The disappointing performance of education systems in developing countries in improving learning outcomes has spurred research aimed at establishing what features of education systems determine... Show moreThe disappointing performance of education systems in developing countries in improving learning outcomes has spurred research aimed at establishing what features of education systems determine their effectiveness or failure in improving learning outcomes. There has been special interest in the challenge of making education systems more coherent for learning, i.e., developing systems in which accountability relations among stakeholders across key elements of education policy design support and sustain strong learning outcomes. In the emergent literature on the political economy of education, a great deal of attention has been directed at Vietnam, a lower-middle income country whose results on assessments of learning have been vastly higher than all other countries in its income group and have even surpassed learning assessment results of many OECD countries. This has led to a raft of research papers asking, “how did Vietnam do it?” Addressing this question, this paper explores Vietnam’s education system’s coherence for learning through an analysis of accountability relations across three key elements of education policy design — delegation, finance, and information. Our aim is to ascertain how features of these policy elements’ practice may variously support or undermine the Communist Party of Vietnam’s objective of promoting quality education and improved learning outcomes for all. The potentially surprising answer to the “how coherent” question posed in the title is, not really that much. Analysis finds that Vietnam’s education system remains weakly "coherent around learning" and is best understood as a “formal process compliant” system that, despite its many strengths, is nonetheless underperforming relative to its potential. The implications of this for efforts to enhance the system’s performance around learning are explored in brief. Show less
Chronic respiratory disease (CRD) is a silent, ongoing pandemic. It disproportionally affects low-resource settings. Tobacco smoke and kitchen smoke (caused by the use of solid fuels and... Show moreChronic respiratory disease (CRD) is a silent, ongoing pandemic. It disproportionally affects low-resource settings. Tobacco smoke and kitchen smoke (caused by the use of solid fuels and inefficient stoves) are major risk factors. Evidence-based solutions to CRD often fail to be effective, as they misalign with local needs and then fail to be implemented. This thesis focused on how lung health solutions can be implemented successfully by capitalising on the local needs.Within the Horizon2020 FRESH AIR implementation research project, we first studied local settings in Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Greece, and Vietnam. For example, we found that COPD in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan occurred three times more frequently than in the lowlands, partly due to higher levels of kitchen smoke. We discovered the high indirect burden of asthma and COPD, by their impact on work- and daily activities. We also found that many communities and their health workers mistook CRD for infectious disease like tuberculosis. Based on these findings and on implementation literature, we then designed several practical tools addressing critical factors for implementation success of lung health interventions. These evidence-based tools can facilitate implementation success, thereby optimising the use of already scarce resources and benefitting health outcomes. Show less
This study investigated the prevalence of child maltreatment in a cross-cultural perspective, the changes in prevalence estimates in Vietnam over time, child and family risk factors of maltreatment... Show moreThis study investigated the prevalence of child maltreatment in a cross-cultural perspective, the changes in prevalence estimates in Vietnam over time, child and family risk factors of maltreatment, and possible consequences of child maltreatment. We administered questionnaires and a working memory test to 1,851 secondary and high school students (12-17 years old) in four Northern provinces of Vietnam. We compared current Vietnamese prevalence estimates with those from the Dutch prevalence study on child maltreatment (NPM-2010) and from a prevalence study in Vietnam 10 years ago to achieve a cross-cultural and chronological comparison. We found that although there was a decrease in emotional and physical abuse over time, all types of child maltreatment were still highly prevalent, ranging from 2.6% for sexual abuse to 31.8% for emotional abuse. Most types were more common in Vietnam than in the Netherlands. Only the past year sexual abuse prevalence in Vietnam was lower. Single parenthood, being a boy, and older age were risk factors for child maltreatment. Child maltreatment was related to negative child well-being aspects with the largest effect on emotional functioning. Our study draws a clearer picture on child maltreatment in Vietnam. It highlights the importance of prompt responses to child maltreatment. Show less
This study discusses the transformation from a colonial into a national economy in Indonesia and Vietnam. It focuses on two intertwined processes of economic decolonization and reconstruction in... Show moreThis study discusses the transformation from a colonial into a national economy in Indonesia and Vietnam. It focuses on two intertwined processes of economic decolonization and reconstruction in the two countries after the Second World War, paying special attention to political and institutional factors involved in these processes. The study demonstrates that, although differences in the political situations resulted in the adoption of divergent strategies, Indonesia and Vietnam were in fact pursuing similar long-term goals, namely: attaining a national independent economy. The Indonesian government was determined to get rid of the economic legacy of Dutch colonialism by placing the whole economy under the strong state control and ownership, in accordance with the spirit of Guided Democracy and Guided Economy in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. This effort resembled much the socialist transformation of North Vietnam in the 1950s and the various means by which the government of South Vietnam concentrated economic power in its hands during the late 1950s and the early 1960s. Show less
