Week 9 - Carl Lorenzo

In the article, National Policies on Skilled Labor and the Cross-border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam, readers are taught the economic partnership Vietnam has with its students seeking higher education. Because Vietnam’s tertiary level education has limited seats with substandard education in comparison internationally many students study abroad. These students are mostly self-funded and many stay overseas and find work. Vietnam has taken no action to tackle the brain drain taking a “laissez faire” position.  Because of this Vietnam is focusing on a ways to stop the brain drain and bring overseas students home to work domestically. Vietnam is encouraging private support for studying abroad and a strict policy on working abroad to return home after 3 years. Even if students decide to stay overseas for the duration of their education they pay taxes back to Vietnam. The Vietnamese economy can depend on an economy of students studying abroad to maximize profit until they provide a better education system.

How are most these students self-funded?

Cate Gribble. “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross­border Student Market, with a  Focus on Vietnam.”

Week 9: Leslie Do

Leslie Do
ASA 189F, Dr. Valverde
27th February 2016

Transnational Solutions to Viet Nam's Brain Drain

Internet and multinational telecommunications in the Global Age can act as catalysts to overcome Viet Nam's current brain drain, because Vietnamese post-graduates who decided to remain in their host country can use the internet to create transnational, third spaces of developing Viet Nam's economy; these transnational spaces (such as online businesses) evolves the national aesthetics partnership of Viet Nam's people, government, and industry. To provide background and context to Viet Nam's brain drain issue, Gribble (2011) states that Viet Nam is experiencing a higher education crisis both on the macro-level and the international-level, because over a million, highly educated K-12 Vietnamese students are competing for only 300,000 seats in Viet Nam's universities; therefore, most Vietnamese students (who can't secure a seat) must pursue their bachelor's degree abroad (Gribble, 292, 2011.) Yet, even policies that allow Vietnamese students to pursue higher education overseas leads to consecutive issues; for instance, Viet Nam's government funds Vietnamese international students' higher education in their host countries with the expectation that they will return to Viet Nam to develop the nation's economy by applying their overseas training to resolve their home country's economic development issues, to rectify Viet Nam's national aesthetic, and to bolster Viet Nam's diplomatic relationships with their host countries. Unfortunately, contradicting this prediction and expectation, the fact that Vietnamese international students' to become naturalized citizens in their host countries results in growing trends of Viet Nam's brain drain (Gribble, 291--295, 2011.)

However, in the age of exchanging and circulating cutting-edge information and research through global telecomunications between nations, Viet Nam can tackling the brain drain and achieve a consistent, steady, and progressing development of its national aesthetic through utilizing the transnational relationships of Vietnamese international students in their host countries. Viet Nam can also overcome its brain drain problem by discarding the assumption that overseas students have to return to Viet Nam after obtaining their foreign degree in order for Viet Nam's economic development to prosper and progress. For instance, as Dr. Valverde stated during her last lecture, Vietnamese overseas students and post-graduates don't have to be physically present in Viet Nam (at all times) to advance the nation's economic development; overseas Vietnamese post-doctorates can now contribute to Viet Nam's economy by staying in their host country and developing Viet Nam's economic projects through the internet (ie: conducting video-chat meetings with top Vietnamese governmental officials.) Moreover,  Vietnamese post-doctorates and post-graduates can use profits from from their online multinational, foreign businesses to fund Viet Nam's economic development projects; creating a new national image partnership between people (Vietnamese international students in their host country,) government, and industries, this type of funding can be seen as remittances to the Vietnamese government and industries.

Therefore, considering Viet Nam Pham Quang Vinh's visit to UC Davis last quarter and the current development of the Center for New Viet Nam Studies, how will the center develop other creative, alternative solutions that overcome Viet Nam's project during through its symposium next year? How will Ambassador Vinh's potential role for the center also contribute to the creation of these solutions (Tran, 2015; Tran, 2015.)

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh at UC Davis 10.20.15
Video Credit: Professor Hamamoto

Bibliography 

Gribble, Cate. "National policies on skilled labour and the cross-border student market, with a focus on Vietnam." Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific. Springer Netherlands, 2011. 291-307.

