Embassy Highlights
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Ambassador Michalak Speaks Out on Child Helmets  | | Ambassador Michalak explains the importance of wearing helmets that meet the highest standard of protection for children and adults |
Joining an international effort on National Children’s Day, Ambassador Michael Michalak urged all parents to put helmets on their children anytime they traveled by motorbike. During a visit to the Protec Helmet Shop in Hanoi with Hanoi Television, Ambassador Michalak said protecting children must always be a top priority, so kids should never get on a motorbike without a helmet. “It’s very simple,” the Ambassador said. “Helmets save lives. If you love your children, put helmets on them when you drive them on a motorbike.” He also urged parents to buy helmets that meet government standards. In a country where people rely on over 25 million motorbikes to commute and road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in children, Ambassador Michalak’s call is another effort to change people’s attitude and behavior.
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LATEST HEADLINES FROM THE EMBASSY |
Practicing English with Fulbright English Teaching Assistants  | | Vietnamese students enjoyed their class with the Fulbright English Teaching Assistants |
On August 19, ten Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs), newly arrived from the United States, provided listening and speaking practice for 40 enthusiastic Vietnamese students at the U.S. Embassy’s American Center. In its second year of operation, the ETAs will teach for one academic year in institutions of higher education all over Vietnam. This two-hour session provided Vietnamese students with opportunities to interact with these recent American graduates through a variety of teaching activities and games that focused on improving their listening and speaking skills on the topic of food.Vietnamese Students Learn More about American Education and Culture  | | Ms. Gunawardena briefs students about the U.S. higher education system |
On 28 and 31 July, 2009, Ms. Sandarshi Gunawardena from the Vietnam Education Foundation made two presentations to Vietnamese students at the American Center. Her first presentation on “If you want to study in the United States” provided information about the U.S. higher education system and the unique traits of this educational environment. 100 students were given information on strategies for applying to U.S. universities and colleges and included advise on how to select institutions, admission requirements, application process and selection criteria, financial support, and resources to help them best prepare themselves for applying to study in the United States. Her second presentation on “American Ways: Understanding Cultural Traits and Behavior” was well attended by 70 participants. This interactive presentation afforded insights into the salient cultural traits, values and beliefs that forge the character of the American people. The participants gleaned a deeper understanding of the country and people of United States through a cross-cultural discussion of American ways in comparison to their own cultural traits.Teaching English to Young Learners Workshop  | | Dr. Joan Kang Shin demonstrates the use of storytelling techniques to motivate young learners |
On August 3-4, Dr. Joan Kang Shin, from the TESOL Professional Training Program at the University of Maryland, gave a two day workshop on techniques and methodology of Teaching English to Young Learners. Thirty English teachers from primary schools in Hanoi attended the workshop, which was co-organized by the U.S. Embassy and the Hanoi Department of Education and Training (DOET). This was the second workshop organized this year to help the DOET prepare for its launching of English as a compulsory subject in all primary schools beginning in 2010. During the workshop, the participants, who had been generally trained to teach English to secondary students, learned more about the latest research on teaching English to Young Learners, especially those age 7 to 12.
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