This June, 18 years following the official withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saigon, I had the opportunity to lead a delegation of professionals in supervision and curriculum development on an eight-day tour in the Republic of Vietnam. Our delegation was invited by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, and the bilateral exchange was conducted under the auspices of the Citizen Ambassador Program of People-to-People International. Our team of professionals was among the first to visit the country since the U.S. government eased travel restrictions to encourage humanitarian assistance. We met with Vietnamese educators and leaders who are deeply involved with rebuilding the country's education and technical infrastructures.
From the first day of my stay in postwar Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), it was difficult at times to control my sense of the past—to put a hold on time—as I visited the Cu Chi Tunnels (a few kilometers from the Cambodian border), the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (modeled after Lenin's tomb in Red Square), Reunification Hall (the former Presidential Palace), and the old United States Embassy.
Yet it was also clear that vast changes were taking place there. Vietnam has managed the transition to a market economy more successfully than any other Communist-ruled society. The country is struggling to modernize its infrastructure and has targeted the elimination of illiteracy by the year 2010. Consequently, many predict that Vietnam will be the next economic tiger of Asia.
As many scholars have noted, the proverbs, folk songs, tales, and stories in folk literature bear witness to the traditional thirst for knowledge in Vietnam. Among the proverbs that have significant symbolic meaning is, "Without a teacher, one can hardly make one's way in life." We also learned that for the past few decades, most Vietnamese have been imbued with the spirit of these words of Ho Chi Minh: "For the sake of ten years, let us plant trees; for the interests of a hundred years, let us cultivate man."
Our delegation visited a variety of classrooms, universities, and special schools to examine the state of the country's education system. Our goal was to share experiences and broaden understanding of the role of supervision and curriculum development in creating systemic reform in education.
New Forces
The Vietnamese view education as the major force for change in their country. Prior to the shift to a market economy in 1987, students were taught traditional subjects. Today, education is being "renovated" (the Vietnamese term for restructuring) and refocused. No longer are graduates assured jobs in government with a controlled economy; students must now compete for available jobs in the burgeoning private sector. With the loss of government jobs, students are being pressured to demonstrate mastery of the skills needed to succeed in business. Vietnamese businesses are not willing to unquestioningly accept the products of the educational institutions, we were told. They tend to test applicants for employment, rather than rely on the schools to certify the quality of graduates. Does this sound familiar?
From now through the year 2000, one of the most important objectives in the education policy of Vietnam is to provide basic education along two fronts—universal primary education for all children and the eradication of illiteracy among adolescents and adult learners (and organization of post-literacy courses for them).
Similarities Apparent
- "The realization of educational objectives means improving people's knowledge, training manpower, and nurturing their talents. It is necessary at the same time to enhance equity, excellence, and efficiency."
- "Education should respond to the demand for national development and follow the progressive trends of our time such as continuing education, life-long learning."
- "The government should have specific policies to create favorable conditions for those who are in the government's care and poor people to enable them to learn."
- "Setting up of a secondary education system in which general education is closely linked to vocational education. Realization of program differentiation in secondary education."
- "Redefinition of education and training objectives, redesigning of curricula, improving methods of education and training at every level of education."
- "Consolidation and development of education in ethnic minorities and areas with difficulties."
- "Renovation of educational management."
In the late '80s, after a half-century of war and a decade of an ineffective centrally controlled economy, Vietnam found itself isolated and nearing a total economic collapse. Over the past three years, the government has instituted major economic and political reform and is now struggling to modernize the economic and industrial infrastructure and provide modern health care, education, and living conditions for the population. Vietnam's leaders now recognize that many of the country's problems can be solved only with foreign help and are beginning to encourage a resurgence of domestic entrepreneurial activities, international academic exchanges, and a wide range of new foreign investment.
During our brief visit, we sensed that the Vietnamese leaders of today are pragmatic and forward-looking in their quest to bring Vietnam back into the global community. That attitude, if genuine, is why Vietnam may be today's newest land of opportunity in Asia.