Students from 10 ASEAN countries come to Ho Chi Minh City to learn about sustainable development

A group of students from Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia presented their project on climate change - Photo: TRONG NHAN

This afternoon, July 19, Ho Chi Minh City National University held the closing ceremony of the ASEAN Student Summer Camp (AUN Summer Program).

From July 7 to 20, 68 students from 23 universities in and outside Vietnam participated in the AUN Summer Program, organized for the first time by the ASEAN University Network (AUN). The program is designed to enhance international experience and raise awareness of AUN member universities on pressing regional issues.

After nearly 20 days in Vietnam, Ivy Niera Rubillar - a student at the University of the Immaculate Conception (Philippines) - said that the program provided students with a lot of new knowledge about climate change, circular economy, and green development models.

You and many other students were quite surprised by Vietnam's climate change adaptation projects, such as the way Can Gio built a mangrove forest "defence line", the way some provinces in the Mekong Delta developed salt-tolerant rice varieties...

"What I remember most are the two trips to Can Gio and My Hoa Hung (An Giang), where I clearly saw the changes and the ways Vietnamese people are adapting every day," said Ivy Niera Rubillar.

Meanwhile, Thao Nguyen - a student at the International University (Ho Chi Minh City National University) - shared that in addition to knowledge and experience about climate change and sustainable development, one of the important things you gain after the summer camp is how to work and collaborate in a multicultural environment.

Thao Nguyen's group of 6 students from 5 ASEAN countries - Photo: TRONG NHAN

Thao Nguyen's group has 6 members, from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, each with a different expertise and cultural background.

"However, we learned how to collaborate and implement climate change projects together in the program. This is also experience for us to be able to work in a multinational environment in the future," Thao Nguyen said.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Hai Quan - Director of Ho Chi Minh City National University - shared that climate change is a global challenge that we all have to face.

Associate Professor Dr. Vu Hai Quan hopes that with the knowledge from the classes and experiences from the field trips in the AUN Summer Program, international students will have more ideas and experiences for future sustainable development projects.

Attracting more than 2,000 ASEAN students

Initiated by the National University of Singapore, the AUN Summer Program has been developed by AUN into the first international student exchange program organized across the entire AUN network from 2024.

This year, the AUN Summer Program is organized simultaneously by 11 universities in 7 countries in June and July 2024. In total, more than 2,000 international students participated in the entire AUN Summer Program series this year.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sinh-vien-10-nuoc-asean-den-tp-hcm-hoc-ve-phat-trien-ben-vung-20240719171606984.htm