Education abroad opportunity takes SDSU students to Vietnam

By Kristen Smith

Twenty-four students from South Dakota State University’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences traveled to Vietnam in May through an agriculture-focused education abroad program. 

This trip was led by Bob Thaler, distinguished professor and SDSU Extension swine specialist, his wife Karen Thaler and Russ Daly, professor and SDSU Extension veterinarian. 

The first stop of the trip was to Hanoi, where SDSU students visited the U.S. Embassy, meeting with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, touching on international relations and increasing markets for U.S. agriculture products. 

SDSU students visited with the Vietnam National University of Agriculture students, learning about their university and sharing information about SDSU. On this visit, SDSU students toured the VNUA campus and labs for veterinary sciences, animal science and biology. 

A vast array of agriculture was seen on the trip, from vegetable farms with cucumbers and squash to fish farming. In fish farming, rotational grazing is conducted to prevent diseases amongst the fish and ducks. 

Each year, the stop at Sapa is a student favorite of the trip. Students started the morning hiking 5 miles through the Tavan village to the terraced rice fields. Once at the bottom of the hill, students grabbed a bundle of rice and planted rows of rice with the local farmers. 

After traveling to Ha Long Bay, the students toured a hydroponic farm and visited a pearl factory. 

The trip consisted of countless tours that introduced students to practices they have never seen before, including silk and bamboo farming, a marbling factory, a chocolate factory and coffee pressing. 

Historical stops the group visited included the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels that were used during the Vietnam War and the War Remnants Museum. 

After traveling to Da Nang, the group visited greenhouses full of flowers and an orchid farm that grows 300,000 plants. 

The final stop of the trip was to Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam. There, students toured a flower market and visited a rubber tree plantation. 

The U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. Meat Export Federation educated the group on building demand, trade policy, tariffs, domestic policy, agrarian reform and countless commodities. Here, students learned the importance of the balance of imports and exports. 

SDSU student Abigail Morse always knew she wanted to go on a study abroad trip during her time at SDSU, but she was unsure of when or where. Once she saw Thaler’s enthusiasm and passion for the Vietnam trip, she immediately knew she wanted to go. 

“I think that traveling abroad as a student is one of the best decisions you can make while in college,” Morse said. “It’s a great way to expand your perspective and get to know the world around you with other students and faculty members.” 

Thaler’s favorite part of the trip was watching students plant rice by hand with the local villagers in Sapa, in northern Vietnam. 

“The joy and laughter they had while knee-deep in the rice paddies was incredible,” Thaler said. 

The opportunity to experience traveling abroad helps students in understanding agriculture on an international level. Thaler encourages students to consider the Vietnam trip because it helps them grow personally. 

The students who attended the trip were Bryn Anderson, Allisyn Baker, Hannah Bates, Cathryn Bauer, Jami Bergeson, Mallory Drake, Rose Eitemiller, Audrey Field, Jaylynn Frandrup, Brooklyn Goelz, Myranda Hentges, Ashilyn Hulstein, Catherine Klein, Megan Linke, Abigail Morse, John Peterson, Elle Ploeger, Sam Richert, Zoey Schentzel, Emilee Schuetz, Reagan Sevigney, Megan Van Den Hemel, Katelyn Winberg and Autum Wittstruck.