Interdisciplinary education in the context of protection of water resources: A case study in Vietnam

The incorporation of interdisciplinary education, a topic of significant global interest, is increasingly being recognized as a key aspect of educational innovation in Vietnam. This recognition extends to several fields, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.This research aims to design and implement a STEM situation associated with the context of water protection in Vietnam for 10th-grade students in which students mobilize the knowledge of Physics (specific gravity, Archimedes' principle) and Mathematics (volume) to design a salinometer. This device measures the salinity of the water. The research methodology is based on the observed increase in saline levels in the coastal regions of Vietnam in recent years, which has had a substantial impact on agriculture and the livelihoods of millions of people. This methodology aims to provide realistic scenarios for students to address and resolve these problems. A total of forty students in the 10th grade were involved in a teaching situation that consisted of five distinct phases. Forty 10th-grade students participated in a teaching situation conducted in five phases. The results showed that the situation helped students strengthen and connect their physics and mathematics knowledge, create a vibrant learning atmosphere, enhance communication, and develop problem-solving competency. Furthermore, the teaching situation also needs to be revised regarding the measurement practices of Vietnamese students. The situation contributes to educating students' awareness of current events, protecting Vietnamese water resources, and the importance of sustainable development. In addition, we can use the same teaching process as in this research to develop other STEM teaching situations

Prevalence of Opisthorchis viverrini-like fluke infection in ducks in Binh Dinh Province, Central Vietnam

Following the first report of Opisthorchis viverrini infection in a domestic duck in Phu My District of Binh Dinh Province, Central Vietnam, many other cases were observed in the province. We determined the infection rate and intensity of O. viverrini infection in ducks in 4 districts of the province. A total of 178 ducks were randomly selected from 34 farms for examination of flukes in the liver and gall bladder. An infection rate of 34.3% (range 20.7-40.4% among districts) was found; the intensity of infection was 13.8 worms per infected duck (range 1-100). These findings show the role of ducks as a host for O. viverrini, duck genotype, which is sympatric with the human O. viverrini genotype in this province. It also stresses the need for investigations on the zoonotic potential and the life cycle of this parasite

SEASONAL VARIATION OF PHYTOPLANKTON FUNCTIONAL GROUPS IN TUYEN LAM RESERVOIR, CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, VIETNAM

Seasonal changes in freshwater phytoplankton assemblages at Tuyen Lam Reservoir in the Central Highlands of Vietnam were classified into 23 functional groups based on physiological, morphological, and ecological characteristics. A total of 168 species were recorded during 10 surveys from 2015 to 2019 at 7 sampling sites, with Chlorophyta dominating in number of species. Phytoplankton abundance varied from 0.18×105 to 21.2×105 cells/L during the study period, mainly due to cyanobacteria. Seven of the 23 functional groups were considered to be dominant (relative density > 5%).  The dominant functional groups were groups M and G in the dry season and groups M, G, P, and E in the rainy season. Group M (Microcystis aeruginosa) was the most common in both seasons, while group P (Closterium, Staurastrum, Aulacoseira), group E (Dinobryon, Synura), and group G (Sphaerocystis, Eudorina) were more common in the rainy season. The Shannon diversity index (H¢) showed that phytoplankton communities were relatively diverse and that most of the study sites were lightly polluted. However, the ecological status has deteriorated at some locations due to the overgrowth of group M, leading to eutrophication in this reservoir. This study highlights the usefulness of functional groups in the study of seasonal changes in phytoplankton dynamics. Functional groups are applied for the first time at Tuyen Lam Reservoir and can be used to predict early-stage cyanobacterial blooms in future studies

Factors Affecting the Agricultural Restructuration: A Case of Cham Community in Chau Phu District, An Giang Province, Vietnam

The national policy of agricultural restructuring plays a vital role in adapting to climate change's effects and economic development in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Unproductive areas have been converted into other crops with higher efficiency. Drawn by the sustainable livelihoods approach, this article explores the current situation and factors challenging the Cham community in implementing the agricultural restructuring. The mixed method included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and a questionnaire survey. The results showed that the Xuong Com Vang longan (Dimocarpus longan) variety has occurred in Khanh Hoa commune for a long time as an indigenous fruit tree of this area. In terms of the farming system, the polyculture system combining fruit trees and upland crops brought more income sources than the monoculture system. The asset abilities of the Cham farmers are various from one to the others. Soil and weather conditions are appropriate for planting. But farm size is small, which is one of the difficulties of developing fruit areas. Human and social assets were good since farmers had enough knowledge to manage the gardens, and a close connection existed among the Cham community. It was not a case of the financial status since a lot of money needs to be invested in the starting year. Therefore, the private loan still exists as one of the farmer's choices. For better future development, land management and financial resource should be considered for better agricultural restructuring aims. To increase farmers' incomes, create production chains helping enterprises and farmers work more efficiently for the better life of Cham gardeners in An Giang province in Vietnam

VIETNAMESE STUDENT RESEARCHERS’ EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR SUPERVISOR AND SUPERVISION PROCESS

