You can’t eat money: the cost of unlimited growth

09/09/202209/09/2022 maavn Articles, Commentary canada, circular economy, depletion economy, overfishing, pollution, sand-mining, vietnam, water

A woman stands at her collapsed house damaged by landslide along the Mekong river in Can Tho, Vietnam, December 17, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Kham My latest essay for VNExpress International. The Vietnamese version will be up soon. Here are the first two paragraphs. In a 1972 book chapter entitled "Conversations with North American Indians," Alanis … Continue reading You can’t eat money: the cost of unlimited growth

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

Study and Stay™ in Nova Scotia

27/12/2021 maavn Commentary canada, immigration, nova scotia, post-graduation employment, study

I like this trademarked slogan. This is a province that knows what it wants and needs, and is willing to go the extra mile to achieve the goal of attracting more young immigrants who study at a local educational institution and then make the life-changing decision to remain and work. Nova Scotia's proactive, pro-immigration strategy … Continue reading Study and Stay™ in Nova Scotia

B-1/2 vs. F-1 Visas to the USA

12/09/201902/10/2019 maavn Commentary, Updates business visas, canada, china, f-1 visas, india, student visas, study in the USA, tourist visas

The adjusted refusal rate for B (tourist/business) visas issued to Vietnamese citizens in 2018 was 26.2%, which means the issuance rate was 73.8%. I wish we had access to the same information for F-1 (student) visas broken down by state and even institution and type of institution. Student visa issuance rates are generally quite a … Continue reading B-1/2 vs. F-1 Visas to the USA

“The shift of Vietnamese students to Canada marches on”

25/03/2019 maavn Articles, Commentary canada, overseas study, viet nam, vietnam, vietnamese student recruitment, Vietnamese students

Here is my latest essay for University World News. If you like the teaser below, follow this link to read the article in its entirety. This is a follow-up to an April 2018 article I wrote entitled Vietnamese students look at the US and head north (editor's title). I placed a gentleman's bet with myself that … Continue reading “The shift of Vietnamese students to Canada marches on”

Fake News: “Australia ‘first choice’ for overseas Vietnamese students”

17/12/201821/12/2018 maavn Articles, Commentary canada, japan, south korea, study in australia, USA, Vietnamese students

This is presumably an editor's mistake. Fact-checking is important and really easy these days. Is Australia the world's leading host of Vietnamese students, meaning their "first choice"? As of 10-18, there were 23,803 young Vietnamese studying in Australia at all levels out of a total of 673,296 international students, according to the Australia's Department of Education and … Continue reading Fake News: “Australia ‘first choice’ for overseas Vietnamese students”

Viet Nam Once Again Ranks 5th in US International Student Enrollment

13/10/201816/11/2018 maavn Commentary asian century, australia, canada, east asia, f-1 visas, japan, sevis by the numbers, south korea, USA, vietnamese students in the us

According to the August 2018 SEVIS by the Numbers update, Viet Nam once again ranks 5th among places of origin with 29,788 active students at all levels and in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, inching past Canada, which had displaced it in June 2018. (One always has to take summer statistics with a grain … Continue reading Viet Nam Once Again Ranks 5th in US International Student Enrollment

Happy 9th Birthday, Capstone Vietnam!

20/09/2018 maavn Announcement 9th birthday, australia, canada, capstone vietnam, educational consulting, institutional services, overseas study, reaching new heights, UK, USA, viet nam, vietnam

This week, Capstone Vietnam, a full-service educational consulting company that I co-founded in 2009 and of which I am managing director, celebrated its 9th birthday. It has been a helluva ride, one I've found to be deeply rewarding on many levels. As I mentioned to a colleague the other day, the best situation is when … Continue reading Happy 9th Birthday, Capstone Vietnam!

Study in the USA: A Service Sector Export That No Longer Sells Itself

28/05/2018 maavn Announcement, Commentary canada, gun violence, mass shootings, overseas study, study in the USA, Vietnamese students

This matter-of-fact assertion does not (and should not) come as a surprise to US colleagues who recruit internationally. Here's a recent story that inspired this post, so to speak, plus a heartfelt appeal. I noticed that a number of students had applied to, been admitted by, and received visas to attend a particular school in … Continue reading Study in the USA: A Service Sector Export That No Longer Sells Itself

Viet Nam Ranks 5th in International Enrollment in 3 Countries

16/05/201816/05/2018 maavn Commentary, Updates australia, canada, international students, overseas study, USA, Vietnamese students

...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

An International Educator in Viet Nam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

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