All events take place at 1st Floor of the Rose Garden Tower at 170 Ngoc Khanh Street, Hanoi, except those noted otherwise. Remember to bring your ID with you. Members of the media are welcome to attend public events at the American Center. However, if you intend to being in still or video cameras, please contact the Media Team at least 24 hours in advance so we can determine whether the speaker is comfortable and, if so, request security access for your equipment. Please note that not all speakers will want to be filmed and interviewed. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
Please Note: In the American Center (AC), we usually record, film and photograph our programs and activities to promote the AC and the work the U.S. Embassy does in Vietnam. We regularly use and post these images on our social media platforms. When participating in American Center programs, you provide your tacit consent for your image to be used in this way. If you prefer that your image not be used for non-commercial publicity reasons, please provide your request in writing to a staff member at the Help Desk. Thank you.
| Time | Program | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| from Apr. 21 to Aug. 1 | Ambassador’s Entrepreneurship Challenge (PDF-205KB) | American Center |
| Jul. 1, 10:00 – 11:00 | Presentation Skills | Benita Ning |
| Jul. 1, 3:00 – 4:00 | Women in Science and Engineering | Benita Ning |
| Jul. 1, 4:00 – 5:00 | Startup Ecosystems and City Government: What Hanoi can learn from Boulder, Colorado | Jason Kassel, PhD, President, Kassel Consulting, LLC |
| Jul. 5, 10:00 – 11:00 | AC Student News | AC Interns |
| Jul. 6, 10:00 – 11:30 | American English Club | AC Interns |
| Jul. 6, 3:30 – 4:30 | 60 Minutes with Press Officer | Lisa Bess Wishman, U.S. Embassy Press Officer |
| Jul. 6, 4:00 – 5:30 | MOOC15: Introduction to Public Speaking Skills (PDF, 15.6MB)– Facilitated Discussion #1. Register here | Tran Thi Thuy Trang |
| Jul. 7, 11:30 – 1:00 | Pronunciation Workshop #4 | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 7, 2:00 – 4:00 | MOOC14 “English for Business and Entrepreneurship“ (PDF, 1.28MB) (Round 2) – Facilitated discussions #3. Register here | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 7, 3:30 – 5:00 | Secret Tricks to Successfully Use Business Model Canvas for Starting a New Business | Bui Xuan Tung, Faculty Director, Vietnam Executive MBA Program, Hawaii University |
| Jul. 8, 10:00 – 11:00 | Conversation Hour | David McAuley |
| Jul. 12, 1:30 – 2:30 | A Conversation between the U.S. Ambassador and the 1st Place Winner of the 2016 GIST TECH-I Pitch Competition | American Center |
| Jul. 13, 10:00 – 11:30 | American English Club | AC Interns |
| Jul. 13, 4:00 – 5:30 | MOOC15: Introduction to Public Speaking Skills (PDF, 15.6MB)– Facilitated Discussion #2. Register here | Tran Thi Thuy Trang |
| Jul. 14, 10:00 – 11:30 | Training Session for Mock Election Event | Sapphire Carter |
| Jul. 14, 11:30 – 1:00 | Pronunciation Workshop #5 | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 14, 2:00 – 4:00 | MOOC14 “English for Business and Entrepreneurship“ (PDF, 1.28MB) (Round 2) – Facilitated discussions #4. Register here | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 14, 4:00 – 5:00 | MOOC 16 “Foundations of Business Strategy” (PDF, 571KB) – Introduction Session at the American Center. Register (required) here | Nikki Nguyen |
| Jul. 15, 10:00 – 11:00 | Conversation Hour | David McAuley |
| Jul. 20, 11:00 – 12:00 | 4th of July | Tammy Dewan |
| Jul. 20, 8:30 – 2:30 | Mock Election Event | Sapphire Carter |
| Jul. 21, 11:30 – 1:00 | Pronunciation Workshop #6 | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 21, 2:00 – 4:00 | MOOC14 “English for Business and Entrepreneurship“ (PDF, 1.28MB) (Round 2) – Facilitated discussions #5 (final). Register here | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 21, 5:00 – 7:00 | MOOC 16 “Foundations of Business Strategy” (PDF, 571KB) – Facilitated discussion #1 at Vietnam Silicon Valley, 24 Lý Thường Kiệt Street, Hanoi. Register (required) here | Nikki Nguyen |
