Program Reviews

Student Exchange Vietnam has been a wonderful organization to be both a customer of and a member of the team. One of the best services in my opinion about Student Exchange Vietnam is their local buddies who were very friendly and genuinely wanted to help. In addition, throughout my study abroad program, there were activities planned to keep us excited the whole time. Most surprisingly, the trip to the Mekong Delta region really inspired me to go out and venture further out from Ho Chi Minh City more to discover more of the natural beauty Vietnam has to offer. By the end of my 5-week program, I along with all my colleagues had many emotions leaving Vietnam and the wonderful people we had met here, including the team from SE Vietnam.

What's most interesting about such a long trip is that you are motivated to learn more about yourself, whether you admit it or not. Living in a new culture totally different from what you are accustomed to makes you think deeply about yourself and the whole world. Personally, my favorite part was to make friends with new people and get to know themselves and their fantastic future plans.

The program integrated a lot of activities, but still spared time for me to enjoy freedom. Honestly, that was among the best study journeys in my life.

At the hotel where I did my internship, I could learn a lot of things. For example, I learnt how to communicate politely with customers, how to make them satisfied and how to manage the hotel. Everyone from the supervisor to my co-workers was helpful and accommodating, I was included in all the daily meetings and the supervisor was very open to share her knowledge about hotel management which was really helpful to my future work. I really had a good experience in Vietnam. I appreciate the people I’ve met and the experience I’ve had. This is going to be very useful in the future.

I am satisfied with the overall Internship Service provided by Student Exchange Vietnam before I came to Vietnam, the internship placement and the visa application, the host family placement even exceeded my expectations. My host mother and father were all very friendly and kind and they made me truly feel at home. My local buddy Linh, even though she lived 2 hours away, still made efforts to take me on day-trips that is beneficial to my interest in Vietnamese Cuisine.

I love and appreciate all the local buddies and the program coordinators; I am extremely moved and thankful for their dedication to the program. My greatest learning experience abroad was learning from the local buddies and my peers. I don’t think I can put everything I have learned into words simply because there are no words to describe how much I have learned. I can honestly say that I have learned so much in these past weeks more than I have at UCSD. I won’t ever forget the first day I arrived here; it was beautiful right away I felt welcomed. At the second I arrived I was amazed by the traffic, at how everything moved so perfectly and everything is so structured, everything just comes together so perfectly.

This program is great with experiential learning; we were able to listen to great stories and narratives for the topic at hand plus experience life in Vietnam with thorough guidance and assistance. The local buddies were always able to share more or their own information, they put in so much work to organize the activities.
My greatest learning experience was to realize the meaning of life outside of the states, that the world is much bigger than the U.S.

The greatest challenge for me during the program was overcoming difference in opinions of the program participants but I appreciate the program coordinator and local buddies’s effort to listen and be open-minded when our discussions got deep. The local buddies and program coordinator were honestly the best part of the program. Not only were they helpful and informative, they were also welcoming and caring. I really appreciate their effort to listen and accommodate our needs, showing us everything they could around the city, taking us to food places and always available whenever problems arise. I encourage you to do your best to get to know them all because they really make the experience, I truly think that a friend abroad of 5 weeks can be just as important and impactful as a friend I’ve known my whole life.

To describe how the Study Abroad trip in Vietnam taught me, your acquaintances became your best friends, including your lecturer. You experience actually living in a country and exposed to it culture, not just there on a holiday. Besides, the several industry visits give you a new perspective into your everyday products, after knowing the design and manufacturing process. It was an overall great learning experience both academically and culturally to have been able to live and study in Vietnam for 3 weeks

There were a wide variety of personalities and students but the Program Coordinator did an amazing job of relating to each and every person. The program and local buddies were very open-minded and provided me with an authentic and enjoyable medium to interact with the local culture. They made the transition to Vietnam easy. All there cultural activities were diverse and fun; the Vietnamese Cooking day was another highlight because it gave us the experience of buying groceries at a local market and making food that we could call our own. The Community Day was by far the best experience because it allowed us to serve a population that is so often overlooked.

The local buddies and program coordinators did an outstanding job and made us feel very safe and welcome in every aspect; they went beyond their required responsibilities to make the study and travelling period in Vietnam memorable and fun experience. This trip is a unique experience to make new friends, experience different cultures and broaden one’s perspective. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The greatest challenge for me during the program was overcoming difference in opinions of the program participants but I appreciate the program coordinator and local buddies’s effort to listen and be open-minded when our discussions got deep. The local buddies and program coordinator were honestly the best part of the program. Not only were they helpful and informative, they were also welcoming and caring. I really appreciate their effort to listen and accommodate our needs, showing us everything they could around the city, taking us to food places and always available whenever problems arise. I encourage you to do your best to get to know them all because they really make the experience, I truly think that a friend abroad of 5 weeks can be just as important and impactful as a friend I’ve known my whole life.