FSPPM students’ field trip to Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces - When learners find what they need, those who share feel understood

“I wanted to find a theory that could be applied in practice and now I have found it. These are people who have learned theory, but not just theory, they put it into practice effectively and in a highly appreciated way, creating a foundation for future development.”

Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board of Binh Thuan Province introduced the Ham Kiem - Tien Thanh Road Project. Photo: FSPPM.

The sharing comes from Nguyen Duyen Khanh, a student of MPP24 class during a field trip to Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces as practical part of the Policy Implementation course at the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management last August.

This field research trip is one of the most anticipated activities for students in the Master of Public Policy program. In just 2 days, 44 students and lecturers worked at full capacity with a tight schedule including meetings with local leaders and field visits to projects to learn about the actual implementation process of these projects, including two projects in Phan Thiet, namely Ham Kiem - Tien Thanh Road and Ca Ty River Embankment Project, and two projects in Nha Trang, namely Cai River Saltwater Prevention Dam and Environmental Sanitation Project.

For Khanh as well as 43 students of the MPP24, participating in this field trip was to learn about some policy implementation situations and conduct group papers through assigned projects. But after this trip, they have learned there were more than met the eyes.

Policies are not self-enforced

Through the sincere and open sharing of the Project Management Board for Investment in Traffic Works of Binh Thuan Province, Mr. Tran Cong Son, a participant in the Leadership and Management Class, commented that these sharings, combined with the knowledge at Fulbright University about the theoretical framework for implementation from the top down, from the bottom up, issues of resources, socioeconomic political context, policy communication to stories related to the autonomy of the implementer, when combined, have helped him to understand many things, from how to compensate farmers fairly to the motivation to implement a public project must come from the heart of the doer. The theoretical framework with essential issues helps students know the route, know how many checkpoints the road to the destination must go through, what difficulties, combined with the reference solutions from the locality, help him be able to filter and apply to his work.

Mr. Tran Cong Son, a student of the Leadership and Management class in a discussion with the Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board of Binh Thuan province. Photo: FSPPM.

Specifically, the students had a chance to listen to and discuss with Dr. Ngo Viet Nam Son, architect, about the overall strategy for urban planning of Khanh Hoa coastal city. In his presentation, Architect Nam Son outlined 9 strategic directions for the urban planning of Khanh Hoa coastal city for the students. In particular, he focused on upgrading the coastal city on the basis of sustainable development based on the establishment of a management framework, implementing planning in a multi-sectoral cooperation direction. With the location of Khanh Hoa, he emphasized the development of the unique identity of the coastal city - river - mountain - island and placed a lot of passion in the Airport - Cam Ranh - Cam Lam city linked to the coastal tourism city. He also emphasized the importance of establishing a development framework, ensuring the harmony of preserving the value of the landscape, specifically the orientation of building the city along the east-west axis to open up breathing spaces along the coast, helping to utilize the land fund behind which can see the sea and catch the sea breeze. The remaining important orientations are to attract many public, private, domestic and foreign resources in the spirit of the market economy, digital economy and smart city, especially focusing on ensuring the livelihood of people in all projects. For example, the compensation and resettlement value needs to be in line with the market economy thinking because it is the local people who are the ones who deserve to enjoy the benefits when the city develops, which has attracted a lot of attention from students.

Doctor, Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son presented the overall Khanh Hoa coastal urban planning strategy. Photo: FSPPM.

“The sharings of Architect Nam Son have brought valuable values about the project vision according to global standards. The openness of the leadership of Khanh Hoa province in inviting Architect Nam Son as a strategic advisor is a very good mechanism that our locality can learn from.” – Student Nguyen Duy Khanh shared.

The power of spreading knowledge and experience

As a former student of the Fulbright School from the MPP2 program (2009-2011), Mr. Chau Ngo Anh Nhan, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Khanh Hoa Province, expressed his pleasure in welcoming teachers and friends to Nha Trang. In addition to sharing his experiences wholeheartedly, Mr. Nhan believes that the opinions and questions from the students are information from the observer that he needs to listen to. This field trip is an opportunity for students to learn and for him to introduce the potential, strengths and development of Khanh Hoa. Fulbright students from many different industries and fields of work will be useful channels of information to bring Khanh Hoa to the community.

Therefore, one philosophy that Mr. Nhan is very enthusiastic about learning from Fulbright is “standing on the shoulders of giants”. Positive things need to be spread to help many people. He believes that the pain and lessons learned from the predecessors need to be shared again, to help students avoid the risks that they may encounter in the course of their work.

Mr. Chau Ngo Anh Nhan, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Khanh Hoa Province, took the delegation to the Cai River Saltwater Prevention Dam Project. Photo: FSPPM.

The sharing of Mr. Châu Ngô Anh Nhân, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Khanh Hoa Province, from his experience in implementing the CCESP & CCSEP projects and the saltwater dam on Cai River, and how Khanh Hoa mobilized capital from the central government was highly appreciated by the participants as extremely creative and useful. Specifically, the sharing of how to overcome the obstacles in capital and progress from the outset as well as the establishment of a continuous relationship with the central government and ministries, which is not a matter of a day or two, together with the long-term vision and mechanism to create opportunities for young officials to continue implementing through many leadership terms, are valuable highlights that the participants received.

Transparency, honesty and proactive learning spirit

“Policies do not implement themselves. The implementers must be flexible in handling them. For tasks that exceed their authority or are unclear, they must report them, explain specifically why they are not in accordance with the regulations, and mobilize and propose solutions that are in the best interests of the project. This is also the basis for protecting the implementers.” Mr. Châu Ngô Anh Nhân mentioned that the first lesson and value he learned when he came to Fulbright was transparency and honesty, and he has applied these values to his work.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung, Director of Binh Thuan province Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, took the delegation to the Ham Kiem - Tien Thanh Road Project. Photo: FSPPM.

Although it has been evaluated very positively, the story of the implementers is still about continuous learning and referring to new models to be able to implement better. From the perspective of the information provider, Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung, Director of the Project Management Board for Investment in Traffic Works of Binh Thuan Province, expressed surprise when he saw that the participants had very detailed and practical knowledge. He highly appreciated the students for their excellent preparation, as well as their ability to raise issues for their concerns in the public sector and their concerns about the project.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Khanh Linh, a student of Leadership and Management class in a discussion with the Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board. Photo: FSPPM.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Khanh Linh, a participant in the Leadership and Management class, believes that it is thanks to the experiences and the accumulated impacts he has gained from many years of working on projects - as he said in a nutshell, “a hundred skills are not as good as a skilled hand,” then this trip is like a fish being released to water for him, because he quickly got it when he heard the problem and the solution.

All MPP24 students, lecturers and local leaders on a field research trip in Khanh Hoa. Photo: FSPPM.

When asked “What is your takeaway from this field trip?” Mr. Pham Manh Cuong, a participant of Policy Analysis major, shared that “Resources are limited, and time is only so much, so when approaching a problem, I must approach it systematically. That is the value that Fulbright University has brought me. Today, witnessing former students who are now leaders in government agencies sharing stories of implementation at the local level, I have more confidence to continue my journey ahead.”

• Uyen Vu