In Vietnam, scientific research is no longer just the work of scientists, graduate students, scholars, or lecturers; tertiary students are also encouraged to conduct scientific research. Therefore, the scientific research work of students receives more attention from educators. The research on carrying out scientific research of students is also therefore increasing. However, researchers do not seem to have paid enough attention to the role of supervisors during the supervision process. The evidence is that there are few studies on supervisors in Vietnam. Therefore, this study was conducted to learn about the role of supervisors from the student's perspective and expectations. Specifically, this study was conducted quantitatively with the use of a questionnaire consisting of 49 questions with a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 100 English-major students at a university in Southwest Vietnam participated in this study by answering the questionnaire. The results from the questionnaire show that students had high expectations from their supervisors. Specifically, students expect their supervisor to be someone who respects their opinions, has good scientific research knowledge, can give constructive comments, and is always willing to help them when needed. Based on research findings, supervisors are encouraged to participate in professional development training related to scientific research to improve their research knowledge and skills. Along with that, supervisors need to be aware of their role during the process of guiding students to do scientific research.  Article visualizations

Isolation and characterization of chlorpyrifos-degrading bacteria in tea-growing soils

The excess use of pesticides in the agricultural sector has caused environmental pollution and affected the complete ecosystem. Among the various commonly used pesticides, chlorpyrifos (CPF) is widely used against multiple agrarian pests due to its effectiveness and higher insecticidal activities. However, along with its beneficial usage, CPF has various residual effects on the environment, causing multiple negative impacts on aquatic organisms and human health. Consequently, methods for eliminating CPF in the background are essential. Among the currently available approaches to CPF remediation, biological methods using microorganisms are eco-friendly and cost-effective. Therefore, this study was conducted to isolate and characterize chlorpyrifos-degrading bacteria from the tea-growing soil of Vietnam. For this, soil samples were collected from the 20 tea-growing areas of Vietnam. From the collected samples, three bacterial strains viz., Methylobacterium populi CNN2, Ensifer adhaerens VNN3, and Acinetobacter pittii CNN4 have been isolated by using streak plate method and identified based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. The study results showed that under laboratory conditions, E. adhaerens VNN3 had the highest CPF degradation ability and was followed by the strain M. populi CNN2. In liquid medium, CPF concentration (100 mg/L) was reduced by 95.2% and 81.4% by E.adhaerens VNN3 and M. populi CNN2, respectively, after 72 h. Further, under in-vitro conditions, the concentration of CPF was reduced from 500 mg/kg to 112 ± 1.73 (77.6%) and 197 ± 2.08 mg/kg (60.6%) by E. adhaerens VNN3 and M. populi CNN2, respectively. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that E. adhaerens VNN3 and M. populi CNN2 can be used for CPF-contaminated agricultural soil remediation

INTEGRATION OF CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCES AND PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES: VIEWS FROM INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Encouraging hospitality students in reflective and transformative learning toward a global mindset becomes an imperative for developing their cross-culturally professional competency in preparation of the future career path development. Oversea exchange programs are among the initiatives to raise personal, professional and cultural awareness for the hospitality students in a pathway to encourage cross-cultural learning among students in similar fields. However, to what extent the development of a global mindset gained from the cross-cultural experiences could help undergraduate hospitality students gain their professional competency in terms of cultural skills in the hospitality and tourism context is the main issue to be described by this study. Content analysis has been conducted on in-depth interview data given by hospitality oversea exchange students who are both current students and graduated ones. The most popular modes of international student exchanges such as team project, assignment, presentations, and travel exchanges are taken into consideration to highlight deeper insights into a mutual interest between the cross-cultural experiences and the professional competency related cultural skills. The study reveals that cultural understanding needs to be experienced in the real setting context. Furthermore, we also discovered that cultural exchange outcomes are normally obtained in the daily informal practices instead of formal studies. However, the current study is constrained within few selected countries where students have been experienced and the current partnership between the home and host Institutions. This paper provides actionable guidelines and approach for integrating the critical component of cultural exchange program in the traditional curriculum program of hospitality

Physico-chemical properties of fourteen popular cocoa bean varieties in Dongnai-highland Vietnam

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a major, crucial economic, global crop and has been maintained several nutritional benefits. The exporting volume of Vietnamese cocoa bean is increasing in the world cocoa trade. The beans of fourteen popular cocoa varieties that are commonly cultivated in Trang Bom (Dong Nai, Vietnam) were characterized for their physico-chemical qualifications on the background of post-fermented cocoa beans and dehydration in the region of Trang Bom-Dong Nai. The physical properties were determined based on mass ratio and bean’s dimension (lengh, width and thickness) as well as chemical (proximate) composition (total crude protein, ash, moisture, and lipid). These values were analysed using AOAC methods. The largest-size beans were found for the TD8 variety (1.5 g of mass, 25.02 mm of length, 14.28 mm of width and 7.96 mm of thickness). The moisture content of the cocoa beans was in the range between 5.64 and 6.99 (% wb) and the ash content in the range between 3.67% and 2.47% (wb). Noticeably, the fat content ratio (the most important value of cocoa bean) found in 8 varieties (TD1, TD2, TD5, TD9, TD11, TD12, TD13, TD14) was over 50%, thus these varieties are worthy chemical component especially for exported cocoa bean and industrized cultivation (extending the cultivation producing area)