Viet Nam: Ecology and Sustainability in the Mekong Delta

  Vietnam

• All Other Areas in Vietnam: 
Can Tho

Term: Fall, Spring 
Dates: September - December / February - May

Description: Explore the ecological and cultural resources of the Mekong Delta, an intensely cultivated landscape flanking the longest river in Southeast Asia. Reaching 3,000 miles from the Plateau of Tibet to the South China Sea, the Mekong River flows through six countries populated by 60 million people.

Protecting the basin will require unprecedented cooperation. Much proposed development -- such as dams, irrigation, and dredgingwill dramatically alter the rivers flow and impact the delta in unpredictable ways.

Students examine wetlands, soil, mangroves, shrimp farms, aquaculture, migratory bird habitats, freshwater swamps, and grasslands, and explore issues of sustainable development, pressures on natural resource exploitation, and ecotourism in Viet Nam and Cambodia. This program features lecturers and program support from Can Tho University, which is internationally recognized for its research on marine aquaculture and water management.

Highlights: Highlights of the Mekong Delta program includes a homestay in Can Tho and the opportunity to work closely with internationally renowned faculty at Can Tho University. Students engage in intensive Vietnamese language study and conduct a 4-week independent study project.

The Natural and Cultural Ecology Seminar includes: Mekong Delta life and culture; introduction to wetland ecology; floodplain wetlands; mangrove ecology; challenges of sustainable development; comparative delta ecology.

Cost in US$: please inquire for more information

Experience Required: no

Participants Travel to Vietnam in Groups

Scholarships are Available. - Scholarships for this program are available for students through the SIT Asia Fund.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

SIT Study Abroad's Mission Statement: SIT Study Abroad is the accredited higher education institution of World Learning, a private, nonprofit international organization promoting international and intercultural understanding, social justice, and economic development through education, training, and field projects around the globe. SIT prepares students to be interculturally effective leaders, professionals, and citizens through SIT Study Abroad, undergraduate, field-based academic programs operating in more than 50 countries worldwide, and thorough short-term professional training and graduate degrees in language teaching, conflict transformation, international education, social justice in intercultural relations, management, and sustainable development.

Year Founded: 1932