mark A. Ashwill Reports, Updates , , , ,

Since information is power, or at least helps in many decision-making processes, I am always looking for trends based on statistics and other data.  In the last (2017) fiscal year (FY) ending on 30 September 2017, a record 100,423 B-1,2 (tourist and business) visas were issued to Vietnamese citizens.  The number of student visas issued during … Continue reading Record Number of B Visas Issued to Vietnamese in 2017

Viet Nam Ranks 5th in International Enrollment in 3 Countries

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , , , ,

...including Australia, Canada, and the USA!  Those countries also happen to be the world's leading hosts of international students, albeit in this order:  1)  USA; 2) Australia; and 3) Canada, followed by the UK and Germany.   Of the estimated 200,000 Vietnamese students studying overseas, 23,000 are in Australia (PDF download), about 15,000 are in … Continue reading Viet Nam Ranks 5th in International Enrollment in 3 Countries

Viet Nam Is One of Two Top 10 Sending Countries With An Increase In Latest SEVIS Stats

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

In the latest SEVIS by the Numbers update in March 2018, only two (2) among the top 10 sending countries recorded an increase in the number of students studying in the US:  Brazil and Viet Nam.   The other eight (8) saw decreases ranging from 4.43% to .28%.  Brazil jumped two places from 9th to 7th.  … Continue reading Viet Nam Is One of Two Top 10 Sending Countries With An Increase In Latest SEVIS Stats

ACICS is Back in Business!

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , , ,

And I do mean busine$$.  Yes, this is the same national accrediting organizing that was "derecognized" by the US Department of Education during the last few months of the Obama administration, a decision that stood until a couple of weeks ago.  Speaking of which, I was writing an email to a colleague about a previously … Continue reading ACICS is Back in Business!

Catholicism, the Vietnamese Language, & Student Recruitment in Viet Nam

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

NOTE:  Don't worry, dear reader, I will have connected the dots, more or less, by the end of this post.  🙂 Among the various legacies of French colonialism, loosely defined, including colonial architecture, baguettes, butter, economic exploitation, war, and various words (bia-bière-beer, bơ-beurre-butter, bồ-beau-lover, cà phê-café--coffee, lavabo=sink, phô mai-fromage-cheese) was the introduction of Catholicism, which dates … Continue reading Catholicism, the Vietnamese Language, & Student Recruitment in Viet Nam

Live from Viet Nam – An E20 Webinar!

Mark A. Ashwill Updates , , , ,

Last week, I had the opportunity to present on one of my favorite topics, Viet Nam, to a virtual audience of over 40 US colleagues, including those from higher and secondary education.   I'm grateful to Syed Jamal from Branta and Renait Stephens from Study in the USA, event co-sponsor, for inviting me and for … Continue reading Live from Viet Nam – An E20 Webinar!

Rhetorical Question: “Why don’t Viet Nam’s universities rank higher in Asia?”

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , ,

There is a tendency in Vietnam, with the media as an on- and offline amplifier, to engage in self-flagellation about education and other societal issues rather than looking carefully at the broader context and the, sometimes, hopeful reality. This results in journalists and many Vietnamese playing the ‘blame game’. The obvious targets here are the … Continue reading Rhetorical Question: “Why don’t Viet Nam’s universities rank higher in Asia?”

US Student Visa Issuances to Vietnamese Students Resume Their Upward Trend

Mark A. Ashwill Updates ,

Below is a graph with information about F-1 (student) visa issuances from 1998, the early days of Vietnamese studying in the US, to 2017, which ended on 30 September last year. These data are from this Excel file on the US State Department website:  Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances by Visa Class and by Nationality.  Just download … Continue reading US Student Visa Issuances to Vietnamese Students Resume Their Upward Trend

Vietnamese Student (Mis)Perceptions of the USA

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , , ,

I recently talked with a Vietnamese student who had studied in the US and was back home.  When I asked him about the experience of living there, one reply really stood out:  people are free and equal.  That answer jump-started my interior monologue, which quickly went into overdrive.  The first reply was Which people, in … Continue reading Vietnamese Student (Mis)Perceptions of the USA