From April 25 to May 6, Distinguished Professor Chris Matthews eventually came back to Fulbright University Vietnam and successfully delivered the long-awaited American Politics 2022 – Home and Abroad course in-person right at the heart of our Crescent Campus in District 7.
Over eight 90-minute sessions in the two-week course, the award-winning journalist Chris Matthews had invited a diverse number of impactful guest speakers with whom he made close-knitted acquaintances over a decades-long career in politics and journalism. The discussion topics ranging from the current tug-of-war world order, Americans invading smaller countries, Democrats and Republicans, the 2022 American Elections, to the media bubbles were carefully designed to cover a wide-range knowledge in American Politics.
Applause to this long-awaited course, the last session was like a cozy farewell party filled with memorable moments of reflection, memories, fun, and emotions. There was an in-house music performance, candid pictures revealed for the first time, sweet words declared, and postcards signed.
“I love the richness of the course. Similar to a page-turner that I cannot hold my excitement to finish reading the current page and hungrily turn to the next, this American Politics course was beautifully designed and well-equipped with multi-dimensional viewpoints thanks to Professor Matthews and his guests. It was truly an honor,” said Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, Master of Public Policy Class of 2022 (MPP2022) student.
David Ignatius and Eli Stokols were invited as guest speakers in the course’s last session.
Quach Minh Phat, an undergraduate student of Class of 2024, was in awe of the chance he got to ask Professor Matthews and his guests his much-anticipated questions that could not be asked elsewhere. Though having been delivered online several times already, this is the very first time the course American Politics was held in person at the Fulbright campus. Without the constraints of online classes, students were able to get to know Chris Matthews on a more personal level as his inclusive moderation has allowed students to engage in open dialogues with him and the guests. “No longer far-fetched in the international press, American political and social issues were brought down-to-earth and accessible to all of us students at Vietnam. Personally, it was truly an eye-opening experience as I was able to witness how Americans themselves talk about American politics,” shared Quach Minh Phat.
Quach Minh Phat, a student of Class 2024, was in awe of the chance he got to ask Professor Matthews his much-anticipated questions.
The American Politics course was also open for registration from Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) students. Though cannot join the rest of the class in person at the Fulbright campus, Dau Thi Hong Hanh – a DAV student shared “Truth to be told, this is the first time I have ever learned American Politics from Americans themselves. Since we mostly acquired the knowledge via books or the Internet, I was so excited when first informed about this course and that Professor Chris Matthews would come to Vietnam directly. Today is already our last session but I personally wish it could be longer so that we could have more time chatting with Prof. Matthews and ask him our most hardball questions.”
Apart from dedicating most of his time at Fulbright lecturing about American Politics and Media, Professor Matthews also chatted with students and faculty members to envision Vietnam in the future’s volatile world. “A good metaphor and also the hardest and most important lesson you need to learn when coming to big cities in Vietnam is how to cross the street in which traffics are coming in an unstoppable throng. Just as this young nation has to deal with China, Russia, and the United States, you have to learn how to walk and stride evenly across the street, try to maintain your confidence and those vehicles will ride around you,” affirmed Professor Chris Matthews.
Before joining as a Distinguished Professor, Professor Chris Matthews had been a close friend to Fulbright University Vietnam and delivered several speeches and lectures relating to communications and writing. “His dedication, his contacts from a decades-long career, and most importantly, his generosity to Fulbright, a young university halfway across the globe, never fail to amaze me. It is such an honor for all of us at Fulbright University Vietnam and our students to be able to embark on this journey with the renowned journalist Chris Matthews outside their regular classes,” shared Ms. Dam Bich Thuy, President of Fulbright University Vietnam.
Phương Mai
