Below are recent program posts; additional resources for the program are available at right.
Labeling Safety: An Investigation of Food Safety Concerns in Vietnam - Due to a combination of increasing demand for agricultural products and the proliferation of bootleg pesticide products, pesticide use in the Vietnamese agricultural industry has skyrocketed in the last couple of decades. While consumers are continually demanding blemish-free, “commodified” products that are usually only achievable with the use of pesticides, there are also rising concerns […]
A Tale of Two Riverbanks: Perspectives on Development in Ho Chi Minh City - A few days ago, my roommate and I were riding along the Saigon River on a wide and immaculately paved highway in District 1. The road had two separate lanes; one was for cars and the other for motorbikes, and the traffic lights were configured to account for both types of vehicles. The sides of […]
Haste Makes Waste: Observing Consumer Trash Habits in Ho Chi Minh City - Like many other developing countries, Vietnam faces environmental degradation due to its rapid economic growth. One major problem is improper waste management exacerbated by an increasing urban population and changing consumer habits. With higher incomes come changing consumer habits, more convenience foods, and more waste. This waste is usually plastics, Styrofoam and other food packaging […]
Changing Consumption Patterns: Economic and Waistline Growth - Research Question: In consideration of recent rapid economic growth, globalization and Westernization in Vietnam, what is the state of Ho Chi Minh City residents attitudes and habits around food and what are the implications of evolving consumption patterns? My research will mainly focus on the western fast food chains in contrast with street vendors and […]
Helmets, hats and face-masks- keeping kids on motorbikes safe. - I am doing my research project on the safety of children while on motorbikes. I found this topic interesting because I noticed that most young children do not wear helmets, but that they do tend to where some combination of face-masks, sunglasses, sun-hats, mosquito nets and safety-belts. I have been doing research on this […]
Internal Revenue Service? No. IRS Stands for Informal Recycling System! - Shortly after arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to study abroad for a semester I began to notice the plethora of men digging through garbage cans in parks to pull out bottles, cans, and other recyclable materials. Two months later, and my curiosity has only grown. For this reason I chose to write a […]
Supply and Demand: Urbanization conflicts in Ho Chi Minh City - Economic reform in Vietnam through out the past decade has brought about lots of changes, many of which have been very beneficial while others have caused problems. Industrialization and urbanization have had their benefits economically but have also had some negative effects. As big cities such Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi develop there is a […]
PDA: Public Displays of Affection (and Pre/Post Doi Moi Attitudes) - Research Question: How have perspectives on Vietnamese women’s sexuality changed over the last century and how does that translate to current public displays of affection in Vietnamese urban youth? Confucianism, Doi Moi, and French Colonialism have all impacted women’s attitudes towards sexual relationships differently over the last century. My goal in this research project is […]
Ancestor Worship and Governance in Vietnam - My time in Vietnam has opened up a new world of ideas and this has lead my to ask many different questions to how a society can run. I have been most keenly aware of the tensions that seem to be running through society that do not seem to be challenged or questioned by people […]
Short Term Gains for Long Term Strains - Here is a link to my observational post “Short Term Gains for Long Term Strains” regarding the consequences of rapid industrialization on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.