Scheinman/ILR Students Experience Labor, Culture, and Perspective in Vietnam

Since 2015, the Scheinman Institute and the ILR International Programs Office (IP) has offered a Vietnam Engaged Learning program in Ho Chi Minh City, where ILR students join students from Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU) in learning about labor relations and conflict resolution in the context of Vietnam.

This annual two-week program, which takes place over winter break, was founded by Richard Fincher (ILR ‘73), an adjunct faculty member of the Institute and a member of the Scheinman Institute Advisory Board. TDTU has a dedicated college of human resources and labor relations, roughly similar to ILR.

During their time in Vietnam, ILR students live on the TDTU campus and attend a series of lectures delivered by the TDTU faculty and other labor relations professionals such as Betterwork Vietnam. Foreign Service Officers from the US Consulate also meet with the students to discuss relations between the United States and Vietnam. Additionally, students have the opportunity to visit landmarks and cultural sites, including a tour of the Mekong River basin. Some years, there is a tour of a garment factory.

In the second week of the program, students are involved in a debate workshop culminating in a friendly scrimmage between students. There is also a roleplay in multicultural negotiations. During the spring semester, ILR students are required to complete a research paper based on their experience on the relevant topic of their choice.

For three ILR students, the Program was more than a chance to study abroad, but an immersive look into global labor systems, cultural exchange, and personal growth. Through classroom discussions, site visits, and conversations with local students and labor leaders, each participant encountered Vietnam from a different angle. However, each student returned with a shared sense of purpose, agreeing that the Vietnam Engaged Learning Program reshaped how they see the world and their place in it.

For Pranav Jaganathan, a senior concentrating on international labor and global supply chains, Vietnam was a deliberate choice. He says that he wanted international exposure in a country “with a lot of relevancy in the U.S. with supply chains” and a “powerful economy currently.” What struck him most was Vietnam’s political-economic structure. “It’s a socialist country with a capitalist economy,” he says. “That was very interesting to learn about.”

Having previously visited India, Pranav found himself comparing development patterns across regions. He noted that while wealth differences were visible—especially when traveling from central Ho Chi Minh City to wealthier districts—“it’s not as drastic as you’d see in the U.S.” The experience pushed him personally as well. Navigating language barriers and unfamiliar surroundings forced him outside his comfort zone, but he came to value that discomfort: “Throughout the process, I grew more comfortable… talking to students and encouraging cultural exchange.” The trip ultimately reinforced his career ambitions. “I see myself in an international relations career, maybe foreign service or international labor affairs,” he said. “This experience made me more comfortable pursuing that.”

For Madeline Rose, a sophomore, the program represented an early opportunity to travel abroad. She was drawn by curiosity and by the opportunity to encounter perspectives she couldn’t access on campus alone. “Vietnam isn’t a place I would have gone on my own,” she states, “so it was amazing and really interesting to look at labor there. Labor is so different.”

Madeline entered the program already interested in organizing and labor law, but Vietnam sharpened her thinking about policy implementation. “A good policy is a good policy,” she reflected, “but enforcement is really the biggest issue.” Observing labor systems abroad shifted her understanding of reform. Rather than imposing outside solutions, she emphasizes the importance of locally grounded approaches: international labor work, she explains, can succeed when it focuses on “better enforcement mechanisms that are locally relevant.” Personally, the experience pushed her socially as well. Being surrounded by fellow ILR students navigating the same unfamiliar environment encouraged her to take initiative: “It made me want to get better at putting myself out there… jumping in and not being afraid.”

She believes the program’s value extends beyond any single career path. “Anyone who’s interested in learning more about the world, about their place in it, and about other people would really benefit,” she says, especially students willing to approach it “with an open mind.”

Isabella Ireland, a senior and longtime participant in Cornell’s engaged learning initiatives, viewed Vietnam as the culmination of a broader global journey that began with a service learning program in India her freshman year. That first experience, she says, “was truly foundational to who I am now. It made me a better student and person.” Vietnam allowed her to build on those skills while focusing specifically on labor issues, particularly in the garment sector. She was especially drawn to the program’s structure: “It’s a super unique program because they want students who go to be impassioned by labor issues.”

The program combined lectures, site visits, and direct dialogue with labor organizations and local students. 

Isabella describes discussions about supply chains in strikingly tangible terms: classes explored “what it takes to make the shirt you’re wearing, where it’s from, and whether those workers are paid a living wage.” Encounters with Vietnamese students also deepened her perspective on history and culture. Visiting the War Remnants Museum alongside local peers was particularly powerful. “It’s a very different perspective as a foreigner,” she says, “and such a moment of welcoming and enlightenment because I didn’t know much about U.S. history with Vietnam outside of the war.”

Like her peers, Isabella emphasizes the program’s lasting personal impact. She now feels “100% more mindful” about her consumption and sustainability habits and believes the communication skills she practiced abroad—listening across language, cultural, and moral differences—will shape her future career. “Being able to listen and truly understand someone,” she said, “is something you build through this experience.”

Despite their different backgrounds and goals, all three students agreed on what makes someone thrive in the program: openness, adaptability, and curiosity. Pranav advises future participants to “roll with the punches” and try things outside their comfort zone. Madeline highlights the value of intellectual curiosity and comparative thinking. Isabella states it most directly: “The people who apply should be adaptable and open to understanding.”

Together, their reflections suggest that the Vietnam Engaged Learning Program represents more than merely studying labor abroad, it encourages its students to encounter complexity firsthand: whether it be economic, cultural, or historical – and learning how to navigate it thoughtfully. As Isabella says, “You are in the international workforce whether you realize it or not.”