My name is Dominic Mai I'm a student of IT at Freiburg University Germany and participated in the above mentioned practical training through IAESTE. This report is intended to serve as a source of information for other people that plan to visit the same University. I am a German citizen, so take care that some Information like visa requirements might be different for you.
PreparationsI found to months sufficient for taking the necessary preparations as buying the flight, acquiring the visa which is mandatory and getting the necessary vaccinations. Be warned that the final confirmation from IAESTE Vietnam might arrive later. I got mine 3 weeks before departure.
ArrivingI was picked up by a car from Noi Bai International Airport which is around 2 hours from the University and brought to my room.
LivingThe rooms for foreign visitors are located in a dormitory next to the faculty where around 1.000 students live. The dormitory is fenced off and guarded and the foreigner rooms are separated by an extra iron gate. The room itself is way above Vietnamese and up to western standards. It was equipped with: air conditioning, fridge, king-size bed, bathroom with hot shower, water boiler and a washing machine. There is no kitchen but you can get food around the university for 10.000 to 20.000vnd for a meal.
Inside the dormitory there is a canteen and an internet cafe and there also is a basketball ,a volleyball and several badminton courts and the opportunity to participate in martial arts.
I worked as a scientific assistant and was assigned to a teacher according to the specializations I pointed out in my application letter. Most of the work was independent research and I also did some teaching in JAVA. Be warned that locals tend to think that westerners have nearly supernatural skills and therefore you are prone to be assigned to over-ambitious tasks. The work itself is very independent and most of the contact I had with my boss was through the weekly reports on my progress I had to submit. The infrastructure is good, I had a cubicle with own computer and internet access in an open plan office.
Availability of servicesPostal service is available although you don't have an own address and therefore letters and packets are relayed through another person at the university. Incoming packets have to clear customs which might take extremely long time. A packet for Christmas arrived in the middle of April.
Internet is widely available in internet cafes where the quality is generally best, although some sites might be difficult to reach (e.g. wordpress).
Basic medication like painkillers is readily available in pharmacies and is relatively cheap. Advanced medical services are only available in the biggest cities like Hanoi and Saigon. You can find ATMs in nearly every city and I found that visa cards worked most of the times.
My German cellphone worked perfectly with a prepaid card I bought there. Prices are ~1000vnd local calls, 4000vnd international and 300 for a text message.
Currency is 220V AC, German plugs are working.
The main language for communication is English although outside the universities and touristic places it is unlikely to find people that know how to speak it.
Vietnamese is extremely difficult to pronounce for Europeans as it is a tonal language but it isn't impossible to learn a bit of it. If the locals notice you can say something the welcome is much warmer and you might have to pay less for services than a deaf-mute tourist. Private lessons are available for around 50.000vnd/hour.
Vietnam is a poor country so you do not need a lot of money for living although it's hard to get by with the salary of 1.000.000vnd. With another 2.000.000vnd every month you should be able to live very comfortably. The room in the dormitory is free but if you plan to stay longer, you can live like a local student for around 300.000vnd/month.
Traveling is cheap, you can get a bus to Hanoi for 30.000vnd and a motorbike Taxi shouldn't cost more that 20.000 anywhere in the city.