All of the below events are open free of charge to the public. We would like you to plan carefully before registering with us so that we have enough seats for participants. If you register for our events but change your plan, kindly notify us by email. If you would like to be an American Center member, please register.
***REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL EVENTS EXCEPT THOSE NOTED OTHERWISE. Register here. You can also check out our Facebook page to see event schedule and click “Join” to register with us.***
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:
- All visitors to the American Center in Hanoi must undergo additional security checks of their personal electronic devices (laptops, cell phones, fitness trackers, etc.). These new procedures are being implemented worldwide to enhance the security of U.S. Embassy buildings. Please note that these new security screening requirements, which includes powering on the equipment in front of the guards, will lengthen the wait times for guests entering the American Center. Guests should plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to an event to ensure they can get through the screening procedures in time. We recommend you consider using the U.S. Embassy’s equipment and leaving your devices at home to shorten the screening time for all guests. In the meantime, if you plan to bring this or other electronic equipment to the American Center, please allow more time for these new screening procedures. Thank you for your assistance and patience.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| August – November 2018 |
Vietnam Challenge for Environment: Call for Researchers and Entrepreneurs |
U.S. Embassy Hanoi, Swiss EP, and Hatch!Ventures |
| Aug. 1, 3:00 – 4:30 | Public Speaking Contest on Plastic Pollution | American Center |
| Aug. 1, 2:30 – 5:00 | Study Health Science in the U.S. Register here | Rene Cabrera, Senior Director of Admissions, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science (MCPHS) |
| Aug. 2, 3:00 – 4:30 | Essay Writing Boot Camp Workshop 3. Register here | EducationUSA Adviser |
| Aug. 3, 9:00 – 10:45 | English Conversation Groups | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 3, 11:00 – 12:30 | How to be an Effective Public Speaker | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 3, 3:00 – 4:30 | Appreciate Vietnamese Culture Through Traditional Music | Vân-Ánh Võ |
| Aug. 3, 5:00 – 6:30 | From Strangers to Familiars | American Center Interns |
| Aug. 6, 2:00 – 3:30 | How to be an Effective Public Speaker | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 6, 4:00 – 5:00 | Impromptu Speaking | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 6, 5:00 – 6:45 | English Conversation Groups | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 7, 12:30 – 2:00 | English Conversation Groups | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 7, 2:30 – 3:30 | Impromptu Speaking | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 8, 10:00 – 11:00 | Impromptu Speaking | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 8, 11:30 – 1:00 | English Conversation Groups | Jeff Myers |
| Aug. 8, 3:00 – 4:00 | Biodiversity and Wildlife Trafficking in Vietnam | Mary Blair, Ph.D. |
| Aug. 8, 4:00 – 5:00 | Reimagining Identity On The Road: A Viet Kieu’s Journey Through Vietnam | Paul Tran |
| Aug. 9, 9:00 – 5:30 | Online Marketing Workshop for Female Business Owners and Entrepreneurs | American Center, WISE, and #SheMeansBusiness |
| Aug. 9, 3:00 – 4:30 | Essay Writing Boot Camp Workshop 4. Register here | EducationUSA Adviser |
| Aug. 10, 10:00 – 12:00 | Practice English with American Fulbrighters | Fulbright English Teaching Assistants |
| Aug. 10, 2:00 – 4:00 | How to Build Your Brand Using Online Marketing Tools | Chelsea Wilson |
| Aug. 10, 5:00 – 6:30 | From Strangers to Familiars | American Center Interns |
| Aug. 14, 2:00 – 5:45 | “Food Evolution” Screening and Debate on GM Food – Science and Consumer Perception | USDA and CropLife Vietnam |
| Aug. 16, 4:30 – 6:00 | American English Club: LGBT+ | American Center Interns |
| Aug. 17, 9:00 – 11:00 | Make Cents Make Sense | Nguyen Minh Nhat |
| Aug. 17, 2:00 – 5:00 | Embrace Photo Exhibition and Discussion | American Center and Insecure Project |
| Aug. 20, 5:00 – 6:30 | Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success | Cynthia McKinney |
| Aug. 21, 4:30 – 6:00 | Debate Club | American Center Interns |
| Aug. 27, 5:00 – 6:30 | Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success | Cynthia McKinney |
| Aug. 28, 5:30 – 7:00 | Getting into Selective Liberal Arts Colleges. Register here | Adam Sapp, Director of Admissions, Pomona College in Los Angeles, CA; Emily Almas, Associate Dean, Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, PA; Sulgi Lim, Senior Associate Director, Williams College in Williamstown, MA |
| Aug. 31, 3:00 – 4:30 | Disability Rights in the U.S.—Progress and Challenges | Helena Berger, President & CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities |
Conversation Hour
Fridays, 10:00 – 11:00 am
American Volunteers
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 a variety of topics. The participants will join the host to learn how to sing one of the popular memorable songs as a warm-up activity. Then, the club will continue with its interesting activities that will give you the opportunities to improve your English speaking skills, enhance your vocabulary, and have a lot of fun discussions and presentations.
