The Political Economy of Educational Reforms and Capacity Development in Southeast Asia

Abstract

One of the most famous images of the US War in Vietnam is a naked young Vietnamese girl, Kim Phuc, running from a village, her body inflamed with napalm. That photograph, taken by Nick Ut, displayed to the whole world the horrors of the US war in Vietnam. Kim Phuc, now a Canadian citizen living in Ottawa with her two children, runs a foundation to help child victims of war. Kim's success and inspiring story is reflective of the resilience of the Vietnamese both at home and abroad in the face of the dramatic tragedy of war, death, and violence.Especially during the early period of communist rule (1975–1985) that followed US withdrawal from Vietnam and the end of the Vietnam War, many refugees (often as boat people) left Vietnam for the USA. Currently there are 1,418,234 Vietnamese-Americans (representing 0.5% of the US population). They are the second largest Southeast Asia-American group in the USA. Much attention has focused on the military conflict in Vietnam and the US war there. However, Vietnam is not just a war, but a country. Already in 2008, many books have been published about Vietnam. Nearly all are still about the tragic war. Vietnam has a long and rich history as a literate culture strongly influenced by China. On many occasions, the Chinese tried to dominate and defeat Vietnam, but always failed.The Political Economy of Educational Reforms and Capacity Development in Southeast Asia The Political Economy of Educational Reforms and Capacity Development in Southeast Asia LookInsideShareShare this content on Facebook Share this content on Twitter Share this content on LinkedInOther actions Export citations About this Book