A success in bringing students opportunities to experience life, learn new skills, and establish new friendships aimed at increasing societal awareness and contributions, the Learning Express program Singapore Polytechnic started in 2011 is attracting large numbers of students from South-East Asian nations. The continuation of this meaningful journey was initiated in the morning of 29th September 2014 with the Learning Express 2014 Opening Ceremony at DTU. From 29th September to 11th October 2014, twenty five students and three lecturers from Singapore Polytechnic will accompany DTU students in learning about and learning to do traditional crafts.
DTU and Singapore Polytechnic students discuss and exchange ideas about the activities to be performed at the craft village
Starting their exploration of the lives and trades of the inhabitants of the traditional craft villages around Danang, DTU and Singapore Polytechnic students attended a class of Vietnamese Culture. Mr Vu Van Thinh, lecturer of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, gave a general introduction about Vietnamese culture and people, daily life, festivals, and the famous sights of Danang.
“Mr Thinh’s lesson was very interesting and helped us picture some of the life and culture of the Vietnamese,” Dong Mei, student of the Faculty of Finance and Banking of Singapore Polytechnic, said:
“We will certainly visit many places to gain more understanding and to mingle with the life of the people in the city. We could visit many of the DTU campuses. It is really a big, spacious, and beautiful university. DTU students are very friendly, open-minded, and passionate. They shared many interesting facts about Vietnam and the people with us. We hope to have many wonderful experiences during this trip.”
Students of the two universities pose for a picture
Students of the two universities will go to the Hoa Tho Dong ward to learn to make sesame cakes hands-on. Next they will learn basket weaving at the Yen Ne 2 hamlet, Hoa Tien district, and to prepare Tuy Loan My Quang and Banh trang at the Phu Hoa 2 hamlet, Hoa Nhon district, Danang. Together with the craft villagers, they will create products hands-on, and research and support ideas to promote craft production and protection of the villagers’ living environment.
Before, from 3rd to 21st March 2013, Mr Le Huu Luat, lecturer of the DTU Faculty of Hospitality, participated in the Learning Express program organized by Singapore Polytechnic in Singapore and Indonesia with the two students Le Nguyen Trung Thanh (K15 NAD2) and Phan Thanh Lap (K16 CMU-TPM). The DTU student group participated in the “Improving and developing the traditional Cassava cake baking craftin the Kradenen and Polengan villages” project, together with two lecturers and seven students of Singapore Polytechnic. Participating in the program once more, Mrs. Nguyen Minh Thao and the two students Tran Minh Da Thao and Nguyen Bao Khuyen went to the Indonesian craft village Batik Wood, from 9th to 23rd March 2014, to make wooden handicraft items, such as masks, utensils, and souvenirs with Batik design and Indonesian characteristics, and to implement improvements tothe village environments.
Starting with community activities creating traditional products, and researching and supporting the promotion of craft village products on the market, students from the countries participating in Learning Express can gain a lot of useful real-life knowledge, consolidate soft skills, and at the same time soundly prepare entrance into active life before the ASEAN Integration 2015.
(Media Center)