Financial Sector Reforms in Vietnam: Selected Issues and Problems

The purpose of this report is to concentrate on performing in-depth analyses of selected issues of prominence and importance for the future success of the reform process rather than describing the current day-to-day operations and procedures in the financial sector. This eclectic approach implies that other important issues such as the development of a payment system, the state and prospects for the inter-bank markets, and the human capital and organisational issues in the state-owned banks are neglected and/or not analysed in depth. They are, however, omissions due to constraints imposed by funds and time available rather than a failure to comprehend their importance. In this context, the present report should thus be viewed as a first step towards establishing an open dialogue about the nature and speed of the financial sector reforms in Vietnam based on recurrent independent assessments of financial sector issues and problems.Financial Sector Reforms, Vietnam

An Extended RFM Model for Customer Behaviour and Demographic Analysis in Retail Industry

Background: Customer segmentation has become one of the most innovative ways which help businesses adopt appropriate marketing campaigns and reach targeted customers. The RFM model and machine learning combination have been widely applied in various areas. Motivations: With the rapid increase of transactional data, the RFM model can accurately segment customers and provide deeper insights into customers’ purchasing behaviour. However, the traditional RFM model is limited to 3 variables, Recency, Frequency and Monetary, without revealing segments based on demographic features. Meanwhile, the contribution of demographic characteristics to marketing strategies is extremely important. Methods/Approach: The article proposed an extended RFMD model (D-Demographic) with a combination of behavioural and demographic variables. Customer segmentation can be performed effectively using the RFMD model, K-Means, and K-Prototype algorithms. Results: The extended model is applied to the retail dataset, and the experimental result shows 5 clusters with different features. The effectiveness of the new model is measured by the Adjusted Rand Index and Adjusted Mutual Information. Furthermore, we use Cohort analysis to analyse customer retention rates and recommend marketing strategies for each segment. Conclusions: According to the evaluation, the proposed RMFD model was deployed with stable results created by two clustering algorithms. Businesses can apply this model to deeply understand customer behaviour with their demographics and launch efficient campaigns

Measuring citizen's satisfaction when using E-Government online public services: Lessons from Vietnam

This study aims to evaluate the factors affecting the satisfaction of citizen when using online public services through data collected from direct surveys of people. Research results show that Quality of online public services, Citizen's awareness, Privacy and security, Trust and accessibility affect citizen's satisfaction when using online public services. Based on these results, the study also gives some discussion and governance implications for researchers as well as policy-makers in improving citizen's satisfaction as well as attracting more users for online public services in Vietnam context

Vietnamese version of the general medication adherence scale (Gmas):Translation, adaptation, and validation

Background: We aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) into Vietnamese. Methods: We followed the guidelines of Beaton et al. during the translation and adaptation process. In Stage I, two translators translated the GMAS to Vietnamese. Stage II involved synthesizing the two translations. Stage III featured a back translation. Stage IV included an expert committee review and the creation of the pre-final version of the GMAS, and in stage V, pilot testing was conducted on 42 Vietnamese patients with type 2 diabetes. The psychometric validation process evaluated the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. The in-ternal consistency and test–retest reliability were assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. The construct validity was determined by an association examination between the levels of adherence and patient characteristics. The content validity was based on the opinion and assessment score by the expert committee. The Vietnamese version of the GMAS was created, in-cluding 11 items divided into three domains. There was a good equivalence between the English and the Vietnamese versions of the GMAS in all four criteria. Results: One hundred and seventy-seven patients were participating in the psychometric validation process. Cronbach’s alpha was acceptable for all questionnaire items (0.817). Spearman’s correlation coefficient of the test–retest reliability was acceptable for the GMAS (0.879). There are significant correlations between medication adherence levels and occupation, income, and the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) score regarding construct validity. Conclusions: The Vietnamese version of GMAS can be considered a reliable and valid tool for assessing medication adherence in Vietnamese patients

Improving TDWZ Correlation Noise Estimation: A Deep Learning based Approach

Transform domain Wyner-Ziv video coding (TDWZ) has shown its benefits in compressing video applications with limited resources such as visual surveillance systems, remote sensing and wireless sensor networks. In TDWZ, the correlation noise model (CNM) plays a vital role since it directly affects to the number of bits needed to send from the encoder and thus the overall TDWZ compression performance. To achieve CNM with high accurate for TDWZ, we propose in this paper a novel CNM estimation approach in which the CNM with Laplacian distribution is adaptively estimated based on a deep learning (DL) mechanism. The proposed DL based CNM includes two hidden layers and a linear activation function to adaptively update the Laplacian parameter. Experimental results showed that the proposed TDWZ codec significantly outperforms the relevant benchmarks, notably by around 35% bitrate saving when compared to the DISCOVER codec and around 22% bitrate saving when compared to the HEVC Intra benchmark while providing a similar perceptual quality

Challenges of Implementing Outcome-Based Assessment in Vietnamese Higher Education – A Qualitative Inquiry

This qualitative study investigates the key challenges faced by university lecturers in implementing outcome-based assessments (OBA) in higher education institutions in Vietnam, a country currently undergoing significant educational transformation. Utilizing a qualitative research design, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 lecturers from diverse academic fields in a institution. The data were thematically coded and interpreted through the lenses of Constructivism, Institutional Theory, and Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Nine major challenges emerged from the findings, including pedagogical hurdles, lack of training and resources, institutional constraints, and technological limitations. These challenges are contextualized within the existing theoretical frameworks and related literature. The study offers critical insights that are deeply rooted in cultural, institutional, and structural variables. These findings are pertinent for educators, administrators, and policymakers in Vietnam and potentially for those in similar educational settings, and they hold broader implications for professional development, institutional policies, technological infrastructure, and cultural shifts within the educational landscape

In-action reflective teaching in Vietnam: A qualitative exploration of practices, influences and implications

Reflective teaching plays a crucial role in the field of education though its intricacies in particular cultural contexts like Vietnam are still little understood. This study aims to investigate reflective teaching practices in more detail within the context of Vietnamese education.  This study used a qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews with twelve Vietnamese teachers, each representing a different stage of their careers to shed light on the many forms of in-action reflective practices and their implementation, benefits, drawbacks and even cultural influences. The results of this in-depth investigation provided an overview of the wide range of in-action reflective practices that are actively used in the classroom.  The enhancement of adaptive teaching methodologies and the bolstering of student engagement are prominent among the many advantages that were noted.  Teaching in the Vietnamese context also presents unique challenges. Teachers often struggle with the demands of multitasking, the complexities of navigating uncertainties in real-time classroom scenarios   and the predominant challenge of managing large class sizes. Moreover, it was surprising to learn how many Vietnamese cultural, social   and educational factors influenced teacher understanding and use of in-action reflection.  The understanding of reflective teaching practices is enhanced by the research findings which also have broad implications for areas such as instructional strategies, teacher preparation programmes, academic research perspectives and even the development of educational policies.  The study strongly emphasizes the pressing need for more context-specific investigations into reflective teaching and underscores the indispensable role of reflection in fostering an environment conducive to effective teaching and learning

Multi-faceted identities of teacher assessors: A qualitative study in the Vietnamese educational context

Within the educational landscape of Vietnam, the professional identity of teachers when acting as assessors remains a comparatively uncharted domain and requires further explorations. Consequently, this qualitative investigation was initiated to delve deeper into the intricate identities Vietnamese teachers adopt in their capacities as assessors. Relying upon frameworks such as Constructivist Grounded Theory and Identity Theory, the study meticulously analyzed self-reported narratives from 15 tertiary lecturers based in Vietnam. Through this rigorous analysis, a spectrum of fifteen distinct identities was uncovered. These identities included “Gatekeepers of Knowledge and Competency”, “Nurturers”, “Diplomatists”, “Auditors”, “Confusian Sages”, “Innovators”, “Social Justice Advocators”, “Cultural Mediators”, “Emotional Anchors”, “Scalfolders”, “Technological Navigators”, “Lifelong Learners”, “Community Builders”, “Ethical Guardians”, and “Democratic Facilitators.” Intriguingly, these identities were not merely seen as additional layers to their professional duties; instead, they emerged as foundational components of teachers’ professional self-image. The forces molding these roles are diverse, encompassing deep-seated cultural values, prevailing educational paradigms, and personal lived experiences of educators. Unraveling these identities offers consequential implications for the broader educational sector. It underscores the imperative to holistically re-envision teacher training programs and assessment design, ensuring they resonate with the multifaceted roles educators play in steering both academic achievements and wider societal outcomes

Ecological factors associated with dengue fever in a central highlands Province, Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dengue is a leading cause of severe illness and hospitalization in Vietnam. This study sought to elucidate the linkage between climate factors, mosquito indices and dengue incidence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Monthly data on dengue cases and mosquito larval indices were ascertained between 2004 and 2008 in the Dak Lak province (Vietnam). Temperature, sunshine, rainfall and humidity were also recorded as monthly averages. The association between these ecological factors and dengue was assessed by the Poisson regression model with adjustment for seasonality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the study period, 3,502 cases of dengue fever were reported. Approximately 72% of cases were reported from July to October. After adjusting for seasonality, the incidence of dengue fever was significantly associated with the following factors: higher household index (risk ratio [RR]: 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.62-1.70 per 5% increase), higher container index (RR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.73-1.83 per 5% increase), and higher Breteau index (RR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.53-1.60 per 5 unit increase). The risk of dengue was also associated with elevated temperature (RR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.25-1.55 per 2°C increase), higher humidity (RR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.51-1.67 per 5% increase), and higher rainfall (RR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.21-1.74 per 50 mm increase). The risk of dengue was inversely associated with duration of sunshine, the number of dengue cases being lower as the sunshine increases (RR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.73-0.79 per 50 hours increase).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data suggest that indices of mosquito and climate factors are main determinants of dengue fever in Vietnam. This finding suggests that the global climate change will likely increase the burden of dengue fever infection in Vietnam, and that intensified surveillance and control of mosquito during high temperature and rainfall seasons may be an important strategy for containing the burden of dengue fever.</p

Effect of Pharmacist-Led Interventions on Physicians' Prescribing for Pediatric Outpatients

BACKGROUND: Children are at high risk of drug-related problems, increased risk of treatment failures, and high treatment costs. We aimed to evaluate the effect of pharmacist-led interventions on physicians' prescribing for pediatric outpatients. METHODS: A prospective study with pre- and post-intervention measurement assessment was conducted to collect pediatric outpatients' prescriptions during the pre-intervention period (January 2020) and post-intervention (August 2020) at a children's hospital in Vietnam. Drug-related problems were identified and categorized according to Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE), version 9.1. The intervention program was developed based on the results of pre-intervention observations. After the intervention, prescriptions were evaluated. Statistical tests were used to compare the proportions of drug-related problems before and after the intervention and to identify factors related to drug-related problems. RESULTS: There were 2788 out of 4218 (66.1%) prescriptions with at least one drug-related problem before the intervention. Of these drug-related problems, the most common was inappropriate timing of administration and incorrect dosage (36.1% and 35.6%, respectively). After the intervention, the percentage of prescriptions with at least one drug-related problem was 45.5% (p &lt; 0.001). Most of the drug-related problem types decreased significantly (p &lt; 0.05). The binary logistic regression analysis results showed that in addition to pharmacists' intervention, patients' gender, primary disease, comorbidity status, and the total number of drugs prescribed were also factors related to drug-related problems. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-related problems in pediatric outpatients were quite common. Pharmacists' intervention helped to improve the prevalence and types of drug-related problems