Learning Express 2023 took place from September 11 to 22, with 70 lecturers and students from DTU and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) attending. Fieldwork took place at the local Silk-making, Sleeping-mat-making, and Fish Sauce-making craft villages in Quan Nang Province. As a result, the group then came up with several new ideas, and proposed practical solutions to improve production methods and protect the health of the workers and the environment at the same time.
Launched in 2011 at the Singapore Polytechnic, Learning Express is one of the most practical programs in educational development and integration, sharing technology, increasing public awareness, and broadening cultural exchanges with colleagues throughout ASEAN.
At the opening ceremony, Dr. Adrian Elangovan, the tour leader from Singapore Polytechnic, said: “We are delighted to be here at Duy Tan University, collaborating with DTU lecturers and students in the interesting and diverse activities of Learning Express 2023. This annual event provides SP allows students to gain experience, promote cultural understanding, broaden their knowledge, develop essential skills, and become acquainted with new friends from various ASEAN countries. By visiting the local Vietnamese craft villages, we can learn from each other and discuss positive solutions to help the local people overcome their problems.”
Dr. Adrian Elangovan
In the sleeping-mat-making village, the group were impressed by the meticulous handmade crafts. However, after watching the weaving process, they discovered that one of the major challenges was the drying of harvested sedge, which required optimal conditions involving intense sunlight along with adequate protection from moisture. They then invented a dehumidifier designed like a multi-compartment wine cabinet, utilizing recyclable silica gel as a descant material. This effectively removed moisture from the sedge, ensuring it remained dry throughout the production process.
DTU and SP students in discussion
While visiting the Fish-sauce-making village, in Duy Hai commune, the group realized that the sauce was very heavy to lift, lower or transport the ceramic jars used in the fermentation process, possibly adversely affecting worker health. Consequently, they came up with the idea of creating a flexible, compact forklift for the village and designed a website to enable local people to reach out to a broader client base and provide online marketing information on the village’s history, fish sauce production techniques, and cooking instructions for the preparation of delicious fish sauce dishes.
At the Silk-making village, in Nam Phuoc town, the DTU and SP group admired the vibrant silk sheets with intricate patterns. However, they noted that most of the visitors to the village were designers but that much potential had remained untapped. So they worked together to build a model of an exhibit that could be displayed in big cities to actively promote the Silk Village to tourists and investors. This model featured four separate sections, with specific functions designed to attract investors, tourists, and designers alike, to inspire them to visit the village, get to know the residents, collaborate with them and purchase their products.
Students and lecturers of DTU and SP at the Learning Express 2023
Nguyen Duc Thinh majors in Tourism and Travel Management and said: "Although we only spent a few days at the craft villages, it was a very significant experience for us. We learned about the culture, people, and jobs and applied what we observed to generate ideas to improve production and enhance their quality of life. Despite our cultural and individual differences, we managed to devise some optimum solutions to assist them.”
(Media Center)