Study tourism at VNU-USSH: Training combined with domestic and international practice

Tourism has long been a key economic sector of the country, contributing significantly to the national GDP. In order to improve service quality and develop the tourism industry to meet domestic and international demand, high-quality human resources in this field are increasingly required to meet strict standards. Therefore, the tourism training program at universities is facing the need to innovate to keep up with reality.
The Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is the leading training unit in the country, contributing significantly to providing high-quality human resources in the tourism sector.
With two training majors:Tourism and travel services managementandHotel Management, The Faculty of Tourism Studies not only provides students with scientific theoretical foundations in this field but also brings students practical values ​​during their studies. Not only working hard in the classroom, Tourism students also experience lessons through internships and practical trips to localities, organizations, businesses, etc. to map the basic theories learned at school.
The staff and lecturers of the Faculty of Tourism Studies are not only leading experts in the industry in terms of academics, but also always keep up to date with trends and social requirements, and innovate training programs.
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hong Long - Head of the Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU often tells students "must travel a lot, because traveling is the fastest way to learn". As a famous person said, "The world is like a book, and those who do not travel only read one page". Let's travel to turn the pages of the book. With the mindset of a tourism student, traveling is not for enjoyment but to observe, learn and accumulate experience. That has also been the motto in the training direction of the Faculty of Tourism Studies for many years.

Practical experience at local, domestic and international organizations and enterprises is an activity regularly organized at the Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU. With the guidance of lecturers, Tourism Studies students have explored many famous places and learned a lot of new knowledge in each trip. Each course of students will have 02 practical modules (General Internship and General Internship), in addition to specialized Internship modules and short trips in specialized modules. Tourism Studies students have many practical experiences in addition to the academic knowledge enriched by traditional teaching methods.
The Faculty of Tourism not only creates opportunities for students to explore the domestic industry but also supports and guides international practical experience activities. Some recent domestic practical programs of Tourism students include:
Recently, K67 students of Hotel Management major participated in the Comprehensive Internship program with the theme "Youthforia: Passionate Youth" in 03 central cities: Nha Trang - Da Lat - Ho Chi Minh. Within the framework of the Comprehensive Internship trip, the group of students not only visited famous tourist attractions, learned about the local culture of each locality but also participated in the Hotel tour at Vinpearl Landmark 81 - the tallest building in Vietnam located on the banks of the Saigon River. This is the first Autograph Collection hotel in Vietnam of Marriott International, the largest hotel group in the world.

The K67 class of students majoring in Tourism and Travel Services Management also organized a comprehensive internship trip in Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Da Nang. The group of students visited famous tourist destinations such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Imperial City, Lang Co Bay, Tu Duc Tomb, Hai Van Pass, Cham Sculpture Museum, My Son Sanctuary, Mother Thu Monument, Son My Relic Site, Sa Ky Port - Ly Son Island, etc. With the experiences at the route that any tour guide in the industry needs to have a solid grasp of knowledge, the group of students was equipped with a solid foundation of professional knowledge, orienting their future career path.

Not only do students have the experience of exploring tourist destinations that provide general knowledge about the tourism industry, but they are also equipped with useful knowledge and experience during surveys and internships at Melia Vinpearl Riverfront Da Nang, Hyatt Regency and Mikazuki Japanese Resort & Spa Da Nang, Vinpearl Resort Hoi An, Canary Gold Hotel, Phu Yen Everyday Hotel, Champa Resort Nha Trang and Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel and Spa, etc. With each hotel surveyed and learned, students perfect their personal awareness of the hotel system in Vietnam. In addition, applying the traditionally taught skills helps train proactive, positive and professional human resources right from when they are still in school, creating a competitive advantage in future job opportunities.

For those working in the tourism industry, there is nothing that can limit their steps on the roads and lands. Therefore, the Faculty of Tourism Studies has made efforts to bring students to participate in practical activities in many countries.
In early June 2024, the K67 class of students majoring in Hotel Management had an 8-day, 7-night comprehensive internship in China. Through the course, students were equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to orient their career development. The comprehensive internship with the theme "Hoa Dang Nien Hoa" means "the most beautiful days of youth pass by like flowers flying across the sky. But don't let them pass forever, we embrace them in the film of youth". The students participated in a long journey through many culturally diverse locations with vibrant tourism activities, such as: Huu Nghi Border Gate, Nanning, Guizhou, Thien Ho Mieu Trai, Tran Vien Ancient Citadel, Tieu That Khong...

Through the trip, students majoring in Hotel Management not only acquired knowledge about local culture in the host country but also participated in Hotel Tour activities at 4 to 5 star hotels in China such as Home2 - Suites by Hilton, Gleetour Gizhou, Nanning hotel, Phoenix hotel. In addition, during the trip, the delegation also experienced the actual service quality of five 3-star to 4-star hotels. Thereby, students not only created films, recorded vivid images, updated about the hotel market in China but also applied the knowledge gained about the hotel system in Vietnam during the Summer Internship 2023 to make comparisons, draw out the unique and different points between the two hotel systems, and improve their own knowledge in developing future orientations.

Student Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly, class K67, Hotel Management major shared: “The Overseas Internship is a valuable learning and experience trip that cannot be replaced. This is an opportunity to travel, explore the culture of other countries and also happy, united days for the class. We hope that there will always be many opportunities, many trips like this to freely study, explore the wide horizons of knowledge that not all books can guide us, so that we can improve ourselves, become citizens who contribute to the Vietnamese tourism industry in particular and the development of the country in general.
Every road will have an end. However, I believe that the knowledge I have learned at the Faculty of Tourism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, and the memories created here will never fade in my memory. Above all, it helps students like me to be trained to become highly specialized people in the industry."