Reflection on my visit to Vietnam: Research, Collaboration and Cultural Immersion

14 July 2026

The six weeks I spent in Vietnam were compact and well spent! Over the course of those weeks, I collaborated with the M-BRIGHT team to define the scope of my contribution. I’m happy to share that I am currently working on my dissertation entitled “Psychometric validation and measurement equivalence of the GAD-7 among school-attending adolescents in Vietnam and Cambodia.” I will complete this work over the next two months under the supervision of Dr. François van Loggerenberg.

In addition to that, I was able to work with the M-BRIGHT team and support in delivering multiple lectures at the National University of Hanoi, on:

• Mental health and well-being within schools, drawing on my experiences working in South Asia.
• The fundamentals of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, highlighting the perspectives and tensions within the broader field of mental health.
• A recovery-oriented care model for mental health, focusing on holistic interventions that bridge the gap between hospitals and communities.

I also participated in a qualitative data collection training led by Dr. Fiona Samuels and Aisling Murray. It was fascinating to observe discussions on how linguistics plays a major role in administering tools, particularly in how mental health concepts are conveyed in local languages. While I have conducted similar work in Sri Lanka, observing the same being done in Vietnamese with its distinct 6 tonal variations was quite interesting. 

Lastly, I also attended a stakeholder meeting in Thái Bình (one of the study sites), where the M-BRIGHT team and government representatives shared insights from the program so far. The discussions focused on the importance of universal mental health interventions in schools and the intervention thus far, which everyone agreed to be positive on hindsight. There was high stakeholder interest in further investigating its effects and potential upscaling.

Vietnam itself was a memorable experience. The country’s heat, humidity, chaos, incredible food, and vibrant sense of fashion made it all the more amazing to explore. During my time here, I visited Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hoi An, but most importantly, I made friends everywhere. People from so many walks of life were willing to help, share meals, and sit through group work sessions!