CET Vietnam

Until my study abroad term, I was very involved in a student organisation and starting to get more involved in a Biology lab at my college. I felt guilty for leaving these important people behind for a whole semester, and I was worried about how I would fit back in. I was also concerned about not receiving credit for a semester because I was studying abroad on a leave of absence from my college. But in the end, I have no regrets.

My friends back in college are curious to know about my experience in Vietnam since nobody has recently been on this program. I've gotten more attention from peers, professors, and employers because of my stories from Vietnam. And although my senior year will be tough, the memories and people I met through CET Vietnam are irreplaceable to me and they have helped me understand that I do want to have a career in public health in the future. I genuinely hope to return to Saigon so I can reunite with my roommate and to see other places in Vietnam that I did not get to explore while I was there.

Studying abroad in Vietnam for two and a half months was an inspirational experience for me. Being away from my family and friends, I had to step up to the game and learn to become independent and responsible. This trip opened my eyes and expanded my horizon. I got the chance to be a part of a different culture, to learn new customs, and to experience life from the perspective of a third world country.

When I began researching study abroad options, I knew I wanted a program in a unique location, opportunities to actually connect with the culture and not just be in an American bubble, and hands-on learning among other things. This program absolutely fulfilled that. Living in Saigon is never dull and there are so many things to do. There is something going on at all times which sometimes made it hard to remember that it was necessary to sleep. It is hot. Like really, really hot. But you do get used to it and I wouldn't let that deter you. The pollution is also pretty bad but you will learn from it.

My favorite part of the program was hands down having a Vietnamese roommate. During my semester, there were 7 American students who were each paired up with a Vietnamese student. The students are all fluent in English, very excited to be friends with you, and eager to bring you to all the best places in the city. My roommate and I loved hanging out at one of the many many cafes in the city, hitting up rooftop bars, riding around on her motorbike, going to art museums, doing homework together…We all became such a close knit group of friends through our crazy adventures and I still talk to my Vietnamese friends all the time through Facebook. We traveled together and even visited the homes of some of the roommates. Showing up at one of our roommate's homes in the middle of the night after taking a long bus ride up to central Vietnam and discovering that her house was a Czech Republic brewery was one of my best memories. I also wound up at Vietnam's first ever Burning Man music festival with some of our roommates and their guitar club... The roommate component of the program really sets you up to have some incredible opportunities.

Food. Oh yummm. So tasty. And so cheap. Like $1 for an entire meal. As a vegetarian, the food scene was sometimes challenging but you can definitely make it work. Street food is a huge part of Vietnamese culture and you will never run out of new things to try. Since there is no kitchen, you will eat out for almost all of your meals-breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are so many options but it can get tiring after a while. There’s a mini fridge in the room you can use for snacks though and there is a 24 hour convenience store right around the corner.

Classes were challenging but not overwhelming. The curriculum is very relevant and you will find yourself making solid connections between what you're talking about in the classroom and what you're seeing on the streets. There is a reasonable amount of reading and assignments and the professor allows you a lot of freedom to focus on what you're most interested in. For example, you could do a photo essay instead of a written essay if you wanted. You also get to go on a lot of fieldtrips and even week long travelling seminars. Instead of sitting in a classroom talking about foreign investment, we would take a bus to a megamall and walk around learning about Japan's role in Vietnam's emerging economy.

The internship component had a lot of promise but unfortunately didn't turn out to be the best for me. My organization had some management issues but other students had great internships. The program staff were very receptive to feedback about our internships and they are always working to improve these.

You will also definitely be able to travel during the semester during breaks and weekends. Some students' parents came to travel with them and others just traveled in small groups. It's easy to travel for cheap here. Think $5/night for a hostel. So nice.

I would absolutely recommend this program to someone looking for an immersive, challenging, exciting abroad experience but you should definitely understand that you will be living, learning, and travelling with a small group which may not be a good fit for someone would prefer a large university environment. I loved this program and had a great time.

One of the best aspects of the cet Vietnam program is the service learning. While I was working for vinacapital foundation, I helped plan a giant 5k fundraiser. I got all the other cet students and Vietnamese roommates to join. And we participated in an event with over 5000 other people! My picture ended up in multiple Vietnamese newspaper, making me feel like quite the celebrity; one was captioned in Vietnamese s"even foriegners enjoy the race" :)

CET did a great job taking care of us and making sure that we had the right connections/internships and learning experience. However, I found the program too short for all the complex discussion topics that we went into. Each week we would learn about a different public health/development issue and I felt like we only had the time to scrape the surface of these problems. However, besides that, Vietnam is an amazing country-so full of culture and beauty!

I was born in Vietnam but I moved to the United States when I was ten. When I studied abroad in Vietnam this summer, it was an amazing journey back to my childhood. In a sense, this program gave me an opportunity to travel back to my homeland while giving me a good reason to return. My favorite memory was riding bicycles in the countryside when we traveled down to the Mekong Delta area. It was exhilarating because I have never ridden a bike on such small roads but also nostalgic because the scenery was so close to home.

This was a life-changing experience for me, as I was able to learn more about my roots as a Vietnamese-American. I enjoyed the courses, especially dealing with public health since it was directly applicable to things I saw in everyday life in Vietnam. My internship with Breast Cancer Network Vietnam also helped me develop my communication and organizational skills and opened my eyes to some of the cultural challenges patients faced. The roommates were hands-down the BEST part of this program. They knew all the good, non-touristy places to eat. Outside of that, they were such great resources for learning Vietnamese and road-tripping throughout Vietnam. They were honestly more than just "CET roommates", but rather lifelong friends. Thank you CET for connecting me with such wonderful people!

My experience studying abroad in Vietnam was great. I took Vietnamese language classes, classes on Vietnam's development and public health, and had a service learning placement at a local NGO. Both CET staff and Vietnamese language teachers were extremely helpful and nice. I learned a lot both inside and outside of the classroom. What I experienced and observed during daily life in Vietnam was explained by what we discussed in class and vice versa. My service learning placement was a terrific experience, I had the opportunity to interact with Vietnamese staff and volunteers. We exchanged knowledge and I gained professional experience. My day to day life consisted of going to classes, studying with friends, frequenting the nearby alley for lunch, and exploring Saigon's markets and parks. I had the opportunity to experience other places in Vietnam as well, thanks to the traveling seminars and personal traveling during spring break, in which I went on a trekking trip. The food was delicious and inexpensive. I had to buy water and be careful of petty theft, but overall felt very safe in HCMC. A wonderful program and wonderful country that opened me up to so much new knowledge, experiences, and possibilities.