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Girl Walking in Vietnam

One of the best parts of Dartmouth is the strength of its study abroad program, the Guarini Institute. This December I took part in the first ever "Guarini Study Away" program to Vietnam. These "study aways" are three-week programs that count as one course and take place after Thanksgiving. Currently, there are two offerings: the Asian Societies, Cultures, and Language Department's "Developing Vietnam" in Ho Chi Minh City, and the German and Jewish Studies' "Migration and Memory" in Berlin.

I struggled with the idea of studying abroad, as I grew up in Singapore. I also wanted to maximize my time on Dartmouth's campus given the time that was lost during COVID. Given I didn't qualify for any of the language programs (Chinese programs were cancelled till 2023 because of COVID restrictions), my main option would have been either the Government or History Department's Fall exchange program in London. In retrospect, I wish I had the time to do a full-fledged study abroad, but given how these four years played out, going abroad for a whole semester didn't make a lot of sense for me or my studies.

I first heard about the Vietnam study abroad from my History 26 "The Vietnam War" Professor Ed Miller, who is now my thesis advisor. Professor Miller had developed the program in conjunction with Fulbright University – Vietnam's first liberal arts university – before COVID but had to postpone it until tourism restrictions were relaxed enough for the program to take place. "Developing Vietnam" is a two-part program that begins with a course during the fall. Both the preparation course in the fall and the study abroad count as individual course credits, which propelled me towards my Asian Societies minor. During the Fall portion of the course, we read literature about various types of development and how they can be seen playing out in Vietnam today. We were also paired up in groups with Fullbright students and spent the term zooming with them to determine what kind of project we were going to put together on development once we arrived in Vietnam. My group "the History Chicks" decided that we wanted to use our backgrounds in history and government to explore the impact of certain economic reforms on the growth of Vietnam's Economy during the "Doi Moi" period. Once we got to Fulbright University, we were able to conduct on the ground interviews, access archives, gain video footage, and collaborate with our peers in person. Professor Miller, who led our trip, is a world-renowned historian on the Vietnam War, and his numerous contacts in Ho Chi Minh city allowed us to truly dig into each of our topics.

Girls on a roof top

Outside of academics, over the course of the three weeks in Vietnam, we visited a Mangrove reserve, traveled throughout the Mekong Delta, and explored Ho Chi Minh City itself. From trying various types of pho and banh mi to shopping at the Night Market to visiting the Presidential Palace, we were able to do and see so much during our short time there. It truly felt like a full study abroad experience. One of my favorite experiences in Vietnam was visiting a former Viet Cong camp in the mangroves just outside of Ho Chi Minh city. There were hundreds of monkeys, and, weirdly enough, the Viet Cong camp now doubles as a crocodile reserve. Another highlight was exploring the night life of Ho Chi Minh City, especially the wide array of rooftop restaurants from which we could watch the sun set over the city's vast skyline. 

Girl Exploring HCMC

My unbelievable "mini" study abroad experience in Vietnam is just one example of how Dartmouth's opportunities to learn off campus are unparalleled. If you are interested in the vast number of opportunities – both long and short – to study abroad, I highly recommend you visit the Guarini website. No matter what your academic interest is, there is something for you. 

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