Guide for Foreigners in Long Xuyen
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Everything a Foreign Volunteer Needs to Know About An Giang University
- An Giang University is one of the newest institutions of higher learning in the Mekong Delta. AGU was founded in 1999 and opened for studies in the fall of 2000. The University is funded and overseen by the People’s Committee of An Giang province.
- An Giang University has a specific mandate from the central government to develop human resources in An Giang and neighboring provinces. Furthermore, the mission of AGU is to encourage research and apply technology in order to promote economic and social development within the province and neighboring provinces.
- An Giang University is located in the capitol of An Giang province: Long Xuyen. Long Xuyen is the second-largest city in the Mekong Delta region and it is home to a rapidly growing economy.
- The foundation of AGU was the transition from the An Giang College of Education to a full-fledged university. Currently, there are two campuses of AGU located next to each other, and construction of a third and campus is underway.
- Volunteers have been employed at AGU almost since the beginning. Currently, there are usually about ten foreign-born volunteers throughout the school year at AGU. An Giang University is open and committed to working with foreign and domestic NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and institutions and presently maintains working relationships with many NGOs and institutions. Volunteers typically reside in the International Guest House located on campus B.
Contact Information: Telephone 84-76-945454 FAX 84-76-842-560 Address 25 Võ Thị Sáu Street T.P. Long Xuyên An Giang Việt Nam E-Mail General Information: agu@agu.edu.vn
Teaching at An Giang University
Nearly all volunteers at AGU are assigned to work in the School of Education, Department of Foreign Languages. Teaching itself is very straightforward and volunteers are given a lot of freedom and flexibility in their classes. Students at AGU are generally more respectful of their teachers than students of a similar age in Western countries. However, there are aspects of teaching at AGU that new volunteers are always surprised to encounter. The following is a list of items that previous volunteers have been surprised with. ====Monitors==== Every class at AGU has a class monitor. This person is elected by the class to lead them in academics and logistics. It is not always the best student. You should get this person’s name and phone number right away, and communicate with him or her regarding missed classes (see below), paying for photocopies, filling out “the book,” and getting forms for filling in midterm grades. ===="The Book"==== Every class studies as a cohort and every class has their own book where teachers write things after class. Instructors are expected to write how many periods were studied, the name of the lesson, how the class behaved, and the names of any students that were absent. ====Periods==== Every class period is 45 minutes long. The entire day is divided into periods as follows:
Morning
- First Period: 7:00-7:45 a.m.
- Break: 7:45-7:50 a.m.
- Second Period: 7:50-8:35 a.m.
- Break: 8:35-8:45 a.m.
- Third Period: 8:45-9:30 a.m.
- Break: 9:30-9:35 a.m.
- Fourth Period: 9:35-10:20 a.m.
- Break: 10:20-10:25 a.m.
- Fifth Period: 10:25-11:10 a.m.
Afternoon
- First Period: 1:00-1:45 p.m.
- Break: 1:45-1:50 pm.
- Second Period: 1:50-2:35 p.m.
- Break: 2:35-2:45 p.m.
- Third Period: 2:45-3:30 p.m.
- Break: 3:30-3:35 p.m.
- Fourth Period: 3:35-4:20 p.m.
- Break: 4:20-4:25 p.m.
- Fifth Period: 4:25-5:10 p.m.
Midterm Exams
Midterms are not required at AGU. HOWEVER, if you do not have a midterm, or if you neglect to submit your midterm grades, the students’ semester grade will be based entirely on their final exams. You can determine midterm grades in whatever fashion you like, including tests, presentations, group projects, and class participation. When you have determined your midterm grades, ask the monitor for a “phiếu điểm”with all of their names. Fill out the grades here and give it to the testing office before you submit the final exam. ====Final Exams==== End-of-semester exams must be submitted to the Department of Foreign Languages about 10 days before the exam. There will be a schedule posted in the Reading Room towards the end of the semester telling you when to turn in exams for various classes, and who to submit them to. For every subject, the instructor must submit two different exams (one is the retest, in case students fail), along with answer keys. For listening exams you must submit not only a paper copy of the test and an answer key, but also at least two CDs or tapes per test with the listening tracks. After they have been given to the Department of Foreign Languages, the exams will be passed to the Testing Office, which will administer the exams. No teacher will ever administer their own final exams, unless the subject is speaking. This means that the instructions need to be very clear, and the CDs for listening should probably have pauses built in between the tracks (because you don’t know if the test administrator will know to stop between tracks to give students thinking time or not). If you have questions about testing, make sure to ask someone in the Department of Foreign Languages early, in order to avoid problems later!
