Vietnam 2016
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest commercial city. Considering Japan-Vietnam relations through its history, culture, and interactions with local students.
Period: Saturday, April 2nd, 2016 to Wednesday, April 6th, 2016
schedule
| 1日目 | Departing from Narita Airport to Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|
| 2日目 | Visit to Cu Chi Tunnels and Reunification Palace Dong Khoi Street fieldwork Lecture by a local journalist |
| 3日目 | Visit to the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City Walking along the Mekong River and My Tho |
| 4日目 | JICA overseas business site visit Student exchange event at Vietnam National Foreign Trade University From Ho Chi Minh City Airport to Haneda Airport |
| 5日目 | Return to Haneda Airport |
Learning about Vietnamese history: Reunification Palace and Cu Chi Tunnels
The Vietnam War had a major impact on the international community. We visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, remnants of that fierce fighting, and the Reunification Palace, the site where the war ended. At the Cu Chi Tunnels, we gained a deeper understanding of the historical background from guided explanations and archival footage from the time, and then walked through the tunnels to contemplate the situation at the time. Global talent requires the ability to accept different values. By gaining knowledge about the history and culture of other countries behind this, we learned the importance of thinking from the other person's perspective and empathizing.
Experience everyday life in Vietnam - Dong Khoi Street
Dong Khoi Street has long been known as Ho Chi Minh City's busiest shopping district, lined with restaurants, cafes, and general stores. It's the perfect spot to learn about Vietnamese food culture and everyday life. At the supermarket, we enjoyed shopping for local ingredients. Meanwhile, inside the store, we saw people struggling to communicate with staff who spoke different languages. I realized the importance of proactively communicating with others based on a desire to communicate, rather than focusing on correct pronunciation or grammar.
Learning about Japan-Vietnam relations: Visiting the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City and JICA overseas project sites
We visited the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City to learn about the role of diplomatic missions overseas and the relationship between Japan and Vietnam. We spoke with the Vice-Consul about the Consulate-General's work, which includes protecting Japanese nationals overseas, gathering political, economic and other information, and public relations and cultural activities, as well as his experiences working overseas.
They also learned about the importance of international cooperation from Head of the JICA Ho Chi Minh City Office, which provides international cooperation to developing countries, and then visited the site of an urban railway construction project supported by JICA.
Exchange event with local students - Vietnam National Foreign Trade University
To put intercultural communication into practice, the participants visited Vietnam National Foreign Trade University. They introduced themselves and asked questions about Vietnam that each group had compiled during their pre-learning. The three hours flew by as they engaged in lively exchanges. While the language used was mainly English, they also used gestures and notes to gain a firsthand feel for how to communicate their intentions, not just through words, and this increased their motivation to learn English, the world's common language.
Before participating in the overseas freshman camp, I thought it would be difficult to communicate with people from other countries if I didn't speak the same language. However, when interacting with Vietnamese students, there were many situations where I was able to communicate if I added gestures even if I didn't use correct grammar or the right words, and I realized that it's important to try to speak even if you can't speak well, rather than remaining silent because you can't speak.
Kazuma Akane (graduated from Tsuchiura Third High School)
"I was really surprised"
Before they departed, the mission given to the students for their Vietnam training was, "See with your eyes, hear with your ears, and be amazed with your mind and heart! Report your amazement in the form of a report." The internet is home to stunning photos of the local area, as well as some cleverly written content. While it's possible to search and piece together information to complete a report, doing so would result in a life of copy-and-paste. Being amazed by what they saw and heard there, and then expressing it in their own words, may have been a high hurdle for new students, but I was moved by the fact that all 76 students reported on their own unique surprises.
Professor Tsuneo Suzuki