SIT Vietnam is the Best! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

SIT programs pride themselves on experiential learning, learning outside of the classroom with locals. Experiential learning was a large part of the Vietnam program. We built a biodigestor with farmers in the Mekong, hiked through Sapa with locals, and lived with host families. Actual lectures were taught by different Vietnamese professors and a variety of other people like representatives from the American consulate, workers at NGOs, and local historians.

On-site administration of your program

The program director, Co Thanh is the most connected woman in Vietnam. A big part of SIT programs is the ISP time and she was able to help each student plan what they wanted to research and set them up with an ISP advisor. The program was very well organized and the program assistant made sure everything went smoothly.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

During this program, students are never in one place for longer than three weeks and we basically lived out of our suitcases for four months. I did not want to stay in one place for my study abroad experience and I really enjoyed traveling around the entire country and living in different places. Sometimes this meant living with host families, in guest houses, or in hotel rooms.

Food in Vietnam is amazing! The street food is top-notch and you can find almost any type of cuisine at restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Since we were constantly traveling around, my group was able to experience many different parts of Vietnam and see the cultural differences throughout the country. Every place we went, we talked with local people and learned from them. We lived with host families for three weeks in Ho Chi Minh City and were able to experience their family traditions and values firsthand.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Surprisingly, healthcare was easily accessible in cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi and in the smaller cities my group visited. Before I went, I was warned to not drink tap water and be wary of raw fruits and vegetables. I ate pretty much everything and throughout my whole trip I only had food poisoning once. I just took pills my doctor from home had given me and was fine. I got many vaccinations like Hep A and B, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever. I brought malaria pills with me, but never ended up taking them.

Vietnam is a very safe country. Guns are illegal and I felt safer there than in some places in the U.S. The only thing to watch out for is petty crime. Some students' computers and iPods were stolen. It is wise to bring a small combination lock to secure your valuables in your suitcase.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

SIT programs give students a stipend for meals without the group, transportation and lunch during the homestay period, and all expenses during the ISP period. I rarely used my own money on food and basic necessities since this was covered by SIT.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I practiced Vietnamese mostly with my homestay family. After those three weeks, I didn't really use the language that much.

Select all that apply

• Dorm
• Other
• Host Family
• Hotel
• Hostel

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans

• Traveling around the entire country while meeting and learning from the local people.
• The freedom to choose an ISP topic and conduct my own research project for one month.
• My study abroad group was very small, eleven people total, but I really got to know students from around the U.S. who I would not have gotten the chance to meet any other way.

• Lectures were taught by a variety of people. It would have been helpful to have the same professors more often, instead of seeing many professors twice or three times. .
• Some places I wish we had spent more time in, like Sapa, and less time in the Mekong.
• Some of the classes could focus on fewer topics so there would be time to go into depth.

The Outright Urbanite