Science & Technology Development Journal - Social Sciences & Humanities

Competency requirements for Vietnam’s academic librarians: a content analysis of job advertisements from 2015 to 2021

Huyền Thị Ngô — 2021-09-03

In the context of the constantly changing information and technology environment, academic libraries are gradually transforming from a traditional model to a modern one with the rise of digital technology application. This shift has affected the role of academic librarians and has resulted in competency requirements from employers. This study collected 63 academic librarian job advertisements published on online channels between 2015 and April 30, 2021 in order to explore the competency requirements for Vietnam's academic librarians in recent years. The study employed descriptive statistics analysis, calculating the frequency of occurrence of the collected job advertisements' content. For vacancies, the research found that the positions that appeared most often in the job advertisements were librarians and digital librarians. At the same time, the observed libraries only recruited staff positions. There was a lack of job advertisements for library manager positions. Regarding job duties and responsibilities, research results showed that job advertisements mainly mentioned professional activities, information resource management and information services. In terms of required competencies, job advertisements indicated the following requirements: (1) bachelor's degree in Library and Information Science or Information Management, (2) the English language, (3) computer and information technology skills, (4) work experience, (5) professional knowledge and skills such as professional expertise, training, technology and marketing, (6) management knowledge and skills, (7) teamwork and interpersonal skills, and (8) attitudes, for example a sense of responsibility.

Value chain approach to develop craft village tourism – case study of Que Son cassava noodle, Quang Nam province

Loan Ngô Thanh — 2021-09-05

In recent years, craft villages are one of the attractive cultural resources to be exploited for tourism activities. Many localities have taken advantage of this resource to develop tourism in order to enhance people's livelihood. This paper opts for cassava noodle artisanal production in Que Son district, Quang Nam province, as a case study. Que Son's cassava noodle traditional village was established quite a long time ago; however, this special resource has not been yet effectively exploited to create tourism products. Using the value chain analysis method, the authors aim to study how stakeholders involve in tourism activities' implementation and operation. The value chain approach will contribute to both sectors, agriculture and tourism. In addition, the authors also use an in-depth interview method with the local government and enterprises to collect opinions about a model to develop craft village tourism. The findings show the potential for cassava noodle village to become a touristic site by linking stakeholders, under the coordination of Caromi – a cassava noodle factory. This paper also proposes the value chain framework to indicate the stakeholders' role and benefits when participating in craft village tourism.

Developing the sustainable community-based tourism in Ly Son Island, Ly Son District, Quang Ngai Province

Ngo Thi Thu Trang — 2021-09-24

Community-based tourism (CBT) has become a potential form of tourism in rural areas around the world and in Vietnam, where local communities are the main subject exploiting tourism resources to create tourism products provided for tourists and, the benefits from tourism activities are equally distributed to them. Based on the unique potential tourism resources, local communities and other stakeholders in Ly Son Island (Ly Son District, Quang Ngai rovince) are actively developing the CBT in association with the orientation of tourism becoming a spearhead economic sector, creating a driving force for the socio-economic development of the district. However, in recent years, the CBT development in Ly Son Island has revealed limitations, inefficiencies, and lack of sustainability in exploiting tourism resources as well as product quality. Although researches on sustainable tourism have been quite popular in the world, specific research on sustainable CBT in islands, especially in ones in Viet am, is rarely mentioned. This study used deep interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and the assets-based community development (ABCD) method to analyze the potential and status of the CBT development in Ly Son Island, thereby suggesting sustainable development orientations from three angles: economic efficiency, improvement of local community capacity, and environmental sustainability.

Conceptions of the digital scholarship of the university community at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Thoa Thi Kim Ninh — 2021-10-06

Developing the digital scholarship, particularly the application of digital technologies to academic activities, has become a common trend at universities around the world. Universities in Vietnam are no exception to that trend. The results of the study presented in the paper are part of a larger research project conducted to propose a model of digital scholarship services for the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. This paper mainly focuses on the research results related to the conception of the university community at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City towards the concept of the digital scholarship. To achieve the goal, the study employed in-depth interviews to collect data from a sample of 31 purposely selected individuals, including university administrators, library managers, lecturers, graduate and undergraduate students, from the six member universities of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Library. The research results show that there are three main points of view regarding the concept of the digital scholarship within the University Ho Chi Minh City's university community: (1) The digital scholarship is the application of technologies to all academic activities; (2) The digital scholarship is the application of technologies to a type of academic activities, such as teaching and learning, or the provision and use of digital materials; (3) The digital scholarship is the application of technologies in the management of universities' academic activities. The research results also indicate that there is still part of the university community, which has been unaware of or unfamiliar with the concept of the digital scholarship.

