HCM CITY — Fifty-three Vietnamese and foreign students took part in a 10-day Social Entrepreneurship for Economic Development (SEED) programme that ended on August 10 at the Banking University of HCM City.

The programme emphasised interactive learning experiences related to social entrepreneurship and responsibility.

Participants were provided with information about business methods and skills that are best suited to rural areas.

They also learned how to adapt quickly to new socio-cultural contexts by working with locals to create innovative, resource-based solutions using the available talent as and context of a place.

The participating students were from Switzerland, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Việt Nam.

They also visited Tiền Giang Province to learn about agriculture and tourism development. After the trip, they worked together and with experts to discuss ideas and suggestions to help develop these two sectors.    

Raphael Kessler of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, who was one of the programme’s students, said that during the trip he discovered that farmers had been planting pineapples the same way for more than 30 years.

Kessler said the farmers should change their mindset and be open to using new farming processes.

Nguyễn Đức Tùng of Banking University of HCM City said the potential of agricultural development in Tiền Giang was high, but noted that farmers had yet to apply high-tech methods to increase productivity sustainably.

He said that cooperatives should be set up to ensure that farmers sell products to enterprises in domestic and foreign markets, and that farmers should grow more fruit varieties. Tùng also called for investment in products that use fruit.

The SEED programme was organised by the Banking University of HCM City under the umbrella of Swiss-ASEAN Learning and Teaching Association and the ASEAN Learning Network. —VNS