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.
From Strangers to Familiars
American Center Interns
From Strangers to Familiar is a program that engages people in deep conversations in order to develop connections between humans. From Strangers to Familiars not only gives participants an opportunity to master their English communication skills but also helps them create ultimate long-lasting networks through the program’s chain of deep talks. Everyone has a chance to share and everyone is listened.
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.
Pronunciation Workshop
Todd Aydelott
This is a presentation on how the syllable types of English can be used to determine pronunciation. Over the course of two sessions we will cover 6 syllable types. During the first session, we will look at what a syllable is in English, and then explore the pronunciation and spelling rules for Closed, Open, and Vowel-Consonant-e syllables. We will also look at the importance of ending consonant sounds and intonation of phrasing in English. During the second session, we will review the information presented on syllables in the first session and then expand on this by looking at the pronunciation and spelling rules for R-Controlled, Vowel Teams, and C-LE Syllables. We will also look at syllable stress in words and discuss the schwa sound.
How to be an Effective Public Speaker
Jeff Myers
Learn key principals for preparing, practicing and delivering a formal speech in English. Please write down and bring your notes about your idea for the topic, and the audience to whom you might deliver a speech. (This can be a real audience, or just one to whom you imagine you would like to speak). You will discuss your ideas with others in the class, and a few participants who volunteer will have the chance to make a short speech to the class. This class will be repeated on several occasions; you do not need to attend more than once, although you may repeat the class if you would like to bring ideas for several different speeches you might make. (Please bring pen or pencil and paper, along with your notes on the topic and audience for your speech.)
Impromptu Speaking (Making a Short Speech Without Preparation)
Jeff Myers
Learn key principals for making a speech or presentation in English for which you have little or no time to prepare. The instructor will assign a choice of three topics, and, after 5 minutes to organize your ideas, you will be asked to prepare and deliver a speech on one of the topics to several other class participants. This class will be repeated on several occasions; you are welcome to attend it more than once. (Please bring pen or pencil and paper, so that you can make notes as you organize your ideas in getting ready for your speech.)
English Conversation Groups
(for adults, and for children 8 and over)
Jeff Myers
The instructor will offer a short overview of informal English conversation, then break the class into groups and invite participants to make conversation with each other. Participants are encouraged to bring children (8+ years old), as the instructor’s 12 year-old American son will join conversation among a group of children.
Appreciate Vietnamese Culture Through Traditional Music
August 3, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Vân-Ánh Võ
Music is a lens through which we can visit another time or place. In general, music can tell us about the people and society of a particular time. In particular, traditional music spans many generations and does reflect the traditions and customs from many different regions.
Van-Anh Vo–the national champion of Vietnamese traditional music, Emmy Award composer, vocalist, and educator–will use traditional music to showcase Vietnam’s 4000-year-old cultural heritage. The sounds of the traditional instruments and folk songs will offer insights into the different traditions and customs of Vietnam’s three main regions: North, Central, and South.
Under her guidance, the audience will join Van-Anh in playing some traditional instruments to create their own music. This hands-on experience will help the audience appreciate and understand more about the Vietnamese history, traditions, and culture.
Biodiversity and Wildlife Trafficking in Vietnam
August 8, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Mary Blair, Ph.D.
Join us for a presentation by Dr. Mary Blair from the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (http://cbc.amnh.org/) about the precious wildlife of Vietnam. Dr. Blair will discuss why the wildlife of Vietnam is so unique and globally important, and how her Museum has worked with partners in Vietnam for the past 23 years to leverage collaboration, scientific research, and traditional and local knowledge to understand the biggest threats to wildlife, including wildlife trafficking and climate change, and inform wildlife conservation in the country.
