GRIP, Research Abroad Reconnecting With My Motherland

Hanoi University of Public Health - Vietnam

As a Vietnamese person born and raised in the United States (or Việt kiều as the locals call it, which translates to “overseas Vietnamese”), the only times I have traveled to my motherland were during family vacations. Because most of my experiences in Vietnam were largely limited to my tourism, I wanted to expand my cultural immersion to the local level and was gracious enough to have that opportunity through GRIP. As a research intern for the Hanoi University of Public Health, my primary project for the summer is supporting an ongoing study that investigates the factors associated with COVID vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among health sector university students in Vietnam. In the midst of a global pandemic and a new wave of COVID cases in Vietnam, this research hopes to contribute toward the existing body of international knowledge and support federal institutions in developing effective vaccination programs.

In the first couple weeks of this internship, I got to meet my team and am beginning the process of writing a literature review to be integrated into the study manuscript. Though I was excited to begin my job, I was initially nervous about matters such as the language barrier (don’t get me wrong, I am fluent in Vietnamese, but there is a considerable comprehension gap between conversational and academic Vietnamese), time zone variations, and differences in academic standards. Rest assured, my team was extremely accommodating and was always available to answer any questions I had, which considerably eased my transition into this position.

Alongside my work in the lab, the third-party organization that coordinated my internship, ABROADER, provides the summer interns with programming aimed at immersing us in the local culture of Vietnam. ABROADER recruits Vietnamese university students, known as “local buddies”, to host biweekly interactive sessions that teach us about all things Vietnam, ranging from holidays to food to work culture. The local buddies are always enthusiastic and willing to support us in any way-- in fact, a few of them have reached out to me via social media so that they can practice their English and I can practice my Vietnamese! In addition to getting to know the local buddies, ABROADER’s partnership with Penn and Princeton has allowed me to network with fellow Quakers and Tigers.

Overall, my first couple of weeks have been a pleasant experience; from my tasks as an intern to my attendance at cultural sessions, I have enjoyed getting to learn more about my roots and am grateful to have met so many supportive individuals thus far. I am super excited to delve deeper into my internship and am looking forward to what lies in the six weeks ahead!