Partnership is the form DEN’s work has always taken. Across a decade, our students and staff have travelled to and welcomed colleagues from Westminster International University in Tashkent, Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Hanoi University, Istanbul University, and Further Education Colleges in London, building friendships that have produced joint conferences, jointly edited books, shared classroom projects and continuing conversations. These pages document the visits, exchanges and outreach activities that bring DEN’s network to life beyond the screen: trips to partner institutions led by students, hosting of international guests at Westminster, engagement with further education colleges across London, and the wider community work that grows from those relationships. Each visit returns something to the network: new ideas, new contributors, new questions for the next conference and the next volume. If you are an institution or community group interested in working with DEN, this is the place to start.
After spending one week in Hanoi, my perception of Vietnam changed drastically in a very positive way. The assumption and prior understanding of the country is one of underdevelopment, poverty, and war after decades of colonial rule and conflict with the United States. However, after the drastic political and economic change, Vietnam is becoming an...
I was excited to visit Vietnam ever since the ‘Learning in an International Environment’ module started, in which we were learning about Vietnamese history, culture and development. We met students and professors during the Virtual field trip, but when we arrived in person, most of us could not believe what we saw; for me, it...
The field trip to Vietnam was one of the craziest experiences of my life so far, in the best way possible. To be honest, even after learning a thing or two about Vietnam through educational videos and weekly video calls, speaking with locals and seeing how things work in real life took my understanding of...
The field trip to Vietnam was an amazingly unique experience for the students that participated, myself included. By learning about the development of Vietnam in an international environment module, I was able to gain a rough insight into the economic growth of Vietnam through weekly lectures and videos. However, travelling out to Vietnam and experiencing...
I have a very superficial understanding of Vietnam. It has tropical jungles and is very mountainous with many rivers crisscrossing its territory which heavily influences the culture and cuisine. I am particularly interested in the cuisine, as East Asian food is distinct from Western/European food and I have heard of some dishes before such as...
This blog will tell you about my experience participating in the virtual field trip to Vietnam as a Human Nutrition student. Before joining the field trip, my usual university-related activities involved learning about human physiology, biochemistry, clinical practice, and public health. Therefore, signing myself up to learn about Vietnam in a novel study format among...
The global pandemic brought about so many changes in our day-to-day lives, upending how we go about work or education, and limiting the tools and resources at our disposal which we so often took for granted. It also showed us that the fruition of long-term plans might not only be a result of our personal intentions but also impacted by circumstances beyond...
Hello, I’m Huong, a student at Faculty of International Studies, Hanoi University. I am Giay – one of 53 ethnic minorities in Vietnam (0,07% of Vietnam’s population). I was born in Ta Van village – Sa Pa town – Lao Cai province, a village with 67.07% Mong, 25.48% Giay, 5.53% Dao ethnic groups and 366/849...
Vietnam has received numerous compliments and endorsements from the United Nations, WTO as well as other countries for its effort in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite sharing a borderline of 1400 km with China, the heart of the outbreaking COVID-19, Vietnam, a nation with 96 billion people, has succeeded in controlling the spreading of...
The global environment is getting worse day by day, not only threatening the human habitat but also destroying the living environment of other species. Nowadays, environmental issues are also more focused, and sustainable development is prioritized as a key orientation in governmental agenda of many countries. However, the efforts of the government will never be...
Vietnam is a country bursting with love, culture, colours, and authenticity. However, this was unknown to me prior to visiting the country. Before exploring parts of Vietnam, specifically in Hanoi, my perception of Vietnam was completely varied and blurred. I viewed Vietnam as an outdated and backwards country. Solely reading up on its history and...
As the coronavirus pandemic rapidly sweeps across the world, it has given momentum to a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large and among certain groups in particular, such as older adults, care providers and people with underlying health conditions. As it wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures...