International Relations
Module
January - March 2025
Hanoi (Vietnam)
"How might we analyse the relationship between Vietnam's geography and history and how that shapes its international relations?"
During the first part of this module, I explored fundamental concepts of geography and cartography and worked towards understanding Vietnam's cultural and political history. I also learnt about international relations and politics, focusing specifically on Vietnam's form of governance and how it navigates geographical disputes (such as the dispute over the South China Sea).
I then went on various excursions to better understand this module's different aspects. Some examples of this include an excursion to Ninh Binh to understand Vietnam's geography, a visit to the Hoa Lo Prison to learn more about the Vietnam/American war, and visits to both the Danish and Canadian embassies in Hanoi to learn more about international relations between the two countries and Vietnam.
For my final product, I wrote a position paper on the current political relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia from the point of view of an advisor to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also created a map as a visual aid.
This module was especially valuable to me because it helped me better understand how different governments function and interact and allowed me to develop a more informed perspective on current events.
