South east asian nations

It’s time, once again, to take a step back, rationally assess the state of English language instruction in Vietnam and reframe the debate. Aside from the limitations of an exam that only tests for grammatical and reading knowledge and neglects speaking, listening, and writing skills, there is the far more important question of whether it makes pedagogical and societal sense to require all students to study English or any other foreign language, for that matter. Another related issue is the steadily improving English proficiency of growing numbers of young Vietnamese. … [Read more...] about Missing the forest for the trees: National English exam results reconsidered

The ministers consented to continue implementing the resolutions adopted by leaders at the Special ASEAN+3 Summit on COVID-19, and committed to enhancing cooperation in food security via the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), digital transformation, regional financial and economic stability through the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) Agreement, and health care. … [Read more...] about Leaders of East Asia Summit vow to deepen cooperation

It also announced a vegetable farming project on Woody (Phu Lam) Island in the Paracels to strengthen its illegal sovereignty claims, and sent two diplomatic notes to the U.N. to make the infamous Four Sha claim, which covers an even broader swath of territory than the notorious, illegal nine-dash line. … [Read more...] about US praises ASEAN’s pandemic fight

In Quảng Nam Province, there were nine recovered patients at the Quảng Nam Regional General Hospital, including: Patient 521 and 905 residing in Điện Bàn Town; Patient 547, Patient 625, Patient 594, Patient 840, Patient 842 residing in Hội An City; Patient 841 and Patient 964  residing in Tam Kỳ Town. Patient 964 is an employee of the Center for Disease Control in Quảng Nam. … [Read more...] about Latest Coronavirus News in Vietnam & Southeast Asia September 8

Washington D.C (VNA) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on September 11 issued a press statement affirming the enduring commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In the statement, Pompeo said America has long been a friend to ASEAN countries. The ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific and the US Indo-Pacific Strategy share a respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, transparency, openness, and inclusivity. These shared principles form the core of the US work with ASEAN and are the basis for this week’s launch of the Mekong-US Partnership. The US reiterates its support for ASEAN as the bloc speaks with a strong, collective voice to advance these shared values. According to the Secretary of State, at the ASEAN-US Foreign Ministers’ meeting recently, he reaffirmed US support for ASEAN’s role at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. The US underscored its commitment to speak out against escalating aggression and threats to sovereign nations’ … [Read more...] about US affirms enduring commitment to ASEAN