UQ School of Public Health students had the opportunity to enhance their understanding of global health in the context of climate change on a study tour of Vietnam as part of the New Colombo Plan (NCP) student mobility program.
The NCP is an Australian Government Initiative to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia.
The tour, led by Associate Professor Dung Phung and Dr Stacey Pizzino from UQ’s School of Public Health, in partnership with Hanoi Medical University (HMU), was an immersive experience with a combination of lectures from HMU experts and practical field trips.
Hanoi Medical University (HMU) is the largest medical university in Vietnam with over a century of health leadership. Training a diverse range of health professionals, HMU provides comprehensive clinical training and education with a dedicated teaching hospital and partnerships with leading Vietnamese hospitals.
Students studying UQ’s Bachelor of Health Sciences gained valuable insights into the Vietnamese health system and health policies, with an emphasis on how climate change impacts the Vietnamese population and local mitigation and adaptation.
Key areas of study also included vaccinations, occupational health and safety, and environmental health.
Joseph Thornton, a student involved in the program, said one of the most valuable insights from the trip was witnessing how the passionate public health professionals at HMU demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of advocacy to demand action from everyone from multisectoral government departments all the way down to individuals – action which is essential to transform theory into real-world practice.
“This is something I could never have fully understood from a textbook."
"In two short weeks, we were guided through the current strengths, challenges and threats to Vietnam’s health system, with an emphasis on how their vulnerability to climate change will further expose these into the future.”
Associate Professor Phung praised the strategic partnership between Hanoi Medical University and The University of Queensland.
“Following the visit of UQ’s executives and a strategic workshop held in November 2023, both universities are committed to advancing collaborations in academic education and research across multiple UQ organisations within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behaviour Sciences and Vietnamese partners led by HMU.”
“The New Colombo Plan program is one of the efforts in strengthening the relationships and progressing the collaborations.”
Field visits were conducted across the different levels of the Vietnamese system including trips to the National Lung Hospital, Bat Trang pottery village (for an examination of occupation health and safety), and the Thach That Commune Health Centre.
Students gained firsthand insights into the diverse challenges that climate change presents and the activities taking place to build climate-resilient healthcare in Vietnam.
Students also experienced cultural highlights including sampling Hanoi cuisine and visiting renowned sites such as Trang An and Ha Long Bay, fostering a broader understanding of Vietnamese society and culture.
Dr Pizzino said these experiences were crucial to the students’ learning.
“The field trips provided us with an opportunity to see firsthand the challenges faced and the real-world impact of climate change, while cultural activities helped us appreciate the broader context, especially the values and traditions that shape how health decisions are made.”
”It was important to not just observe but understand how these factors fit together and develop a more nuanced understanding of the complexities.”
Student participant Francesca Watson said that her time in Vietnam opened her eyes to the power of cross-cultural and international collaboration to address global challenges.
“During my time in Vietnam I found my Western lens changing; as we learned about the Vietnamese perspective of the health effects of climate change, I couldn’t help but compare Vietnam to Australia. I found that despite the challenges Vietnam faces when compared to Australia, they approach these challenges with motivation, intuition, passion, and hope. Learning about their resilience, future proofing, and support of other countries in the face of climate change makes me think we will be looking to them for guidance in the future.”
Sofia Bentley, participant in the study tour, captured the highlights of this unforgettable experience in a video. To see more of the students’ observations and cultural immersion, watch the video below.
Following the success of this study tour, as well as an impactful trip to India in 2024, the School of Public Health looks forward to continuing global engagement with an expedition to Malaysia planned for November 2025.