Tran, Viet. "Vietnam Ambassador Visits UC Davis." The Aggie. ASUCD, 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Tran, Viet. "UC Davis Expects to Launch Center for New Viet Nam Studies by 2018." The Aggie. ASUCD, 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Pedro Navarro- Week 9

During the last week, we discussed some of the challenges that Viet Nam is currently facing, which are stopping Viet Nam from growing at a faster pace. Currently, according to Gribble, there is many self-funded Vietnamese students studying overseas, most of which choose to remain in the host country upon graduation rather than returning home. Gribble explains that although there isn’t any available data on return rates of students, sources in Viet Nam indicate that very few students are returning after completion of their degrees. Because of this, Viet Nam is losing potential economically successful stories. In other words, these students are basically brain drainage. According to Gribble, the government had done very little to encourage students to return home, but it has considered adopting controls as of late. In a way, a culture of education is inexistent because these students are refusing to return. I think the only way to stop students from not returning is for them to not leave in the first place. But, this can only happen if Viet Nam’s higher education system increases to be up to par with the demand of a modern economy. Viet Nam can reach a maximum national aesthetic if it creates a competent higher education system, one that attracts people to stay. Is it possible for Viet Nam to compete with the U.S. higher educational system though? I hope so, because I believe the students are a huge factor for the development of a new Viet Nam.

Cate Gribble. “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross­border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam.” Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific. Higher Education Dynamics.  36.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Vietnam

Tosha Hanford-Week 9

From the research and readings that have been done regarding nation branding or national aesthetics, it is not surprising to observe that countries are essentially very large businesses, corporations, if you will. A country that has been doing a very good job of creating a very organized focus on its nation brand, one that is very opening associated to a corporate identity, is Switzerland.
The organization working to create Switzerland's unique nation brand is called Presence Switzerland. It works to create a consistent and a visual basis-a corporate identity-for Switzerland (Corporate Identity, nd). Presence Switzerland is also responsible for coordinating different private and public agencies and works with both federal and third party organizations. One organization called Swissnex is responsible for the development and promotion of science and technology, higher education and training, and research and innovation ( Fetscherin 2010 ). The development of education and training are crucial for any economy to improve and develop beyond the typically more simple "production processes and products"  and for those those in its society to adapt smoothly to changing economies and technologies (Fetscherin 2010).
Swissnex has several worldwide posts, including San Francisco and Boston.
The Boston slogan, "connecting the dots," kind of gives a base for its seven mission objectives:



1) To strengthen Switzerland’s reputation as a center for science, technology and innovation.

(2) To set up and maintain a dense network of contacts with universities, research institutions, companies and other organizations in the host regions and in Switzerland, as well as to support Swiss scientists in the host regions.

(3) To structure, strengthen and promote the interests of Switzerland and the presence of Swiss research, technology and know-how in the host regions.

(4) To support the internationalization efforts of Swiss institutions in the host regions.

(5) To coordinate the network of partner institutions and researchers to develop a tradition of scientific and technological knowledge exchange.

(6) To strengthen brand-building and public relations in the host regions, as well as media coverage in Switzerland.

(7) To help structure, implement and extend bilateral research cooperation programs where such programs exist.

In regards to the Gribble article on Vietnam national policies regarding citizens getting their education overseas or domestically,  some of Switzerland's and Vietnams logical processes of benefits are rather similar. For example, those pertaining to knowledge and technology transfer. The article covered Viet Nam giving students an an alternative, such as expanding the domestic secondary education. Other ideas were to offer incentives and repatriation schemes as an encouragement to return home, and to encourage economic growth to lead to attractive employment for those returning also developing a strong research and development environment. And if these do not crate more positive linkages, then the acceptance that some will not return but can contribute...establish and maintain links to diaspora to engage with current and former students. They can remit savings, and act as a bridge for foreign investment and transfer of knowledge.
 Ultimately, I wonder if developing a program more similar to Switzerlands' would create a better alternative for Viet Nam.



Fetscherin, Marc, and Pascal Marmier. "Switzerland's Nation Branding Initiative to Foster Science and Technology, Higher Education and Innovation: A Case Study." Switzerland's Nation Branding Initiative to Foster Science and Technology, Higher Education and Innovation: A Case Study. N.p., 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.

Corporate Identity Manual. Rep. N.p.: Presence Switzerland, n.d. Print.

Week 9 - Viet Nam - Andrew Tom

Viet Nam is a nation under multiple transitions.  For those that can afford to, Vietnamese from Viet Nam are encouraged to pursue the best educational options available, which often take them abroad.  What results from this "brain drain" is a myriad of talent that never returns to contribute to Viet Nam's development.  To sustain this, actively attracting lost talent through appealing R&D options and communicating a happy, healthy, and fulfilling living and working environment are keys to progressing the development of a national aesthetic.  Attracting, cultivating, and retaining the highly skilled is self perpetuating, and often the result of a modernized workforce in Viet Nam will continue attracting talent well into the future (IAC 2004).  To a certain extent, there are calls on the government to promote transparency in their economic metrics, in addition to providing incentives for the talented to return.  Disorganized implementation, government corruption, and suboptimal living conditions all factor into whether or not the Viet Nam of the future can sustain a modern workforce.

