Tasting Vietnam: An Adventure in Critical Food Studies

June 5–24, 2027 · 3 Weeks
Hanoi · Hue · Hoi An · Ho Chi Minh City
Credit-Bearing Academic Program

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Why Study Food In Vietnam？

A Country of Regional Histories, Cultures, and Cuisines

Vietnam offers an extraordinary setting for studying the relationships among food, people, place, and society.

Vietnamese cuisine is highly regional. Northern, central, and southern food traditions reflect different landscapes, histories, migration patterns, agricultural practices, and cultural influences.

At the same time, Vietnam is undergoing rapid economic, social, and environmental change. Traditional agricultural communities exist alongside modern cities, industrial food production, emerging technologies, and new approaches to sustainability.

Through direct observation and field research, students examine how these forces shape what people grow, produce, cook, eat, and value.

Learning Through Experience, From Fieldwork to the Kitchen

The program combines academic study with hands-on experiences.

Students will:

  • Explore Vietnamese food cultures through markets, restaurants, farms, villages, and communities.
  • Observe agricultural and food production practices.
  • Investigate food systems and their environmental and social impacts.
  • Prepare regional Vietnamese dishes through hands-on cooking experiences.
  • Learn how geography, history, economics, and culture shape Vietnamese cuisine.
  • Develop the ability to critically analyze food and society.
  • Investigate current sustainability challenges and imagine possible solutions.

Four Cities. Three Weeks. One Immersive Academic Experience

Travel across Vietnam and experience the country’s remarkable 

 HANOI 

Discover the food culture, history, markets, and urban life of northern Vietnam.

 HUE 

Explore the imperial heritage and distinctive culinary traditions of central Vietnam.

 HOI AN 

Experience local agriculture, fishing communities, traditional foodways, and cultural heritage.

 

 HO CHI MINH CITY 

Examine the dynamic food systems, urban development, and contemporary life of southern Vietnam.

 

2027 Vietnam SUMMER

Program Highlights

Learn Beyond the Classroom

Vietnam becomes your laboratory, classroom, and field site.

Food & Markets

Explore local markets, street food, restaurants, and food traditions while learning how ingredients move from producers to consumers.

Agriculture & Food Systems

Visit farms, fishing communities, food producers, and agricultural sites to understand how food is grown, processed, distributed, consumed, and wasted.

Communities & Culture

Meet local residents, producers, chefs, researchers, and community members and gain firsthand insight into Vietnamese society.

Sustainability

Investigate agriculture, aquaculture, biodiversity, environmental challenges, food waste, and emerging approaches to sustainable food systems.

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2027 Vietnam SUMMER-2

Featured Field Experiences

Your learning continues wherever you go.

Students may participate in experiences such as:

  • Hanoi street food and market explorations
  • Agricultural and village visits
  • Hmong community and farming experiences
  • Tra Que Vegetable Village
  • Fishing and coastal communities
  • Food production and processing facilities
  • Rice and agricultural systems
  • Mekong Delta field experiences
  • Cultural and historical site visits
  • Vietnamese regional cooking classes

Field experiences are integrated into the academic curriculum and provide opportunities to connect classroom concepts with real‑world food systems.

 

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Academic Courses

Critical Food Studies:
Food Systems in Vietnam

3 Semester Credits


Examine Vietnamese food systems, including agricultural and marine production, food processing, consumption, technology, food loss, and waste.

Through lectures, field visits, discussions, and firsthand observation, students investigate the environmental, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of Vietnam’s food systems.

Hands-on Learning
 
Farm, fishery, village, market, and food-production visits connect academic concepts with real-world experience.

Culinary Vietnam
.

3 Semester Credits

 

Explore Vietnam’s distinctive culinary traditions and the historical, geographical, ethnic, and social influences that have shaped them.

Students learn through food tasting, market visits, cooking classes, and direct engagement with Vietnamese ingredients and culinary practices.

Hands-on Learning

Visit local markets, work with regional ingredients, and prepare Vietnamese dishes in hands-on cooking sessions.

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Jack D. Harris, Ph.D.

Academic Director , Vietnam Program Leadership

Professor Emeritus, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Our Vietnam Program

30+ Years of International Education. 15 Years of Vietnam Programs.

Since 2012, Gustolab International has been bringing university students to Vietnam for immersive, academically grounded learning experiences. Over more than a decade, the program has grown through long-standing collaborations with universities, faculty, and scholars specializing in Southeast Asian culture, society, food systems, and development.

Dr. Jack Harris, Professor Emeritus at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Director of our Vietnam Program, brings extensive experience in higher and international education, as well as deep academic connections in Vietnam. He works closely with university faculty, scholars, local experts, and communities to ensure that students engage with Vietnam beyond the traditional classroom.

Our long-standing academic partnerships and local relationships allow us to create experiences that are intellectually rigorous, culturally meaningful, and closely connected to contemporary Vietnam.

More than a study abroad program — an academic experience built through years of knowledge, collaboration, and local relationships.

STUDY VIETNAM. EXPERIENCE VIETNAM. UNDERSTAND VIETNAM.

Take your learning beyond the classroom.

Spend three weeks traveling across Vietnam, studying its food systems and cultures, meeting local communities, and experiencing the country through an academic lens.

 

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Program Details & Fees

June 5–24, 2027, 3-week program

Locations Hanoi · Hue · Hoi An · Ho Chi Minh City

2 academic courses6 Semester Credits / 10 quarter credits (PSU)

Language: English

Vietnamese: No prior Vietnamese language experience required

Enrollment Fee:

Early Enrollment:  $4,400 USD

Regular Enrollment Fee:  $4,900 USD

| Application Deadline:

Early Application Discount: March 1, 2027

Regular Application: April 5, 2027

| Program Fees Include:

  • Local accommodation
  • Special program meals
  • Course materials
  • Guided academic field visits
  • Local transportation for program activities

International airfare and personal expenses are not included.

| Who Can Apply?

The Vietnam program welcomes undergraduate and graduate students from a wide range of academic backgrounds.

You do not need to be a Food Studies major.

Students interested in food, sustainability, agriculture, culture, anthropology, sociology, environmental studies, international studies, or related fields are especially encouraged to apply.

Vietnamese language proficiency is not required.

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