Vietnam is the Best Country Ever Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were not particularly challenging, but I don't think they need to be or should be on a program like this. It's more important to get out of the classroom, experience the culture, and socialize with the locals. The Academic Director, Program Assistant, and Homestay Coordinator were always available whenever an issue arose. Students hung out a lot doing work in the brand new resource center at Hoa Sen University in close proximity to all the aforementioned people running the program.

On-site administration of your program

The program was run very well. The Academic Director, Co Thanh, has made connections all over the country throughout her illustrious career (which includes being the first Vietnamese woman to earn a Fulbright, among other things), so nothing ever felt touristic or trite, even though some of that was sprinkled in when necessary. The only thing that stops me from giving 5 stars is that time was not budgeted very well much of the time. Activities/excursions would run later than expected which was a bit annoying when something else excited had to be nixed from the schedule. It was annoying at the time, but in hindsight not a very big deal. There is something to be learned in Vietnamese culture from not taking time so seriously.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The homestay coordinator is great and does a wonderful job for the most part, but my particular living situation was odd. My house/facilities were very nice, and I had my own room, but my family was not very active together. My host brother was busy applying for a French Master's program, my host sister was a web developer who never left her room, and as I found out from one of them a week or two into the home stay, my parents had been estranged for a significant amount of time, which left me in a sort of awkward middle ground. You can always complain and possibly get a housing change for something like this, but sometimes it is too late to have another meaningful experience somewhere else. I'd hope that they probe a little deeper in screening some of the host families in the future.

Amazing. Cheap. On the street. The food in Vietnam is great, and there are some very good western options in the main cities when you feel like you need a taste of home or somewhere else.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This is definitely up to the individual. You can choose to befriend the local students you meet and really immerse yourself, or you can stick solely with your fellow American program students and eat Pizza Hut and Burger King in your free time. This aspect of the program is totally what you make of it, and the more committed you are to integrating yourself, the more you'll get out of the experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any serious health issues, though two others did. Both were treated promptly on properly with high quality care.

Vietnam is an extremely safe country. I don't know if I saw one instance of violence or even anger during my time there. It is a happy country looking toward a bright future. That being said, petty crime exists as it does in almost any big urban center. When walking around the city at night, don't be flashy and keep track of where your valuables are and how much have you to drink. This is common sense but still applies.

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

Vietnam is cheap, and the program provides a generous stipend at various points throughout the program. Unless you go out of your way to buy expensive things or go to trendy bars/clubs a lot, you will barely have to spend any of your own money.

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

Learning the basics was encouraged, and easy enough being in the environment. Learning how to have conversations was very difficult in the timeframe of the program. The learning philosophy in Vietnam is more about drills and rote memorization, and that carried over somewhat into the language instruction. The instructors were great, but trying to learn in 2-3 hour blocks each day is just not practical in my opinion.

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• Dorm
• Host Family
• Hotel

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• The excursions/traveling
• The food
• The culture

• Language Classes
• Host Family Screening

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