Viet Nam isn't often portrayed as the most developed of places, but their cities resemble that of the developed world.  Misconceptions across the Vietnamese diaspora about living and working conditions in Viet Nam result in preferences to stay abroad as opposed to returning to the homeland.
References
Gribble, Cate. "National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross-Border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam." Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific: Strategic Responses to Globalization. Eds. Marginson, Simon, Sarjit Kaur and Erlenawati Sawir. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2011. 291-307. Print.

IAC. (2004). Realizing the promise and potential of African agriculture. InterAcademy Council. http://www.interacademycouncil.net. Accessed 20 Aug 2008.

Mai Vang- Week 9

From the article, “National Policies on Skilled Labor and the Cross-border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam”,  we are introduced to the relationship between Vietnam and the Vietnamese students studying abroad. Students who goes abroad are either scholarship funded or self-funded. As the majority of the students are self-funded, they often return home to find good jobs. Vietnam has taken important measures to make the process of studying abroad easier because a better education will lead to success. Vietnam wants to focus on improving their economic success and so, they find and open job opportunities to motivate the students return. However, there are students who choose to stay. Vietnam does not take this into serious concern because they still benefit from this situation. Those who choose to stay contribute to the economic growth by sending money back to their family in the homeland. In 2008, "overseas remittance was $7.2 million, or 8% of Vietnams GDP." Throughout this article, we see that Vietnam put a lot of their hopes on their students. Students are the leading factor that will develop a better Vietnam.

Question: Is English taught to the students as a second language?

Cate Gribble. “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross­border Student Market, with a  Focus on Vietnam.”

Week 9: Vietnam III (Julian Merino)

Like we had previously discussed during our week on Denmark, describing a potential narrative and maintaining a function with a particular object, both assist in national aesthetic. As we further delve into Vietnam this week, I utilized the same perspective from our Denmark readings to the ao dai. The ao dai is a two piece ensemble where long loose-fitting pants is paired with a tunic styled gown with slits from the waist down on both sides. In Robin Treen and Kieu Linh Caroline Valverde’s catalog, “Ao Dai: A Modern Design Coming of Age,” Treen and Professor Valverde dissect the ao dai’s progression from pre-war Vietnam to today. Although the traditional ao dai dates back five hundred years, the modern edition has played with new colors, neckline variations, and fabric changes from the last fifty years. The ao dai has also been a symbol of historic progression of the Vietnamese people once being worn on special occasions like weddings to everyday wear. This garment is an amalgamation of Vietnamese history surviving wars and spreading amongst the diasporas to survive on the body. What is interesting about this is how the Vietnamese still keep traditional wear but is fine with making alterations. In thinking about our anthology project for the Philippines, traditional and modern wear never have been mixed. Could this be a potential strategy for the Philippines in garnering more national aesthetic?

Works Cited:

Valverde, Kieu Linh Caroline, and Treen, Robin. Áo Dài: A Modern Design Coming of Age. San José, CA: San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, 2006. Print.

Kurt Romero: Week 9 Blog

For a country to become economically successful, they need to seek and invest into higher education. By having higher education, it becomes much easier for people to find jobs and create new opportunities for the country to benefit and grow economically. From the article, “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross-border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam”, the author, Cate Gribble, explains that funded Vietnamese students pursue an education overseas and “no overseas students will be allowed to work in the host country for more than 3 years after graduating”. The Vietnamese students tends to stay in the overseas country and not return back home. I find this to be somewhat surprising, but from what we talked about in lecture, it makes sense in that Vietnam is still redeveloping itself after the Vietnam War. The country is still under construction and that the students are able to find jobs easier overseas. The idea of remittances is also applied where the Vietnamese students have a great job overseas and can still give back and support their families back home. However, these Vietnamese students are important people because they can also bring back what they know to their home country and help reinvent itself and become economically successful.

Question: What does Vietnam have to do to create a higher education system within their own country?

Work Cited

Cate Gribble. “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross­border Student Market, with a  Focus on Vietnam.”

