Winning the Hearts & Minds of Young Vietnamese

22/01/201330/01/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates public diplomacy, soft power, vietnam, Vietnamese students, wikileaks

Note: If you’re an employee of the US State Department, do not pass go, do not collect $200, close this tab immediately. This post contains a “sensitive” Wikileaks cable that originated in the US Embassy-Hanoi and commentary on the same. If you read it, you are breaking the law, not to mention disobeying Madam Secretary. Please pardon … Continue reading Winning the Hearts & Minds of Young Vietnamese

Counterpoint: A US American’s Critique of a Harvard Position Paper (and More)

09/04/201209/04/2012 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary harvard university, soft power, US-Vietnam educational exchange, US-Vietnam relations, vietnamese higher education

Countries as Role Models: A Double-Edged Sword (aka Yes, No, It Depends) In my conversations with young people and colleagues here about overseas study, I frequently emphasize the positive/negative role model dimensions of cross-cultural exchange in general and as they relate to comparative education in particular. Learn from another country's strengths and weaknesses. Adapt and localize … Continue reading Counterpoint: A US American’s Critique of a Harvard Position Paper (and More)

First EducationUSA Fair in Iraq Attracts More Than 1,000 Students

04/11/201106/11/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary educational advising, higher education fairs, international student recruitment, iraq, soft power, student visas

A recent article declares, "Tired of war, thousands of Iraqis want to go to U.S." What it fails to mention is who triggered all the bloodshed. Who made conditions in Iraq so intolerable that these people must flee? You know who. Over and over again, the U.S. has instigated mayhem or carnage overseas, generating thousands … Continue reading First EducationUSA Fair in Iraq Attracts More Than 1,000 Students

Education UK: Vietnam Country Partner Meeting

21/10/201104/11/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Events academic partnerships, accreditation, british council, community colleges, diploma mills, education agents, higher education fairs, international student recruitment, national accreditation, rogue providers, soft power

I was invited to speak on Friday, 14 October to representatives from 60 British colleges and universities who were in Vietnam for a series of events, including the UK higher education fairs in Hanoi, HCMC and Danang. My assigned topic was The Study Abroad Market: A US Perspective. During the 30 minutes or so at my disposal, … Continue reading Education UK: Vietnam Country Partner Meeting

In the Name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit: Saving Souls Through English Teaching in Vietnam

21/04/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary English teaching, proselytizing, soft power

Why do foreigners come to Vietnam to work for the long-term? Why do they leave their families, friends, jobs, the comforts of home in an “advanced” (i.e., wealthy) nation for life in a (poor) developing country? Money, adventure, penance, reconciliation, professional opportunity, a chance to contribute to Vietnam’s development, love (“home is where the heart … Continue reading In the Name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit: Saving Souls Through English Teaching in Vietnam

Ambassador Michael Michalak’s Farewell Press Conference

12/01/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Updates soft power, US-Vietnam educational exchange, US-Vietnam relations

At his final press conference on 6 January, Michael Michalak, US Ambassador to Vietnam, began his prepared remarks with these statements: I arrived in Hanoi in August 2007. Over the past nearly three and a half years, we have together witnessed many milestones. In trade, education, security cooperation, we have made truly amazing progress. It’s no … Continue reading Ambassador Michael Michalak’s Farewell Press Conference

Webmetrics & This Blog

11/01/201111/01/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Updates rogue providers, soft power, US-Vietnam relations

If you go to Google.com and enter the search term rogue providers, you will find “About 740,000 results (0.26 seconds)” and the first result will be a 19 November 2010 post entitled “Students warned of rogue education providers.” 1. “Students warned of rogue education providers” « An International ... 19 Nov 2010 ... Keep in … Continue reading Webmetrics & This Blog

And the Top Five Are…

20/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Updates academic globalization, academic partnerships, soft power, US-Vietnam educational exchange, vietnam education foundation

In the past week the most frequently viewed posts on An International Educator in Vietnam are related to Wikileaks, the next US Ambassador to Vietnam (i.e., David Shear), US-Vietnam educational exchange and the College of Charleston. This is what I see in the "site stats" section of my blog: Top Searches wikileaks vietnam, college of … Continue reading And the Top Five Are…

Wikileaks & Vietnam

17/12/201017/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Announcement, Commentary, Documents soft power, US-Vietnam relations, vietnam

Many people with a personal and professional interest in Vietnam are patiently waiting to see if any nuggets of gold can be mined from the ore that is the 2325 US Embassy-Hanoi documents that will be trickling out on the Wikileaks Cable Gate website. Areas of interest include all of the “usual suspects” such as war legacy issues (e.g., unexploded ordnance … Continue reading Wikileaks & Vietnam

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