A survey of the current status of the sigangae of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City system

Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc — 2021-10-10

Linguistic landscape plays an important role in the globalization of the higher education environment. In particular, the signage system is seen as a fundalmental part of the linguistic landscape, contributing to the promotion of university systems’ images and identities in the world. However, there has not been sufficient attention on the signage use at many universities in Vietnam, and one of them is the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City system (VNUHCM). This survey aims at examining the current status of the signage use at four of the six VNUHCM member universities. Using quantitative methods, the paper synthesized and analyzed 564 signs, including monolingual ones in Vietnamese and in English, bilingual ones in Vietnamese and English, and multilingual ones which were all collected via fieldwork during the first quarter of 2020. Based on the signage guidelines of some globally popular university systems in the top of the QS Rankings 2021, the paper points out it is the lack of a signage guide manual at the VNUHCM system that leads to inconsistencies in the signage use at its member universities. Then, the survey findings reveal some specific problems and suggestions with the hope to encourage the improvement of the linguistic landscape at the VNUHCM system. Also, the research may serve as a useful reference for other universities in Vietnam.

The lecturers’ belief on ethical standards of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Phuoc Huu Le — 2021-10-10

Ethical standard of lecturers is very important issue in teaching and training process of any country. In Vietnam, in the context of fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training, this issue has attracted more attention from both the political system and the whole society. In order to establish the ethical standards of the teaching staff in the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), on the basis of literature review and questionnaire survey, the article focuses on the belief analysis of undergraduate lecturers, including three makeup elements of ethical standard: (1) Political qualities and civic responsibility, (2) Professional ethics, (3) Lifestyle. The results show that the scale of criteria for each group has high reliability and the lecturers of VNU-HCM highly appreciate the importance of these criteria. However, perceptions and attitudes in recognizing these criteria also depend on some factors, in which gender, age and expertise are the three factors that create significant differences in the lecturers’ belief of ethical criteria. The data of the article will provide a scientific and practical basis for the development of a set of ethics guidelines and a code of conduct for the VNU-HCM teaching staff. It is also an essential reference resource for the Vietnamese higher education system in general.

Research competency-based model for lecturers at universities: literature review

Bui Ha Phuong — 2021-10-10

Scientific research is one of the compulsory tasks for lecturers. The results of the lecturer's scientific research tasks are based on each lecturer's general competence and lecturers' research competence in particular. The lecturers' scientific research competence is reflected in the quantity and quality of scientific research outputs and in the outcomes of scientific and technological tasks. Currently, the development of scientific research competence of lecturers at universities is carried out through many various forms and measures. In particular, the building of a model of lecturers' scientific research competence is one of the necessary factors to evaluate the competence of human resources in general and the scientific research competence of lecturers in particular. The paper focuses on clarifying the theoretical basis of some models of research competence of lecturers at universities. By using the method of literature review, the paper aims to analyze some advantages and limitations of each model in order to provide references and suggestions for new research directions in this field. The research outputs of this paper contribute to the building of scientific research competence for lecturers at Vietnamese universities.

The Journey of River (Nguyen Ngoc Tu) from Perspectives of Eco-criticism

Nguyet Thi Anh Tran — 2021-10-06

According to Cheryll Glotfelty, simply put, ecocritisim is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment. Ecocritisim argue the ecological theory of human sciences, which take the "anthropocentrism". It takes an "earth-centrered'' approach to literary studies. This article, we want to "read" River Nguyen Ngoc Tu from the core ideas of ecocritism. By demythologizing the adventure, traveling on the Di river is a journey to realize the loss of nature, to realize the barrenness. On the journey to explore the Di river, the character recognizes the impact of climate change on the fate of the people who live there. Nguyen Ngoc Tu chose a gay character to tell about the trip on the Di river, she wrote the sadness of a world that could disappear. River creates a new sensation when Nguyen Ngoc Tu wrote about the Southern space: a highly controversial view of anti-romanticism, ecotourism, and de-mythology. Author has posed a direct way of environmental issues and the life of man in the age of environmental crisis.

Cultural tourism villages: the strategy for the rural tourism development associated with the new rural construction

Ngo Thi Thu Trang — 2021-10-06

Along with the development of the rural tourism, cultural tourism villages have developed in a number of countries around the world. In Vietnam, cultural villages are known after implementing the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) program, which focuses on piloting the ten models of cultural tourism villages associated with the national target program of building the new rural construction (NRC). The model of the cultural tourism village is an expression of the specifications of local tourism products on the basis of promoting the internal values of each region and creating an income increase for rural areas in order to fulfill the income criteria, which are hard to achieve in the process of the new rural construction. Cultural tourism village is the convergence of cultural values, landscapes, customs and products of the typical region. By taking a practical approach in supporting the development of cultural tourism village projects in some localities such as Ben Tre, Dong Thap, and Ca Mau, the author presents the viewpoints and orientations in the development of cultural tourism villages in Vietnam, thereby contributing a scientific basis to proposing solutions to develop the rural tourism in association with the new rural construction.