Missed Classes
Teachers can cancel class whenever they want, which makes it easy to take a sick day when you feel a little off, or take that long-weekend trip to Cambodia. HOWEVER…when you miss a class, you have to make up that class, and you have to schedule the time to make it up with the class on your own. No one is going to help you with rescheduling the class, and if you wait until the end of the semester to make up 6-7 periods of class, chances are the students will not be free (because they’re making up other classes). If you know you will be away, you can plan to make up classes in advance, otherwise, just make sure to check with the monitor as to how many periods you need to make up, and when.
Living at An Giang University
The International Guest House (Nhà Khách Quốc Tế)
All foreign volunteers at AGU are provided with free accommodation in the International Guest House. This house is located on campus B of AGU. The International Guest House is set in a peaceful and private corner of the campus. Most rooms have separate living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. There is a common kitchen and dining room located on the first floor. Every room is air-conditioned and also has LAN and wireless internet access. Mattresses, basic furniture, bedding, and curtains are provided by the university. Laundry services are available for a small fee, although some volunteers have chosen to do their laundry themselves. The housekeeper, Co Lien, and her assistant, Chi Ut, will provide you with clean sheets, soap, and toilet paper whenever you need them. They do not speak much English, although usually body language and gestures work just fine. For any problems with the guesthouse, Co Lien is your first stop, although usually for any big decision-making, such as replacing furniture, you will have to ask the IR department for assistance. Commonly Utilized Offices at An Giang University: The Research and International Relations Office (Phòng Quản Lý Khoa Học và Hợp Tác Quốc Tế)
The Research and International Relations Office
Commonly referred to as "IR" among volunteers, this office a very helpful place to go if you have questions or concerns about things unrelated to teaching. The office keeps files on all of the volunteers, extends visas for volunteers, sees that volunteers have comfortable living conditions, and so forth. The IR office is located on the second floor of the main administration building on campus A of An Giang University. Commonly Utilized Offices at An Giang University: The Library (Thư Viện)
The library is used by volunteers at AGU because it not only has a good selection of English books, but it also features a computer lab for teachers in the back.
In this computer lab there is also a printer which is free for teachers to use. Bring your own paper!
Commonly Utilized Offices at An Giang University
The Finance Office (Phòng Kế Hoạch Tài Vụ)
Every person at AGU must visit the Finance Office at least once a month to collect his/her salary. Even though all of the foreigners working at AGU are technically volunteers, the university still provides a small stipend to help cover living expenses in Long Xuyen. Stipends are usually paid on the 10th of the month, or thereabouts depending on how “with it” the finance office is during any given month. The office is located on the first floor of the main administrative building on Campus A, on the right side of the hallway.
Commonly Utilized Offices at An Giang University: The testing office (Phòng khảo Thi) If the testing office has problems with your exams, they will ask you to come here. This is also where you take the “phiếu điểm” to submit your midterm exam grades.
A Beginner's Guide to Vietnamese in the Mekong Delta
Although Vietnam and the Mekong Delta are rapidly developing, there are still not many people who can speak English well outside of certain classrooms and offices. If you come to live and work at AGU, you will find certain times when all of the people around you cannot speak any English other than "hello!" Below are two different pages to help you with your Vietnamese: one is a list of common and helpful phrases in Vietnamese, the other is an English-speakers guide to pronunciation of southern Vietnamese. An English-Speaker's Guide to Southern Vietnamese Pronunciation
Consonants beginning words:
-“b” and “p” are the same sound; like “but” in English. -“c” is not the hard sound like in English; it’s sounds similar to a hybrid between the English “c” and “g.” -“d” is always the English “y” sound, like in “you.” -“đ” is always the English “d,” as in “dog.” -“g” followed by “a,” “o,” or “u” is always the English “g,” as in “girl.” - “g” followed by “i,” “e,” is pronounced as the English “y” sounds, like in “you” -“h” is the same as English in “proper” Vietnamese, but in the South it pronounced the same as the “qu” Vietnamese sound. -“k” is similar to the Vietnamese “c,” but perhaps slightly harder when spoken by some people.
