Thailand & Vietnam: Intercultural Communications
Interested in this trip? Attend our upcoming info sessions in Spring 2024.
Gilman Scholarship Workshop and Lunch on Feb. 5, Monday
Join us for a 10-day trip to Vietnam and Thailand! As two of the most beautiful countries in Southeast Asia, you will be visiting historical sites, where you will learn about the rich culture and traditions of the countries while enjoying the breathtaking scenery of their nature. You will also be exploring their diverse and delectable food scenes as you make your way through the bustling street markets in the cities, expertly guided by our local English-speaking professional tour guides.
Program Dates
Arrive: May 28, 2024
Depart: June 6, 2024
Tour Provider: WorldStrides
Enrollment Deadline:February 9, 2024
This trip is perfect for students interested in intercultural communications as it focuses on learning about the cultural significance of these two countries and allows students to participate in cross-cultural communications. During this trip you will also earn 3 units of UC/CSU credit.
Program Costs
The program fee is $2,562.
Based on 10-14 students + Coach & Guide: $2,760*
Based on 15 - 19 students + Coach & Guide: $2,562*
Based on 20-24 students + Coach & Guide: $2,455*
* Airfare not included.
Program Fee includes:
- WorldStrides’ comprehensive risk management and insurance
- Accommodations, meals, transportation, guides and cultural immersions.
- Intra-airfare from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok (subject to change until booked)
Optional Add-Ons:
Higher Education Travel Protection Plan
"We offer a great Higher Education Travel Protection Plan to help protect your educational travel investment, including trip interruption, travel delay, medical expense/emergency assistance, and baggage & personal effects.” - WorldStrides
- $279 per student
-
Includes CFAR waiver benefit until 3 days prior to departure date
Payment Schedule
- February 9, 2024: Deadline to apply. $384 deposit is due upon registration with WorldStrides
- February 27, 2024: $1,089 due for second payment
- April 12, 2024: $1,089 due for final payment
Visit the WorldStrides website to register (Trip ID#: 211147) and pay the deposit. You will receive detailed information from the program leader.
Program Components Included in Student Fee
Accommodation and Meals
- 9 nights in double-occupancy rooms
- Ho Chi Minh City: 4 nights at 3* Hotel, or similar
- Bangkok: 5 nights at 3* Hotel, or similar
- Daily breakfast at your accommodation, internet, and taxes & service charges are included
- $431 per single room - Single occupancy upgrade, if required
Transportation
- Coach transportation in safe, clean vehicles with experienced drivers, as listed within the itinerary
- Airport arrival transfer to Ho Chi Minh City & departure transfer in Bangkok for group flight participants
- Intra-program flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok (subject to change)
Optional Post-Program Excursion to Cha-Am, Thailand
- $510 per student
- Double-occupancy accommodations
- $108 per person - Single Occupancy upgrade
- Includes accommodations for 2 nights in Cha-Am and 1 night in Bangkok
WorldStrides Student Scholarship
Learn more about each of these $3000 opportunities available to student travelers participating in the WorldStrides faculty-led program.
Higher Ed Traveler Scholarship
- A merit-based scholarship that allows students to make education abroad a reality
Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship
- A scholarship intended for students with identities underrepresented in education abroad
Natalie Shea Memorial Scholarship
- A scholarship celebrating the enthusiasm for travel and legacy of Natalie Shea, a beloved colleague at WorldStries who passed in Fall 2020. This scholarship is to inspire deserving students to explore the world through a new lens.
Visa Service
- Visas are not required for U.S. citizens entering Thailand (certain nationalities excluded) but are required for entering Vietnam.
- WorldStrides provides any necessary supporting documents but students should process on their own.
Course Information
COMM 130 INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Introduction to various forms of interpersonal communication within relationships in personal and professional contexts, with an emphasis on both verbal and nonverbal communication. Focus on theoretical and practical considerations of behaviors which facilitate or block successful private discourse, and the role interpersonal communication plays in the formation and maintenance of identity.
AA/AS Degree Requirements: Area A1
Transfer Credit: CSU (CSU GE Area A1), UC (IGETC Area 1C)
Here is the course listing. The registration will open in April/May 2024.
Program Eligibility
Students need not be currently enrolled at one of the sponsoring colleges in order to participate.
Program eligibility requirements:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Be in good academic and disciplinary standing.
- Complete an interview with the professor of the course.
Refund & Withdrawal Policy
If an individual student withdraws there will be a refund according to the following schedule:
- Withdrawal on or before Tuesday, March 12, 2024:
- All fees paid.
- Withdrawal after Wednesday, March 13, 2024 but on or before Wednesday, March 27, 2024:
- All fee paid less the deposit (15% of ground program costs), any airfare penalties, and any non-refundable deposits paid by the student or by WorldStrides on the student’s behalf.
- Withdrawal after: Thursday, March 28, 2024:
- 50% of ground services portion of program fee and any airfare penalties become non-refundable, plus any additional non-refundable costs paid by the student or by WorldStrides on the student’s behalf.
- Wihthdrawal on or after Saturday, April 27, 2024
- No refund
- Withdrawal once the program has begun:
- No refund
More Information or Questions?
Meet SMCCCD Faculty Leader John Perez
John D. Perez is a Bay Area native, born in Redwood City, raised in Belmont, California, and a resident of Las Vegas. He is a professor of Communication Studies at Cañada College with a unique background in healthcare administration, forensics in public speaking, animal husbandry, and Psychology. As a student he was a competitor on the Solano College Speech & Debate team, and in 2000 was the top Parliamentary debate speaker in the State of California. He has held roles from volunteer speech coach to Director of Forensics and it is this unique blend and passion for communication and motivation that provides his students with a dynamic learning experience.
Mr. Perez holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern California, from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is also an instructor of Argumentation & Debate, Business & Professional Communication, Critical Thinking, Intercultural, Interpersonal & Interpretation of Literature. Mr. Perez also volunteers to mentor students through the Umoja program at several Bay Area colleges. Professor Perez has over five years of experience with international education and study abroad programs. He has led groups of 30 travelers through Australia, Europe, and North America. He is also an advisory for the Gilman scholarship and an active member in the Bay Area Travel Consortium. In addition to the international travel, Professor Perez has also spent hundreds of hours working with Physicians, Faculty, Students, and travelers securing travel documents and preparing travelers for study abroad.
Meet SMCCCD Faculty Chaperone Dr. Sarah Harmon
Dr. Sarah Harmon is Adjunct Professor of Spanish and Linguistics and OER/ZTC Coordinator at Cañada College, where she has taught most of her courses since 2006. She earned a BA in Spanish and an MA in Linguistics at UC Davis, and a Ph.D. in Romance Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin; while at UT, she went on her first study abroad program to Alicante, Spain. She sits as the Faculty Chair of the SMCCCD District Academic Senate Standing Committee on Teaching and Learning, allowing her to lead discussions on pedagogy/andragogy, distance education, and other areas of classroom practices. Additionally, she has served as the Academic Coordinator of Lake Tahoe Community College’s Intensive Spanish Summer Institute (ISSI) since 2023. Dr. Harmon also runs a YouTube channel, Lengua Franca, which focuses on grammar explanations for Spanish and other linguistic phenomena. She is a heritage speaker of Italian and has studied several other languages.