Based on rural fieldwork in Tanzania and Vietnam, this book describes the difference in organisation of cashew production, between highest producing areas by analysing the lower level of the cashew... Show moreBased on rural fieldwork in Tanzania and Vietnam, this book describes the difference in organisation of cashew production, between highest producing areas by analysing the lower level of the cashew value chain. Using a comparative analysis the book explores the dynamic process of how cashew farmers, of the two countries, are integrated in the existing production set up. The importance of choice through economic freedom is explored by analysing the functioning of different actors to allow or hinder advancement in production and productivity. Show less
Nguyen, V.N.; Chavannes, N.; Lan, T.T.L.; Price, D. 2012
Ben En National Park is one of the 30 National Parks in Vietnam. In this study its botanical wealth has been comprehensively inventoried as well as the very important roles that plants play in the... Show moreBen En National Park is one of the 30 National Parks in Vietnam. In this study its botanical wealth has been comprehensively inventoried as well as the very important roles that plants play in the daily life and economy of the people inhabiting the Park. Floristic diversity - In our survey 1389 vascular plant species were recorded, belonging to 650 genera and 173 families. Useful plants - A total of 386 plant species are used by local people for a diversity of end-uses, including health care. No less than 56 species are commercialized and contribute 23% of the average income of individual households. Human impact - Human disturbance had a strong negative impact on forest structure, leading to lowered densities of trees and useful plants, even though species diversity was not greatly altered. Conclusion - Despite the fact that many forest areas in the Park have been and still are disturbed by local people, the plant diversity is very high and worth conserving. Recommendations are made for greater sustainability of local plant use and for restoration of heavily disturbed parts of the Park. Show less
Jan George Mulder, a salesman from Haarlem, left a legacy of over 2000 stereo photographs, more than half originating from his time in French colonial Indochina. Yet not one of them contains a... Show moreJan George Mulder, a salesman from Haarlem, left a legacy of over 2000 stereo photographs, more than half originating from his time in French colonial Indochina. Yet not one of them contains a caption or even a hint about the contents. What’s more, Mulder’s life in Vietnam remains something of a mystery. John Kleinen immersed himself in this unique collection, determined to learn more about the images and the man behind them. Show less
Against the background of a regional crisis caused by dynastic change in China and the closure of Japan in the middle of the seventeenth century, the Vietnamese kingdom of Tonkin rose to the fore... Show moreAgainst the background of a regional crisis caused by dynastic change in China and the closure of Japan in the middle of the seventeenth century, the Vietnamese kingdom of Tonkin rose to the fore as the major silk producing and exporting region in East Asia.Based on a wealth of so far unused primary sources from the Dutch East India Company (VOC) archives, this monograph explains how Dutch maritime traders played a critical role in Tonkin’s dramatic emergence as a trading power. The author examines the vicissitudes in political relations, the varying trends in the VOC-Tonkin import and export trade, and the Dutch influence on the seventeenth-century Vietnamese feudal society. Show less
Islam was brought to Hindu/Buddhist Champa (presentday southern Vietnam) by Arab and Persian sailors and merchants who plied the rich Asian trade routes during the first Islamic century. As the... Show moreIslam was brought to Hindu/Buddhist Champa (presentday southern Vietnam) by Arab and Persian sailors and merchants who plied the rich Asian trade routes during the first Islamic century. As the region’s aloewood soon became a profitable commodity, small commercial settlements appeared. Islam made slow but steady progress among the Cham aristocracy and educated classes. At the time of Champa’s final military defeat and territorial absorption by Vietnam in the 1490s, the Cham were predominantly Muslim. After their loss of political independence and during subsequent Vietnamese dynastic struggles, in which the Cham fared quite badly, many Cham fled to Cambodia. The Cham royal court remained centred in Phan Rang until 1693, after which it moved to Cambodia and continued to function for over a century in a much diminished capacity The Cham who remained behind were isolated by successive Vietnamese dynasties from the Islamized Malay world, with which they shared a common religion and culture and, to a lesser degree, language. With the incorporation of Vietnam into the French colonial empire during the nineteenth century, all official assimilation policies stopped and were replaced by a policy of benign neglect. Under the French, the Cham found themselves in two different colonies: Cochin China in the south, and Annam in the centre. As a result, the communities gradually became quite distinct from each other. This remains the case today, and has resisted all attempts at achieving ethnic unity. Show less
