From February 2-5, 2023, the ASEAN Studies Major in Political Science Program conducted the ASEAN Academic Trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. This outing was attended by thirteen students and Program members. The activity was part of the course POS64-273 Ethno-Religious Politics in ASEAN. With the understanding that researching the societies of countries in the region through direct experience is the core of the discipline of area studies, this initiative has been developed.

        According to the plan for the study tour project, the students were tasked with jointly investigating issues on their assigned topics, such as the representation of ethnic groups in Vietnam, political economy in the transitional period, and religious diversity. Students were expected to conduct research for their classroom presentations. During their time in Hanoi, students had numerous opportunities to visit significant locations such as the Ethnographic Museum, Women’s Museum, Ho Chi Minh Museum and Mausoleum, Thang Long Old City Fortress, Ngoc Son Temple, and St. Paul’s Church, among others.

          In addition to learning about political, ethnic, and religious issues in accordance with the trip’s primary objective, students gained experiences and learned about the sociocultural diversity of Thailand’s neighboring countries through the cuisine, language, and other cultures of the Vietnamese. This outgrowth promotes comprehension and acceptance of the diversity of people, which has always been an important aspect of teaching and learning area studies in the ASEAN Studies Major.