Offered by Asian Societies, Languages, and Cultures (ASCL), this interdisciplinary program explores development in contemporary Vietnam. Students will study the remarkable social, economic and environmental changes that have transformed Vietnam since the 1980s. Developing Vietnam incorporates research methods and perspectives from History, Environmental Studies, Religion, and other fields. This Guarini Study Away (GSA) program is based in Ho Chi Minh City, with field trips to the Mekong Delta and other sites in southern Vietnam. The 2025 edition of this program will be taught by Prof. Edward Miller, a historian of Modern Vietnam.
Developing Vietnam is offered in a unique fall-winterim format known as "fall term plus." Students admitted to the 2025 program will enroll in two required courses. The first is ASCL 70.22, a one-credit course that students will take in Hanover during September-November 2025, as part of their regular fall term course load. The second course is ASCL 59.04, a one-credit, three-week intensive course that will take place in Vietnam during the December 2025 winterim. Both courses will count as fall term courses.
Developing Vietnam is open to students in any major or program of study. To be eligible to enroll, students must have taken at least one ASCL course (or another course with significant Asian Studies content) in a term prior to Fall 2025.
Developing Vietnam is a key component of Dartmouth's partnership with Fulbright University Vietnam, an independent liberal arts university in Ho Chi Minh City. Starting during the fall term, all participants will be placed on joint teams of Dartmouth and Fulbright students. Each team will collaborate on the design and execution of a research project on some aspect of development in southern Vietnam. The field research for each project will be conducted during December, when the Dartmouth students join their Fulbright teammates in Vietnam.