Groups of Vietnamese University students have been enjoying Bruniean hospitality while developing their skills in spoken and written English. The students stay in on-campus accommodation, attend English language classes and enjoy tours around Brunei during their 5 – 6 week stay. Past groups have remarked on the quiet pace of life and on the safety they feel in Brunei. The Vietnamese IT students arrive in small groups of around 15. The first group studied at UBD during December 2015, the second group visited in April 2016 and another group will begin their studies in June 2016.
Competitive entry to their university ensures that they are high achievers in their country, and they quickly adapt to their English-speaking environment here in Brunei. Comparisons of English tests when they arrive and when they leave show a clear improvement. The course covers the four skills; Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Each day they spend several hours in the classroom, but they also have time to explore the campus and to enjoy trips to places of interest in Brunei. After their course they leave the country with a better understanding of another ASEAN culture and with a new-found confidence with English.
Bruniean students who live on-campus have opportunities to meet the Vietnamese students casually at The Core, on the sports fields and at social events around the campus. Both groups benefit from the cultural exchange.