Week 9 - Naomi Almanzor

Question: Sometimes in branding, there is a coverup to promote untruths. What are these lies or untruths in the Viet Nam case and how is it applied to your own research project?

The expansion in transnational educational provisions through partnerships and establishments of foreign-based institutions provided Viet Nam the opportunity to increase its international connections through its students (Gribble). This also gave domestic students access to foreign-based education closer to home, which, in the long term, may result in a higher likelihood that these students will stay and work in Viet Nam with their qualified status. This, along with giving more rights to Viet Kieu and creating policies such as Resolution 36 that allow for good conditions for overseas Vietnamese to return also assisted in creating an image of a more connected and modern Viet Nam as well, boosting the credibility of its workers, and, as a result, its industries and status in the global economy (Gribble). As also mentioned in the Gribble article, more efforts in engaging the student diaspora may be beneficial to improve on. Having an actual, government-established ministry (like in India) that is solely dedicated to taking care of overseas Vietnamese students, assisting Vietabroader or even starting other clubs like VGAC for different countries that overseas Vietnamese may be residing in may be helpful for this issue.

In the Viet Nam case, the US government covering up its involvement in Agent Orange in an attempt to avoid admitting to war crimes and paying for subsequent lawsuits to preserve its image  can be seen through the lack of compensation-financial, medical, or otherwise- for the many victims in Viet Nam. They have suffered the same kind (if not a higher degree) of effects as US veterans, who had received at least some compensation through the Agent Orange Act over a decade after the war (“Agent Orange - Vietnam War”). Even with the introduction of H.R. 334 to provide assistance to these victims, the fact that it had taken until this year for this bill to simply be introduced is evidence of this severe lack in assistance from the US (Lee). In Viet Nam itself, the perception of “white lies” to be more beneficial than harsh truths involving certain business practices may be another case of covering up (Rowan). In regards to our project, covering up any progress made by current or past programs to aid in preventing student sexual assault, and, in turn, over exaggerating a fake image of need for an app like Femme Fam in order to gain support for it is a potential untruth that may be promoted.

My Question: In what ways have nations avoided or been forced to end efforts in covering up their issues?

Sources:

Image: http://portal.vietabroader.org/va-happens-ban-tin-vietabroader-july-2016/

“Agent Orange - Vietnam War.” HISTORY.Com, http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/agent-orange. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.

Gribble C. (2011) National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross-border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam. In: Marginson S., Kaur S., Sawir E. (eds) Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 36. Springer, Dordrecht

Lee, Barbara. H.R.334 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2017. 3 Feb. 2017, https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/334.

Rowan, Andrew. "Startup Vietnam." Expectations, Social Context, and Miscommunication. n.d.