Why
Spend a gap semester or year with an international internship, studying Vietnamese, and traveling around the country while learning. And to top it all off, a gap-focused seminar helps you make the most of this period of personal, academic, and even professional exploration.
program highlights
- Study Vietnamese in small, attentive classroom environments
- Custom part-time internship placements with a local organization
- Spend 3 days comparing urban and rural life from the Mekong Delta
- Special focus on supporting the gap student experience
- Spend a week exploring Vietnam on the Traveling Seminar with your peers
TAKEAWAYS
- International and intercultural experience to benefit college essays
- College credits and an official transcript from the University of Minnesota
- Experiences to inform and shape college and career-related decision making
- Improved language skills and overall confidence
- Established intercultural workplace skills and relevant experience for your résumé
Why go with Gap at CET?
In our 35+ years within international education, we’ve developed a keen understanding of the student experience abroad and a strong reputation for thoughtful, immersive, and supportive programming.
Program
Snapshot
- Recommended Credits: 3-9
- Choose 3 or 9 credits of Vietnamese Language
- Not-for-credit internship at a local organization
- Traveling Seminar around northern & central Vietnam
- Seminar that tackles gap student-related topics
- Out-of-class learning & assignments
- Host University: University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City (UEH)
Study Vietnamese Language
As a Gap at CET Vietnam student, you can choose to take either 3 or 9 credits of Vietnamese language. The 9-credit option offers an intensive language pace that comes with more language gains, while the 3-credit option frees up your time to take on more internship hours. Either way, with language classes, local roommates, and in-country immersion… your Vietnamese skills help you connect locally and make the most of your time in Ho Chi Minh City.
A Seminar for the Gap Experience
Taking on a gap term is more than just learning a new language or traveling to another country—it’s an intentional pause in your academic path for personal reflection and exploration. Your language curriculum and internship keep you busy, but this gap-focused seminar creates a space for facilitated reflection and discussion, as well as activities that help you explore and build skills for the future.
Internships
Adaptability, international experience, and cross-cultural teamwork; these are not just buzzwords rattled off in job interviews. Pursuing an internship allows you to develop these skills and become an integral team member of a local organization. We work with public, private, and non-profit organizations throughout the city to create sustainable internship placements, where your work builds on that of your predecessors.
Traveling Seminar: Connecting the Dots
Day 1: Travel to Hanoi. Visit the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) compound and learn about local engagement projects.
Day 2: Day trip to the scenic city of Ninh Binh.
Day 3: Head to iSee, a local organization that does advocacy work for gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and cultural preservation.
Day 4: Return to the UNDP compound for a new initiative launch. Travel to Hue.
Day 5: Meet with iDE staff, a non-profit that creates livelihood opportunities for poor rural households.
Day 6: Discuss social innovation at The Peaceful Bamboo Family, a living community and vocational training center for young adults living with disabilities. Travel to Hoi An.
Day 7: Learn about sustainability efforts at An Nhien Farm, then head to a cooking class.
Day 8: Enjoy free time by exploring town by bike or visiting An Bang Beach.
Heritage Students Welcome
Coursework & Syllabi
Fall/Spring: LANGUAGE + INTERNSHIP
You combine one 6-credit MSA course, one 3-credit Jordanian Dialect course, a not-for-credit internship, and a not-for-credit gap student seminar to meet the total of 9 recommended credits.
If you want to take 3 credits of Vietnamese language, you are placed into one of these courses:
- HC/LANG 100 Beginning Vietnamese
- HC/LANG 150 Elementary High Vietnamese
- HC/LANG 200 Intermediate Vietnamese
- HC/LANG 250 Intermediate High Vietnamese
- HC/LANG 300 Advanced Vietnamese
If you want to take 9 credits of Vietnamese language, you are placed into one of these courses:
- HC/LANG 110 Beginning Vietnamese (Intensive)
- HC/LANG 160 Elementary High Vietnamese (Intensive)
- HC/LANG 210 Intermediate Vietnamese (Intensive)
- HC/LANG 260 Intermediate High Vietnamese (Intensive)
- HC/LANG 310 Advanced Vietnamese (Intensive)
Are you a heritage learner? We can accommodate you! Language classes can be tailored to meet the specific needs of Vietnamese language heritage speakers.
You conduct a not-for-credit internship at a local organization and meet for regular one-on-ones with faculty to maximize your in-office experience.
Note: If you choose to take 3 credits of Vietnamese Language, you’ll work more hours for your internship.
You and other Gap at CET students from all over the world meet to reflect and explore topics and issues unique to gap students. This not-for-credit course is taught in English and conducted virtually once a week.
You learn about personal strengths and learning styles, establish/track goals and identify any potential barriers, and even explore careers and intended majors.
