Vietnam Studies

Over the past thirty years, Vietnam Studies has expanded enormously and thrived both in Vietnam and in research institutes and universities in Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia. Contemporary Vietnam Studies has moved beyond colonial and Cold War paradigms and preoccupations to examine the country and its multidimensional features throughout history and in contemporary time in both regional and global contexts.
A strong Vietnam Studies major has always been integral to the original vision of the founders of Fulbright University Vietnam. Vietnam Studies includes scholarly research in Han-Nom, French, and quốc ngữ texts, materials, and sources, as well as critical examinations of Vietnamese politics, society, culture, and economy. Scholarly work in Vietnam Studies is by nature interdisciplinary, and includes not only the study of people, communities, and institutions within the national territory of Vietnam, but also the Vietnamese diaspora and Vietnam in regional contexts of East and Southeast Asia.
The Vietnam Studies Major is designed for any student, regardless of their national or ethnic origin, who wants to pursue the study of Vietnam from multiple critical perspectives.
Vietnam Studies is an interdisciplinary field in which scholars and students draw upon the theory and methods of various disciplines (including humanities, social sciences, and natural science fields) to fashion transdisciplinary approaches to the study of Vietnam. Advanced (300-level) courses will help VS students build expertise in areas including Vietnam and Area Studies, Ethnohistory, International Relations, Interdisciplinary Economics (e.g., environmental economics, or heritage economics), Cultural Studies, Education, Digital Humanities, and Vietnamese Literature and Film. Additionally, VS students are encouraged to take up minors or double majors in the other fields offered at Fulbright.
Because Vietnam Studies is an area studies field, Vietnam Studies majors will learn to situate Vietnam in regional and global contexts. VS students will also gain the ability to study Vietnam in comparative perspective, so that they can think more critically and constructively about Vietnam’s connections to the rest of the world.
All Vietnam Studies majors are required to study one or more relevant language, besides English and Vietnamese, that can be used to conduct advanced research on Vietnam. Depending on a student’s background and interests, the languages that may fulfill this requirement include modern Vietnamese in quốc ngữ (if Vietnamese is not their mother tongue), classical or modern Chinese, Nôm script, or a reading knowledge of modern French.
In keeping with Fulbright University Vietnam’s commitment to experiential learning, service learning, and educational exchange, Vietnamese Studies majors will connect their classroom studies to “real world” learning activities such as field study trips, community engagement activities, student exchange programs, and connected courses offered jointly with other universities.
In earning a Fulbright bachelor’s degree in Vietnam Studies, strengthened by a specific disciplinary focus, plus language and interpersonal skills, students can confidently pursue a wide variety of careers where Vietnam stands at the center of an international network. For instance, they can work in the arts (including performance art and cinema), journalism, cultural and educational organizations, or research institutes. They can also work for economic, diplomatic, or international institutions; tourism and commercial companies; and/or (non-)governmental organizations in Vietnam or overseas that require both broad and deep knowledge of the country. Vietnam Studies graduates will also be prepared for graduate programs with a specific focus on Vietnam and related fields in universities around the world.