Farewell event at USSH

From March 2nd through the 15th, the 2nd START Program took 24 First Year students led by 3 faculty and staff members to Vietnam.

At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH), which is one of the affiliated members of Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), the students attended Vietnamese language classes and series of lectures on the history of Ho Chi Minh City, culture and economics of Vietnam, and global issues taught in English by the teachers of USSH. The program included many experiential learning activities outside the classroom such as visits to the History Museum, War Remnants Museum, and Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park with students from USSH, visiting an institution for fostering handicapped children and homes of Vietnamese people. The group also spent half a day at the University of Technology, another university affiliated with VNU-HCM, and enjoyed interactions with the students of their English Club. They were stimulated by the Vietnamese students’ high motivation for studying as well as their fluency in Japanese, and learned a lot from their conversations. One thing that had particular impact on them was learning about difference between Japanese and Vietnamese people’s perceptions on war and peace.

The majority of the program took place in Ho Chi Minh City, the center of Vietnamese economy, but the group also experienced the nature and history of the country through tours to the Mekong River, Cu Chi Tunnel, and Ha Long Bay.

The students, who at first were astonished by the enormous number of motorbikes on streets at the beginning of the program, faced differences in cultural values and stomach troubles, but by the end they began to thrive. They returned home with a strong sense of growth and motivation for further challenges; for studying abroad and their future dreams. The program was unanimously recognized as a highly valuable experience.

* The START Program is new, established in 2010, and aims to raise interest in studying abroad and participating in international/cross-cultural activities amongst Hiroshima University students. The program provides students with little overseas experience to visit overseas partner institutions and surrounding areas, meet with local students, participate in classes taught in English, and experience a life abroad. The Hiroshima University Fund financially supports all of the students participating in this program, allowing a broader population of students to take up the challenge. This time, the program received 41 applications for the 24 available slots. It will continue to provide opportunities for more students, possibly adding more overseas partners in the future.



“START” stands for “Study Tour Abroad for Realization and Transformation”. We believe that this program will serve as the very first step for the participants to open up their eyes to the broader world and change their lives.

Vietnamese and Japanese students discuss on “what we can do to make world peace”

Playing games in the park with Japanese Studies students of USSH

【Inquiry】

International Exchange Group, International/Peace Office

Tel: 082-424-4346

E-mail: kokusai-ryugaku(AT)office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp

Please change (AT) to the appropriate mark.