Vietnam

Country Lead Faculty: Vi Ho, PhD

The 2019 Vietnam Cultural Immersion Study Abroad took place May 13-27. A group of 38 members including students, faculty and alumni visited Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long Bay, Ha Noi, Dong Hoi, and Tien Giang.

During the 2nd International Nursing conference on May 16-17, 2019, undergraduate and PhD students and faculty presented eight PICO posters, podium presentations and workshops with a variety of topics from ER triage, sepsis and patient safety to health and diseases education and prevention, maternal child health, IV therapy and wound care, nursing social work communication effectiveness, and research. Over 700 nurses and other disciplines from all over Vietnam attended the conference with a number of presentations also given by our Vietnamese colleagues.

TWU Education Abroad participants visited several Vietnamese universities and hospitals engaging in cultural exchange, clinical experiences, and capacity building. Bach Mai Hospital was also part of the trip itinerary. This is the first hospital in Ha Noi that has been included in one of the Vietnamese Education Abroad courses. Two workshops were presented.

On May 12, 2017, Drs. Ho and Edwards along with 13 undergrad and PhD students traveled to Vietnam. For this 11-day trip, the group visited several hospitals such as Cho Ray, Binh Duong, Vinmec, and Blood and Transfusion hospitals. They observed a variety of approaches to nursing and health care in different settings. They also visited Pham Ngoc Thach University and Binh Duong Medical College with great student interactions. Prior to departure from the US, student travelers raised money for scholarships that were distributed to 12 Vietnamese nursing students with financial need at the two nursing programs.

The trip concluded with the conference, Global Nursing-Opportunity and Challenges, hosted by University Hospital of Pharmacy and Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City. This conference attracted more than 450 attendees, including nurses and medical professionals representing other health care disciplines from all over Vietnam, from Ha Noi to Can Tho. The faculty along with three graduate students were speakers at this conference, and PICO posters were presented by the undergrad students.

A variety of cultural and historic areas were visited, such as Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the Ancient post office, Thanh That Cao Dai, the Buddhist Temple on Black Lady Mountain, Saigon River, Phu Quoc Island, and Ben Thanh day and night markets. Different types of Vietnamese food were eaten with dishes from the northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam. Restaurants varied from high-end historic restaurants to crowded sidewalk eateries.

Participants learned, absorbed and mixed in with the Vietnamese culture and way of life.

Background

The global cultural nursing relationship with Vietnam was conceived in the year of 2007 when a group of Vietnamese American nurses got together to discuss nursing care and the cultural differences between Vietnam and the United States. In 2008, a group of Texas Woman’s University faculty visited some of the universities and hospitals in Vietnam. The first group for an Education Abroad course traveled to Vietnam in 2012. Participants consisted of 35 travelers, including three faculty and 32 students from all education levels: bachelor's, master's, and PhD. We visited hospitals, both private and public, and universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Hue, along with some of the cultural sites in Vietnam. Ideas were exchanged. Curricula were discussed and developed. Goals for long term relationships were discussed and continue to be developed even now.

Feedback from nursing students regarding the experience in 2012 was very positive. Subsequently, additional education abroad courses to Vietnam were implemented for 2013, 2015, 2017 and May 2019. Student comments have included:

• "This is the opportunity of a lifetime!"
• "Wow! I had never known this experience could change my way of thinking about nursing," and
• "This trip has enriched my professional life and personal life!"

Page last updated 4:42 PM, September 9, 2019