"All of the site visits and field trips relate the courses really well. I’ve been able to connect components from one course to others, which makes class discussions more interesting. "
University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Fall 2019
& Meals
COVID Modifications
Because of precautions CET is taking related to COVID-19, your housing experience will look different from standard programming. Please see the COVID playbook page for more information.
- Program House
- Off-campus housing
- Live with CET peers & local roommates
- 2 people/room and bathroom
- Communal kitchen and dining space, in-unit washer/dryer, bathrooms
- Wifi, A/C, bed linens, towels, basic furnishing, kitchenware, in-room mini fridge
You share a room and bathroom with a local roommate at the CET program house in District 1—the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. The program house is your home in the big city, filled with classmates and other local roommates to chat with or share a meal. Your neighborhood is largely residential, with many local families around. And within a 5-minute walk, you can find everything you need—24-hour convenience stores, smoothie shops, small restaurants, pharmacies, and supermarkets.
Local Roommates
Your roommate is a local student handpicked by the program’s resident director. Want to learn which neighborhood hangout has the best Vietnamese coffee? Whether to take a bus or flight for your weekend trip? Need to know which apps to download to navigate the city efficiently? Sharing a room with a local roommate gives you instant insider’s access to the city, as well as someone who can provide perspective on modern Vietnamese culture.
Eating in Ho Chi Minh City
For meals, choose from hundreds of nearby restaurants, cafés, and street vendors. Local dining options range from simple to fancy, and include Vietnamese, American, and other international cuisine. Don’t forget to check out the che (sweet soybean desserts) or a fresh smoothie on your way home! Feeling like a home-cooked meal? Pick up ingredients at the supermarket and have a night in with your roommates.
On-site Staff
Peter Nguyen
Program Director
Minh Pham
Program Coordinator
Life in
- Population: 8.637 million
- Local Currency: Vietnamese Dong
- Famous for: Rapid development, a busy calendar of events for art and culture, bubble tea, Vietnam's financial and business hub
Enjoy the city’s fast-paced, but unpretentious vibe. While exploring the city’s 24 districts, you’re as likely to stumble across a modern art space as you are a Buddhist temple. On any given night, you can go shopping in one of the city’s outdoor markets or chat with a street vendor selling bun cha (grilled pork and noodles). And when the weekend comes, head out to the plentiful mountains, highlands, deltas, and coastlines surrounding your urban “home away from home.”
Activities & Excursions
Around Ho Chi Minh City
Each term, the program offers different extra-curricular activities that allow you to explore HCMC and Vietnamese culture. Settle in for movie night on the guesthouse rooftop. Play a pick-up soccer game with roommates. Follow a local expert on a food tour of the historical city center. And there’s even more to see on your own—hunt for the best banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) with your roommate, stroll the Botanical Gardens, or get a group together for a night of karaoke.
Meet the Mekong
Witness changes brought on by development firsthand (by boat and on foot!) as you learn about disappearing traditional trades and the flight of youth from rural to urban areas. Head to a cacao farm to learn about efforts to revive the industry, then go on a food tasting tour. Explore sustainable tourism in the region after watching the sunrise over the floating market. Reflect on your time in the Mekong River Delta over a campfire on the last night. It’s a full weekend and it’s on us—just pack your bags.
"The program staff have been so great in making me feel comfortable and supported! I'm really grateful for all of them."
Trinity University | Fall 2019
Program
Fall 2021
|
TBA
Fall 2021: TBA
CET aims to make program fees as inclusive as possible to minimize out-of-pocket costs.
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
We help you land the internship and make sure you’re prepared. And after you get started, we stay in touch with your host organization to provide support all semester long.
We arrange for you to live in the guesthouse with a local roommate. Your program fees go toward rent, furnishing, and other management costs.
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue that even includes medical evacuation coverage.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
We process your multiple-entry visa in Washington, DC, and cover the fees for you.
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
Estimated
Out-of-Pocket
Costs for Fall/Spring
- Round-trip Airfare: $900 - $11,150
- Meals: $1,100
- Personal Expenses: $700
- University of Minnesota Transcript (optional): $425
To be eligible for a Gap at CET program, you:
- Must be 18 or order at the time of program participation
- Should have a high school diploma but are not yet enrolled at a college or university degree program
- Are recommended to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, so students with lower GPAs are still encouraged to apply.
Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your previous teachers.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
A phone interview with a CET staff member is a required step of the application process. You will be contacted soon after the completion of your other application materials.
Fall deadline:
May 1
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.
Kay Nguyen
Student Services Coordinator
Advises on programs in Czech Republic, Italy, & Vietnam
202.846.7656
[email protected]