First Knowledge Management Training Course in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This training course was organized by the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and the Southern Institute of Social Sciences (SISS). The workshop took place from June 16-18 2008 at SISS premises in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

This training course was organized by the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and the Southern Institute of Social Sciences (SISS). The workshop took place from June 16-18 2008 at SISS premises in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 20 Vietnamese participants representing their respective WISDOM partner organisations, namely the Sub-National Institute of Agricultural Planning, the Southern Region Hydro-Meteorological Centre, the University of Information Technology, the GIS and Remote Sensing Research Center, the Can Tho University, the Southern Institute of Social Sciences, the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, attended the training course.

Figure 1: Participants on the training course.

As a first step towards capacity building within the WISDOM project, Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Evers presented new concepts and methodologies concerning knowledge management to the Vietnamese research community.

The first day of the workshop mainly centered on contemporary theory and concepts of knowledge for development and knowledge management. Though this introductionary session was dense in terms of contents, the participants nonetheless enjoyed enough breathing-space for a lively discussion about the role of knowledge in Vietnam's present development process. Knowledge as a means for poverty reduction as well as the contribution of knowledge to the country's growing service sector was emphasized.

Figure 2: Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Evers teaching.

Besides hearing further concepts on the second day the participants also had the opportunity to concretely apply what they had learnt so far by engaging in exercises on knowledge management, in which they were challenged with the question of how to build up a knowledge society.

After two and a half days of lecturing with intensive knowledge sharing, the training course closed with a field visit to the General Science Library of Ho Chi Minh City. The former director of the library welcomed the group and gave them a chance to visit a mobile library for the rural population, the newly established children´s library, a sound studio for the recording of audio books as well as a book preservation room.

Figure 3: Impressions from the course.

The training course was well received by the Vietnamese participants. They acknowledged the new direction in research that was introduced by Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Evers and highly valued the relevance of knowledge for Vietnam’s growth and development. In the closing session the desire for further assistance in the field of knowledge management was expressed. As a final statement the Vietnamese researchers said, “After the last days we now well understand that knowledge is power. As we appreciate that cooperation is evermore important and useful we want to create a new knowledge hub in the near future consisting of different organizations from different disciplines."

Figure 4: At the HCMC City Library.