Social work education in Vietnam: Trajectory, challenges and directions

Kham Van Tran ^*
Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Hanoi, Vietnam

ABSTRACT

In spite of the long history, of social work-oriented activities, Vietnam’s social work education dates back to the 1980s as the policy of Doi Moi (Renew) was applied which required the comprehensive and systematic transformation in Vietnam. In the early 1990s, some academic institutions in Vietnam introduced the subjects of social work in the curriculum and trained social work students in related programs. However, such training was not focused and dispersed, and social work education really emerged in Vietnam in 2004 when the Ministry of Education and Training approved the national curriculum for social work. At the turn of 2010, Vietnam Government supported the urgent need for social work professionals to solve various social problems and to build the welfare, democracy of the socialist state. Since then, Vietnam’s social work education has developed rapidly. Currently there are around 50 universities and colleges in the national and provincial levels that are offering social work programs. Social work education in Vietnam is facing challenges in different aspects. This paper aims at exploring the voices of social work students on social work education challenges in different layers of education, licensing, materials, practicum and from students themselves, based on a survey of 17 universities in Vietnam. The paper also aims at providing suggestions for maintaining the social work education in Vietnam with professional training direction.

KEYWORDS
Education, Social Work Education, Social Workers, Social Development, Social Work

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:[1] Kham Van Tran , “Social Work Education in Vietnam: Trajectory, Challenges and Directions,” International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 147 – 154, 2015. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2015.030403.

(b). APA Format:
Kham Van Tran (2015). Social Work Education in Vietnam: Trajectory, Challenges and Directions. International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice, 3(4), 147 – 154. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2015.030403.

https://www.hrpub.org/journals/article_info.php?aid=3077