Image Link: http://img.cdn2.vietnamnet.vn/Images/english/2012/01/11/10/20120111104306_edu3012.jpg

Week 9 - William Chan - Overseas education

The Vietnamese people who are going to pursue higher education in other countries have seen to be able to to fuel Viet Nam's economy. The increase in students coming from Viet Nam to other countries to be able to learn more in high education is rising and most students are either receiving funding from grants and scholarships or they have private means to afford schooling. The article, “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross­border Student Market, with a  Focus on Vietnam”, by Cate Gribble spoke on the fact Viet Nam doesn't have the same courses or same "quality of education" that going to America or Australia might have. This was one of my critiques and reactions to this article; that there should be funding in investing into more classes or professors to teach in Viet Nam. My other initial reaction to this article was how most people who have the means to leave Viet Nam to pursue higher education are most of the time well off because they might have the financial stability to make it out of Viet Nam to learn somewhere else. This leaves behind a large majority of people who either cant afford schooling or people who don't receive the scholarships and grants. 

What also caught my attention is that most people will leave and not return home. This is problematic because it leaves everyone behind who couldn't afford or have the time to go pursue higher education outside of Viet Nam and leaves a gap, educationally, between the people who can learn "better" education and the people who have to learn in Viet Nam. What can be helpful is that the people who leave Viet Nam can either come back to do community work in Viet Nam or create transnational networks to help Viet Nam from another country. 

Question: 

Why isn't there funding for better higher education in Viet Nam?

Works cited: 

Cate Gribble. “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross­border Student Market, with a  Focus on Vietnam.” 

http://www.fedupusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Higher-Education.jpg

Kevin Lee- Week 9 Blog Post

            As we continue to talk about Vietnam and its national aesthetic, we learn that the ao dai plays a huge role in Vietnam’s national aesthetic. The aoi dai is a Vietnamese traditional wear that portrays the culture of Vietnam. In Robin Treen and Kieu Linh Caroline Valverde’s aoi dai catalog, “Ao Dai: A Modern Design Coming of Age,” Treen and Professor Valverde talk about the history of the ao dai and how it was revived and became well-known in the world market. Vietnam has benefited from the ao dai because many modern designers have taken the design of the ao dai and remade the traditional clothing into an aesthetic object that is sold around the world. The ao dai has also made an appearance globally in fashion shows, as well as the Paris runway. Vietnam was able to expand its textile industry and fashion industry due to the increase of popularity and demand of the ao dai. Nowadays, the ao dai is worn in all occasions: some schools use ao dai as their school uniform. The catalog mentions that the ao dai is the essence of Vietnamese culture, and much like Vietnam itself, a fusion of cultures. Even though designers remade the ao dai to fit theirs and the consumers’ tastes, the truth that the ao dai shows and retains the tradition, culture, femininity, and national identity of Vietnam still remains. The ao dai is the embodiment of the past, present, and future Vietnam.

Question: Since the ao dai, like Vietnam, is a fusion of cultures, has there been any conflict with other countries about the design of the modern day ao dai?

Do modern designers try to incorporate the traditional values of the ao dai into their design, or do they completely ignore the values when they remake it?

Work Cited:

Valverde, Kieu Linh Caroline, and Treen, Robin. Áo Dài: A Modern Design Coming of Age. San José, CA: San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, 2006. Print.

http://www.ticvietnam.vn/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/aodai1.jpg

Week 9 - Chloe Shiau

The Ao Dai Catalog focuses on the meaning of wearing Vietnamese traditional clothing and how it plays a major role in their culture. The generations of wearing this clothing shows how Vietnam has reinvented itself over time. The catalogue explains that wearing this clothing has brought the country back into the international community. Robin Treen, the Chief Curator, explains how she watched the Vietnam War from America, so she didn't know how Vietnam still looks. She imagined how the country would look like years after she had left, but the most intriguing part of the Vietnamese culture was their ao dai. Because of its intricate details and its aesthetics, this piece of clothing had also made its way globally into other countries like Paris' runway. How Vietnam rebranded itself with the ao dai is how they started incorporating other forms of design from different countries such as Iran and India. Vietnam also expanded on their textile industry as well as the fashion industry, which allowed them to grow economically. Even though their ao dai fashion is expanded and imitated globally, the catalogue states that this Vietnamese traditional clothing has kept its value and uniqueness.

Question: While using other countries' influence of fashion/culture to further develop their ao dai, have there been conflicts with the other countries that they receive influence on?




Works Cited:

Valverde, Kieu Linh Caroline, and Treen, Robin. Áo Dài: A Modern Design Coming of Age. San José, CA: San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, 2006. Print.