Going to School in the US

October 3, 2014

One thing I find very surprising is that families in Viet Nam who can afford it send their children to high school in the US. They want to be able to send their children to a good college in the US and hope that by getting a good US high school education they will be able to get into a good US college.

Starting salary for a college graduate in Hai Phong is $300 a month, so I can’t imagine how a long it takes for a family to make enough, or save enough, to send their child away to high school and/or college.  I know it isn’t easy.  Beside the financial burden the students have a lot of pressure on them here. Most go to school 6 or even 7 days a week.  Once they make the commitment they need to apply, get accepted, and then have an interview with the government. I believe this is to ensure that they plan on returning to Viet Nam after their education.  Then the US government and/or schools insist on the families showing proof that they have enough money in savings to pay for a year (or more) for their students. 

There are approximately 820,000 international college students in the US, 2% of those are from Viet Nam.  China, followed by India and South Korea make up 49% of the international students in the US.  International Students contribute more than $24 billion dollars to the US economy each year. For comparison 283,000 students from the US study abroad.  In The last 10 years the number of international high school students have grown from 16,000 to over 73,000. Most international students (95%) attend private schools which has helped the declining enrollment from local students.

We were introduced to this when we had our international students live with us for 2 years when we lived in Bellevue.  Wesley, Dephanie, and then a few month later, Dorophy moved in. Having them a part of our family added to our lives, and made the transition much easier for us to move here.  I am sure they thought we were crazy to leave the US to live in Viet Nam, and in Hai Phong of all places.  All three had been in the US at least a year before living with us, so their English was very good and they were accustomed to our culture. 

Last week we were introduced to Minh and Tien by Chi, who has become a good friend of ours.  Chi had volunteered to help John translate before he hired Ms. Nhung.  She had studied in both France and Finland and is now looking for a job in Hai Phong.  The boys she introduced us to are hoping to attend school in the US.  Both boys are very shy and only 15.  The families have a friend who suggested that the boys go to a Christian school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Oh all the places in the US to go, to Tulsa seems like a stretch for these two young men.  As a mom I can’t imagine sending my 15 year old that far away, especially if I knew what Tulsa, Oklahoma looked like.  Even if I lived in the US I wouldn’t send my 15 year old to Tulsa to live with a strange family. I shouldn't blast Tulsa as I have never been there and I am sure it is a great place to live,  

Minh, Tien and Che

Part of the reason is the cost of living.  Oklahoma is far more reasonable than a place like Seattle.  Living expenses plus the cost of school quickly add up.  The budget for these two boys is $20,000 to $25,000 per year.  Quite a sacrifice for their families.  When you understand the way of life here it is easier to see how they can save.  Life is much simpler.  You don’t need a lot of “stuff”.   You don’t need more than a couple of pots and pans, there is no need for extra sets of dishes, or furniture. I haven’t seen “collectables” in any of the houses I have been in. 

In comparing the cost of living in Hai Phong to the US - a street dinner here is usually less than $2, and dinner at a restaurant not much more.  When we welcomed Ms. Nhung, John’s assistant with Peace Winds, we spent under $10 for dinner, plus beer for all three. Of course we could of taken her out for a nicer dinner than street food.  Most families don’t have a car although they have a motorbike or two.  A taxi ride is about $2-$3 anywhere we want to go in Hai Phong. 3g for the phone is about $3 a month, garbage collection, $3 a month.  We pay about the same as we did in the US for rent.  A apartment runs about $1900 a month.  You can find cheaper but not in a safe area or with air conditioning. Our electricity bill is high - $200 a month, but we run the A/C all the time.  Most of the families here don’t us A/C.  Our food bill is easily under $100 a week, and would be cheaper if I didn’t buy wine.  Clothes are much cheaper, although I think they do spend extra money on clothes here, especially the ladies.  Because of the heat I dress very simply and am very sadly out of style.  The ladies are always dressed up and manage their motorbikes in their lovely dresses and high heels. Even our housecleaners arrive for duty on their motorbikes in high heels, which they kick off to clean.

High heels and motorbikes

Back to Minh and Tien, we will be spending some time with these two young men over the next month or two, helping them prepare for their interview and helping them select a school.  Thanks to technology if they decide to go to Tulsa I am sure I can find a way to contact parents at the school and help pave the way.  I know it will make us feel better to know they are in a good place. I am so glad that boarding school has gone the wayside, at least for most of us.

What’s Next/ What Else?

As I said earlier, John has finally had all of the sign off’s by the Viet Nam government, both nationally and locally.  He found an office, bought furniture and office equipment, hired his assistant/translator and moved in this week. 

We had a delightful dinner provided by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce English Class.  I invited them to our home for one of the classes and they insisted on a BBQ, which included bringing portable BBQ;s on their motorbikes. It was something to see; they arrived together on their bikes, set up the BBQ, cooked dinner and we ended up eating, teaching and singing.  Then they cleaned everything up and off they went.  Another very easy party at our home provided by our Vietnamese friends.  

Dinner with VCCI English Class

I have added two more students.  A wonderful sweet three year old and a young college man who befriended us in town.  I have found a dear friend who runs the QSI International School in Hai Phong and Hanoi who has promised to help me find a job and we are enjoying the company and help of Nhung who has become so much more than John's assistant as she helps us learn Vietnamese, buy 3g for our phones, negotiate the return of a lost/stolen mobile phone (John's) that was being held for ransom and everything else that we have a hard time figuring out for ourselves.  

Dinner with Nhung 

Oh - and we survived another typhoon