-“l” is the same as English. -“m” is the same as English. -“n” is the same as English. -“p” see “b.” -“q” is always used with the vowel “u” to form “qu” which then in turn sounds like the English “w,” as in “want.” -“r” sounds like the English letter, but sometimes it is thickened and guttural so that it sounds like the English “g.” (if you have studied German, you will have an advantage) -“s” is the same as in English. Don’t let “proper” teachers tell you that it is a “sh” sound. -“t” is a lighter “t” than in English. I think of it as a hybrid between the English “t” and “d” sounds. There is no breath coming out of your mouth for this sound.
-“v” is the same as English in “proper” Vietnamese. However, when people are talking amongst themselves, it is nearly always turned into the “y” sound in English. -“x” the same as “s” in English.
Common clusters at the beginning of words:
-“kh” for some can be rather guttural, or similar to the pronunciation of the Southern “h.” It can also be similar to an English “qu” but with a little more breath, like the sound in “quite.”
-“ng” is probably the most difficult consonant sound for native English speakers. This one just takes practice; there is no equivalent in English. It is followed by vowels “o,” “u,” and “a” -“ngh” is the same as “ng,” but is followed by the vowels “e,” and “i.” Vietnamese has silent letters, and in this case it’s the letter “h.” -“th” - “th” sounds like a typical English “t,” complete with air expiration.It can be rather difficult to differentiate between “th” and “t” in Vietnamese.
Vowels:
-“a” sounds like the English “a” in the word “back.” -“â” has different sounds in different words. It can sound like the English “u” like in the word “butter,” but it can also sound similar to the English “a” in “back.” -“ă” is usually a rather nasal “a” sound. -“e” has no real equivalent in English. Think of a person with a strong New York accent saying the word “air.” You can also think of it as combining a short “e” and short “i,” like in the word “yet.” -“ê” is like saying the letter “a” in English. It is similar to combining a short “a” and short “e” in English, like in the word “late.” However, in the South there are cases in certain words where it sounds like the English “u” in the word “butter.” -“i” is like saying a long “e” in English. -“o” is like the “o” in the English word “bother” or like expressing sympathy or adoration in English, something like “awww.” -“ô” is like saying a long “o” in English. -“ơ” is like the English “u” in the word “butter,” and sometimes sounds almost like it has an “r” sound at the end. -“u” is like the vowel sound in the word “cool.” -“ư” has no equivalent in English. This one just takes practice. Try saying “oo” and then smiling and you’re halfway there. -“y” is the same as the Vietnamese “i.”
Ending Sounds (in no particular order):
-“iên” sounds like the English “ing.” - “iêng” like “nghiêng” (which is the ONLY seven letter word in Vietnamese…) -“anh” sounds like the English name “Ann.” -“an” sounds like the English “ang.” -“en” usually sounds like something similar to the English “ing,” but not exactly. -“yên” usually sounds like the English “ing.” - “uyên” like “uyên bác” sounds like the phrase “we in,” with the stress on the first word -“c,” “p,” “ch” and “t” all sound similar when they are used to end Vietnamese words. However, there are some slight differences with specific words. -“ch” sounds like the English “t” when it is used to end a word. -“t” sounds like a hybrid between the English “c” and “ch” when it is used to end a word. -“c” and “p” are nearly impossible to differentiate between when used at the end of a Vietnamese word. Usually if someone is saying these final consonants, their mouth will become round and full with air. -“ng” is the English “m” sound when ending a word, except if the word contains vowels with “hooks” (i.e. ư and ơ); then the “ng” sound is what you would think it would be. -“âu” is something like saying “ow” when you’re in pain, but keeping the mouth rather tight and in a circular shape. -“au” or “ao” is like saying “ow” but not keeping the mouth as tight as above. -“ai,” “ay” and “ây” all sound surprisingly similar in Vietnamese, like the English “I.” -“inh” sounds something like the English word “in,”
-“n” is the same as English. Sometimes at the end of the word it sounds closer to “ng” - “ương” like “phương” - “âm” like “lâm” - “ưu” like “bưu điện” - “ươu” like “hươu” - “ia” like bia - “uôn” like “nguồn” - “uông” like “chuông” - “ôn” like “bồn chồn” - “oa” like “hoa” - “oi” like “con thoi” - “ung” like “thùng” - “oan” like “khoan” - “iêp” or “ip” like “bưu thiếp” or “theo kịp” - “iêm” or “im” like “que diêm” or “im lặng” - “ươc” or “ươt” like “nước” or “ướt” - “iu” or “iêu” or “yêu” like “nhỏ xíu” or “tiêu” There is an exception to this most of the time. For example, the words “cong” and “công” sound the same.
