SIT Vietnam: Traditional Medicine & Community Health
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International Study Award (ISA)
The ISA provides a stipend for one credit-bearing summer study abroad experience for eligible undergraduates receiving a Yale scholarship. You must apply to Yale Study Abroad and be approved for a Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad or Non-Yale Summer Abroad program. Yale Study Abroad does not administer the ISA. For all ISA-related details, including how to request funding, when it gets disbursed, how much funding you can expect, and more, visit the ISA website.
Program Information
Location
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Term
Summer
Language
English
Minimum Language Requirement
None
Areas of Focus
Global Health, Social Sciences
Structure
Field-Based
Description
Explore Vietnam’s ancient and traditional health systems, including traditional Vietnamese medicine (Southern medicine or Thuoc Nam) and traditional Chinese medicine (Northern medicine or Thuoc Bac), from bustling and dynamic Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta to Dalat Flower Garden in the Central Highland. Starting at the program’s base in Ho Chi Minh City, learn about the social, economic, and cultural paradigms that frame traditional Vietnamese medicine and Vietnam’s extensive community health network. You will also learn about the use and local practices of southern medicine in rural Hoa An village in Mekong Delta. During a week-long excursion to Dalat, see how indigenous local groups such as the K’ho peoples are affected by climate change, globalization, development, and sustainability efforts. Learn to differentiate Vietnamese and Chinese traditional medicines and allopathic systems, gaining a multidimensional view into healthcare and health delivery among diverse groups including marginalized and indigenous populations. Visit with doctors and professors at the Vietnamese University of Medicine and Pharmacy as well as traditional medicine hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta, shadow Chinese traditional health practitioners in Cho Lon (China Town), meet herbal healers in Hoa An village, meet with traditional medicine practitioners in Central Highland, and visit Truc Lam Buddhist Monastery to learn how yoga and meditation practices have been integrated into Vietnamese traditional healing practices.
Two-Part Application Process
Applying to a Year or Term Abroad or a Non-Yale Summer Abroad study abroad program is a two-part process. These are separate application processes with individual deadlines and can be done simultaneously.
- You must apply to your intended program for admission by applying online from the program’s website. Select the Program Website button below to be directed to more information.
- You must apply to Yale Study Abroad for approval to study abroad and the ability to transfer the credit back to your Yale degree. The designated list of programs on our website does not constitute pre-approval or automatic approval from Yale. You must apply to our office by the relevant deadline in order to be approved. Select the Apply to Yale Study Abroad button below to be directed to more information.