NUS Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences STEER Vietnam: A phenomenal feature of education, culture and pharmaceuticals
From 14 to 21 December 2024, a total of 17 Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science undergraduates embarked on a week-long Study Trip for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programme to Hanoi, Vietnam, accompanied by A/Prof Christine Teng, Dr Donavan Neo and Dr Linda Hong. The aim of the programme was to explore Hanoi region’s healthcare and pharmaceutical setting, as well as Vietnamese culture and heritage.
We were warmly welcomed and hosted by the staff and students at Hanoi University of Pharmacy (HUP), where we were introduced to Vietnam’s unique clinical pharmacy education, pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical industry through a series of enriching and insightful faculty presentations. We were also graced by the presence of Mr Hoang Nguyen, a Vietnamese NUS Pharmacy alumnus, who generously shared his educational and career experiences that provided much relevance and clarity to us. During lunch, professors and students from both institutions had the opportunity to interact on a more personal level, facilitating the exchange of ideas on pharmacy and culture.
Tour of Hanoi University of Pharmacy
Educational Sharings by Faculty members
Led by NUS faculty staff, students from NUS and HUP immersed ourselves in an afternoon of lessons emulating NUS’s style of Collaborative Learning Workshops (CLW) commonly conducted in the Pharmacy curriculum. NUS students and HUP students were grouped up together to discuss a case of acne vulgaris, offering opportunities to exchange insights which enhanced our learning experience.
For Pharmaceutical Science students who have not attended a CLW, this was a very interesting experience as our tutorial sessions do not feature i-RAT and t-RATs. Overall, it was a fruitful afternoon for all as we refreshed our understanding of or learnt more about the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris while enjoying conversations with the HUP students to hear their thought processes.
CLW with NUS & HUP students
As part of the programme, we had the opportunity to visit some of Hanoi’s leading hospitals too. We learnt so much from the doctors there with regards to advancements in Vietnam’s healthcare industry and local nuances about the delivery of healthcare to the masses. We also visited the hospitals’ pharmacy, where we experienced the daily hustle and bustle of a practicing pharmacist first-hand. Visiting these hospitals was overall a very engaging and enlightening experience!
Group photo with the local pharmacists
Subsequently, we visited the factory of Traphaco, a pharmaceutical company opened in 1972 and is deeply rooted in Vietnam’s unique history. We met some of Traphaco’s representatives and learnt about their vibrant history as well as their core mission of creating green products to care for human health. The staff even took us on a tour of Traphaco’s manufacturing facilities to show how their products are brought from bench to bedside. The visit concluded with a scrumptious lunch at Traphaco’s canteen and we got to interact with locals employed at the company. It was a very unforgettable experience!
Traphaco Visit
Our trip continued to local pharmacy Phương Chung Pharmacy, where we explored a wide range of medications available for locals to purchase, and a field trip to traditional medicine shops in Lan Ong Street. The street was named after the famous physician Hai Thuong Lan Ong (1720-1791) which till today, is occupied with a plethora of herbal medicine shops, filling the street with a distinct scent of herbs. This was a new and foreign sight for us as traditional medicine shops are not highly concentrated in an area in Singapore.
To understand more about Vietnamese culture, we visited the Temple of Literature, a historical place where students visit to pray for academic success, and explored various popular places such as President Ho Chi Minh’s Masoleum and the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, where we discovered architecture, relics and stories of Vietnamese history.
Visit to Temple of Literature
The highlight of our cultural adventure was a day-trip to Ha Long Bay, where we could explore the stunning limestone mountains from the comfort of our boat.
Day trip at Ha Long Bay
In our free time, we had the chance to explore notable places such as the famous Hanoi Train Street, Old Quarter Lake and the Hanoi Night Market too. We were able to indulge in a rich variety of local food and scenery.
Enjoying breakfast like a local 🙂
On our final day in Hanoi, we dressed up in Áo dài, the traditional dress in Vietnam, in which we took many memorable pictures around Hanoi and bade farewell to the lovely teachers and students from HUP. Over a table of delectable seafood and exquisite desserts, joy and merriment were shared over a hearty meal that exemplified the unbreakable bonds we forged over the course of a week.
Certificate presentation and farewell meal on our last day in Hanoi
This STEER trip was an insightful and engaging experience for all of us. This trip deepened our understanding of Vietnam’s healthcare system and highlighted the importance of accessibility and cultural competence in pharmacy practice. We are immensely grateful to the local pharmacists, healthcare professionals, and professors for their guidance and collaboration throughout this journey.
Safely landed back in Singapore!
Article by Xu Chunxi, Erik (Year 2 Pharmaceutical Science) and Charis Wu Si Si (Year 1 Pharmacy)
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