| An old saying about learning that has been passed down from generation to generation in Vietnam states, "The success of learning is determined by intelligence but the passing of an examination is determined by luck." Whether this idea is simply to comfort those who fail or not, it sheds light on the Vietnamese psyche on learning as well as reflects a wide gap between what students learn in school and what they are tested on for an examination. The phrase has been used in the people's colloquial language since the inception of the testing system and remains popular today.;Nevertheless, the old saying fails to capture the full essence of contemporary higher education in Vietnam. In the author's viewpoint, the phrase "The success of learning is determined by intelligence but the ability to perform a job is determined by luck" should be added to provide a complete picture. Ironic as it might sound, this idea illustrates the fact that most students graduating from universities and colleges in Vietnam are not prepared for jobs and need additional training due to an enormous gap between what students learn in school and what the jobs require in today's world. This gap results from the country's outdated mode of educational structure, shortage of educational resources, lack of human resources, and backward teaching and learning styles. Recognizing this situation, the Vietnamese government has reached out to Western countries, particularly, and most recently to the United States for assistance to modernize its higher educational system. The last two decades have witnessed a significant and steady growth of initiatives to facilitate faculty and student training in the United States, assist curriculum development, provide educational resources, and send American visiting scholars to universities throughout Vietnam. These activities can be considered the mosaic pieces of Vietnam's higher education, in which the betterment of one piece would bring about the excellence of the whole. In this sense, the Vietnamese government is building the blocks to upgrade its higher educational system toward an American model. |