| Jul. 22, 10:00 – 11:00 | Conversation Hour | David McAuley |
| Jul. 25, 3:30 – 4:30 | Traditional Vietnamese Bamboo Concert | Suc Song Moi Bamboo Ensemble |
| Jul. 25-27, 9:00 – 15:00 | Youth Leadership Camp (PDF-178KB). Register (required) here by July 20, 11:59 p.m. | American Center |
| Jul. 26, 3:00 – 4:30 | Debate Club | AC Interns |
| Jul. 27, 11:00 – 12:00 | Vocabulary Building | Tammy Dewan |
| Jul. 27, 4:00 – 5:30 | MOOC15: Introduction to Public Speaking Skills (PDF, 15.6MB)– Facilitated Discussion #3. Register here | Tran Thi Thuy Trang |
| Jul. 28, 11:30 – 1:00 | Pronunciation Workshop #7 (final) | Amy Baum |
| Jul. 28, 5:00 – 7:00 | MOOC 16 “Foundations of Business Strategy” (PDF, 571KB) – Facilitated discussion #2 at Vietnam Silicon Valley, 24 Lý Thường Kiệt Street, Hanoi. Register (required) here | Nikki Nguyen |
| Jul. 29, 10:00 – 11:00 | Conversation Hour | David McAuley |
| Jul. 29, 2:00 – 3:30 | Decision 2016: The U.S. Elections , the Presidency, and the State of American Democracy | Marie Gottschalk, University of Pennsylvania |
Conversation Hour
Fridays, 10:00 – 11:00 am
David McAuley
Call it a conversation, or any one of this word’s synonyms – chat, colloquy, converse, dialog, discussion, etc. – this is an hour of informal talk and your opportunity to improve your English speaking and listening skills. An American host of the hour will introduce a topic and guide you through discussion around it. Come to chat and learn. Bring your friends and make even more friends!
American English Club
American Center Interns
Come join our American English Club to improve your English speaking skills and enhance your English vocabularies on variety of topics. This club is also a good chance for you to meet new friends and enjoy lot of fun games, discussions and activities.
AC Student News
American Center Interns
Adapted from the CNN Student News, this program encouraged participants to reflect on and discuss international issues, while using opportunity to sharpen English language skills, especially listening and speaking.
Debate Club
American Center Interns
The goal of the American Center’s Debate Club is to create friendly environment where anyone can express and freely debate their ideas on interesting current topics. So if you like to analyze facts, communicates openly, or just interested in debate please make your way to the AC to join our club.
Introduction to eLibraryUSA
Fridays, 11:00 – 11:30 am
eLibraryUSA is an online library with free access to 30+ up-to-date databases including researches, journals, books, articles, encyclopedias, films, photographs, magazines, topics and references for students, teachers, youth, businessmen and kids. Please come join in our orientation session to learn more about a plentiful and helpful resource of information, then you can register to get your own login account to access to eLibraryUSA from any Internet connection.
60 Minutes with the Press Officer
July 6, 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Lisa Bess Wishman, U.S. Embassy Press Officer
Would you like to know what’s in the U.S. news? Would you like to chat with the U.S. Embassy’s Press Officer Lisa Bess Wishman? If so, please plan to join her at the American Center on the first Wednesday of every month from 3:30 – 4:30. Lisa, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, has served in Tel Aviv, Israel; Ottawa, Canada; and Washington, D.C. After having studied Vietnamese in Hanoi for 11 months, she assumed her position as the Embassy’s press officer in August 2014 and will remain in Vietnam through summer 2016. She looks forward to getting to know you better.
