Ho Chi Minh Fair

Scholarships....IELTS....Living in Ohio....student visas....eating American food.... These were just some of the many topics I discussed yesterday as I represented Hiram College at the Ho Chi Minh College Fair, sponsored by EducationUSA (a network of student advising centers sponsored by the U.S. State Department to encourage international students to study in the United States).

I've discovered that I love talking to these bright, energetic students here in Vietnam, not necessarily just about Hiram College but about their dream overall of studying in the United States.  They are so eager to do what it takes to come to America,  Many of them go to school all day six days a week, and then take extra classes at night and on Sundays just so they might have a better opportunity.  Here's a small sampling of the crowd waiting to get into the fair -- the room was maybe 3 times bigger than this and it was full:

This is Yen Nguyen (Annie), the intern that was assigned to me to help translate.  She was very helpful and such a joy to work with.  She's a university student right now and wants to study business in Connecticut after she graduates since she has relatives in Hartford.  At our visa briefing earlier in the afternoon, the embassy rep discussed that they have seen an 80% jump in student visa requests, and that more are coming from the south of Vietnam.  Two reasons: 1) a better economy and bigger middle class, and 2) more people from the south have relatives in America (presumably because many of them fled Vietnam after the war and reunification).

A few random shots of the college fair taken by Annie with my camera:

 A group shot of all of the interns and organizers from EducationUSA.  It was a great fair!  I hope Hiram will continue to come to Vietnam and work with these students.  Well worth the investment.