Reimagining Identity On The Road: A Viet Kieu’s Journey Through Vietnam
August 8, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Paul Tran
This is a presentation that examines identity and social perceptions colored through the lens of a Vietnamese American’s road trip from Hanoi to Saigon. Near death experiences, unexpected relationships with mechanics and surprise adventures in a humorous take on one person’s journey to unravel the entangled narratives of his roots.
Full Day Online Marketing Workshop for Female Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
August 9, 9:30 – 5:30 p.m.
American Center, WISE, and #SheMeansBusiness
Female Business Owners and Entrepreneurs: do you want to expand your customer base and better target your customers? Come to learn online marketing tools. This full-day workshop will be conducted by a Facebook certified trainer with an American blogger. They will introduce various online tools to help you set up and manage a successful online marketing tool and gain insights on creative marketing, learn best practices help you grow your business. This free workshop is created exclusively for female business owners and entrepreneurs.
Register at: https://goo.gl/WPzQ88. Deadline: midnight on August 5th 2018.
First come – First serve. We will confirm your acceptance on August 6.
Practice English with American Fulbrighters
August 10, 10:00 – 12:00 midday
Fulbright English Teaching Assistants
Would you like to practice English with 17 American Fulbright English Teaching Assistants? Please come and grasp this valuable opportunity before they spread out to teach English at gifted high schools, colleges and universities across Vietnam! If you are a college/ university students and have your English level of Pre-Intermediate or Intermediate, please register.
How to Build Your Brand Using Online Marketing Tools
August 10, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Chelsea Wilson
Branding your business or yourself online is an art. In this two hour workshop, participants learn the methods of identifying their target audience and designing an effective mission statement. This workshop also examines how to use social media tools such as Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and YouTube to market effectively online.
Make Cents Make Sense
August 17, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Nguyen Minh Nhat
You want to boost your happiness and stay away from financial troubles? Let’s study personal finance.
“Make cents make sense” workshop will give you a sense of personal finance management. Workshop participants will play an investment game, work on your budget, and find out how to make a better financial decision to sustain your financial well-being and keep you away from financial troubles. Speaker Nguyen Minh Nhat, an YSEALI alumni, a personal finance coach who completed “The one-week job project” and founded “Heo Đất” – a financial literacy education programs that combines behavioral finance, psychology, sociology that is adapted to local culture. He has delivered 20+ workshops/training/classes on personal finance to almost 300 students and young professionals at universities, local NPOs, companies, etc. in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and more. The presentation will be in Vietnamese.
Embrace Photo Exhibition and Discussion
American Center and Insecure Project
August 17, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Aware of young girls’ insecurities in many aspects of life, a group of high school students in Hanoi has established a project named “Insecure Project’’. Its main event, which is ‘’Embrace’’ photo exhibition will take place on August 17 at The American Center Hanoi, in hopes of spreading a message of self-image positivity, as well as self-appreciation to all viewers.
At the exhibition, in addition to unique photographs, viewers will have the chance to attend a discussion with Mr. Hoang Nhat, a researcher of Institute Of Psychology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, and explore inspiring stories from the life experience of 16 girls who have struggled with insecurities. With the sponsorship of Girl UP Vietnam organization and the support of the American Center, the exhibition will bring a new perspective of young people to viewers, especially to young, modern women.
Disability Rights in the U.S.—Progress and Challenges
August 31, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Helena Berger, President & CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities
Please join us on a talk and Q&A with visiting U.S. speaker Helena Berger on the topic of disability rights. This session will be open to the media.
Helena Berger biography
Helena Berger has been a disability-rights advocate for 30 years. She is currently the President & CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Ms. Berger has been associated with AAPD for 20 years; serving in the following leadership positions: Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Vice President.
Prior to joining AAPD, Ms. Berger was the Advocacy Director for the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA), renamed in 2005 United Spinal Association. Under her direction, EPVA’s advocacy program significantly expanded its public education and community outreach activities, specially aimed at raising awareness of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a result, Ms. Berger has extensive experience in designing and implementing grassroots programs and working effectively with non-governmental organizations, community and business leaders, and public officials to increase the community integration, independence, and rights and opportunities of all people with disabilities.
Ms. Berger’s international disability rights work includes working with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs as a feature speaker on disability rights, policy, and growing grassroots movements. She has spoken with diverse disability audiences in Mongolia, Nepal, and Cyprus, and traveled to Jordan and the West Bank in Israel.