Pronunciation Workshop
Thursdays, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Amy Baum
This 7-week pronunciation course focuses on the pronunciation features of American English and will help students improve their awareness and production of various aspects of pronunciation. Topics include consonant and vowel sounds, stress, intonation, rhythm, and problem areas for Vietnamese speakers of English.
Startup Ecosystems and City Government: What Hanoi can learn from Boulder, Colorado
July 1, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Jason Kassel, PhD, President, Kassel Consulting, LLC
When people speak about a startup ecosystem they reflexively focus on Silicon Valley. However, in the US, each state has developed its own unique ecosystem and is advancing in its own way. This talk will focus on the particular ecosystem in Boulder, CO and how it has developed into one of the most robust in the US. It will be used as a case-study to identify core characteristics that the government of Hanoi can use to improve the ecosystem.
A Conversation between the U.S. Ambassador and the 1st Place Winner of the 2016 GIST TECH-I Pitch Competition
July 12, 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Register at https://goo.gl/BYajpU
Please join us for a conversation between the U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius and Hanoi’s pride son, the 1st Place Winner of the 2016 GIST TECH-I Pitch Competition, Dao Xuan Hoang. Ambassador Osius will interview him about his entrepreneurship journey and experience at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) at Stanford University in California. Hoang competed against over 1000 entrepreneurs around the world, and became one of the 30 entrepreneurs from 23 countries and territories invited to attend GES. There, he won the 1st Place of the 2016 GIST TECH-I Pitch Competition with $15,000 to help with his startup. His innovative app Monkey Junior teaches young children how to read using proven pedagogical methods and a highly interactive curriculum, was a show-stopper at the competition. The event will be covered by the Media.
Mock Election Event
July 20, 8:30 – 2:30 pm
Sapphire Carter
Are you interested in American politics and how Americans’ run political campaigns? Do you want to learn about America’s political system? The U.S. Embassy’s American Center will be hosting a Mock Election, where high school and university age participants, a part of a team, learn how to organize their own political campaigns based on the American two-party system. For more info please attend the info session at the American Center on June 29 at 4:30 PM. Apply online with three team members including your candidate! Find application here. Win an iPad mini!!!
For an election to be a true success there are many roles that need to be filled! First off, an election needs voters, people to decide which candidate is the best leader. Second, an election needs a candidate, a person who will represent the needs of the people. Third, an election needs campaign managers. These are the people who organize and plan out what a candidate’s stands for and they go out and try to persuade the voters to vote for their candidate. Lastly, elections need pollsters. People who counts how many voters like or dislike a candidate. WE NEED YOU! So that we may a successful first mock election at the American Center. For our mock election we will need many voters and two campaign managers for every candidate. We will also need at least 3 pollsters. When you apply for the mock election please indicate your preference: voter, pollster, candidate, campaign manager.
4th of July
July 20, 11:00 – 12:00 noon
Tammy Dewan
Learn about the History of America’s Independence Day. This workshop will be interactive to get all of us speaking English. We will also learn about how American’s celebrate 4th of July.
Traditional Vietnamese Bamboo Concert
July 25, 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Suc Song Moi bamboo ensemble performs with all the Vietnamese traditional bamboo instruments, it inherited the tradition from the famous “Green Bamboo Family Ensemble”. SSM has been invited to give performances in International Art Festivals in countries and events in Hanoi. You can watch their music here.
Vocabulary Building
July 27, 11:00 – 12:00 noon
Tammy Dewan
Develop vocabulary through games. We will play popular American games, such as Concentration, Simon Says and Family Feud. You will build your vocabulary while learning about American culture.
Decision 2016: The U.S. Elections , the Presidency, and the State of American Democracy
July 29, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Marie Gottschalk, University of Pennsylvania
Marie Gottschalk is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in American politics and public policy. Her latest book is “Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics.” She is also the author of “The Prison and the Gallows: The Politics of Mass Incarceration in America” and “The Shadow Welfare State: Business, Labor, and Health Policy in the United States.” A former journalist and editor, she served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Causes and Consequences of High Rates of Incarceration in the United States.