Vietnamese Tones:
Vietnamese has six tones, although people in the south really only use five. These take a while to master, and can cause interesting mix-ups in conversation. Sometimes saying things without any tones will also get you what you need.
No Tone: ma This is pronounced in the middle of your voice and is flat. Think, singing the word “ma” in choir practice.
Rising Tone: má This tone starts in the middle of your voice and rises steadily. It is similar to the rise in intonation at the end of yes/no questions in English (Are you going home?)
Falling Tone: mà This tone starts in the middle of your voice and falls steadily. It is similar to the way we finish sentences or statements in English. (Yes, I am.)
The “question” Tone: mả This tone starts a little below the middle of your voice, drops, and then rises again. It sounds similar to the exclamation of surprise and confusion in English: “Really?!”
High Broken Tone: mã In southern Vietnam, this sounds exactly the same as the “question” tone. In northern Vietnam, it is a little sharper, with your voice breaking between the falling and rising parts of the tone.
Low Broken Tone: mạ This tone starts a little below center and then drops to the bottom of your vocal registry where it stops abruptly. You can think about the noise you might make if someone punched you in the stomach and knocked the wind out of you.
Common and Useful Vietnamese
The most common situations in which you will need Vietnamese are eating and communicating with Co Lien and Co Ut at the guesthouse. Here are a few phrases to start you out:
At a restaurant: You hear:
“uống gì?” oo-ong yee? What do you want to drink?
“ăn gì?” ang yee? What do you want to eat? “dùng gì?” yoong yee? What do you want? “kếu gì?” kee-yoo yee? What do you want?
You drink: Cà phê kah fay coffee Sữa soo-ah milk Đá chanh da chan lemonade Cam vắt kam yat orange juice Trà đá tra da tea Bia bee-yah beer Nước ngọt nurk ngot soft drink (in general)
You eat: Cơm sườn come surn rice with grilled prk Bún boon rice noodles (sometimes in soup) Mì mee egg noodles (sometimes in soup) Bánh mì ốp la bang mee ope la bread with eggs
Links That May or May Not be of Interest
Vietnamese Learning Resources:
http://vdict.com Free translation of words from Vietnamese to English, English to Vietnamese, and Vietnamese to Vietnamese, as well as French resources.
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/vietnamese/vnlanguage/supportns/tableofcontent.htm This website has twenty interactive beginner lessons of Vietnamese, complete with exercises and sound files. Very useful for beginners (although not the pronunciation differences between the Northern dialect, which this course teaches, and the Southern dialect that you will hear in Long Xuyen.)
http://www.public.asu.edu/~ickpl/vnonline/index.htm A central resource with links to a lot of different Vietnamese language websites.
English Teaching Resources: =
www.eslflow.com This website is organized by theme or level, and has a great search function that allows you to find lessons about almost any topic. A great resource, and place to start when all you have is an idea for a lesson.
www.breakingnewsenglish.com This website has authentic news bulletins, usually quite short, with related activities, lesson ideas, and downloadable sound files.
www.elllo.org This website has hundreds of listening resources, both conversations and short lectures or speeches on a variety of topics. Can not always download, but can ask students to listen online.
www.rong-chang.com This is a central website with links to a lot of other different websites. The toolbar on the left is organized by skills and topic, and there are many links under each category.
www.esl-cafe.com This is one of the classic ESL teaching websites. It has a lot of games and activities, although they are organized by name, and so it’s not initially easy to tell what the activity/lesson plan is about. This can be time-consuming. Weblogs of Current and Former Volunteer Teachers: Eric Burdette Tyler Watts Steven Parker Lillian Forsyth Anh-Minh Do
Maps of An Giang University and Long Xuyen
Click on the following links to see maps of the two campuses of AGU as well as the central area of Long Xuyen. An Giang University Long Xuyen
