(Accidental) Internationalisation of higher education beyond English, and complementary, intersecting desires: Korean international students pursuing education in Vietnam

Abstract

ABSTRACT The increasing number of Korean students in Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia is a new phenomenon in the region’s higher education landscape. This article pays attention to this phenomenon, with a focus on the case of unconventional Korean students in Vietnamese Studies (VS) at universities in Vietnam. Informed by interview data collected from Vietnamese teachers at a major university in Hanoi, the article examines their perceptions, experiences and reflections on (a) the ways in which the mobilities of Korean students in Vietnam have (re)shaped VS; and (b) factors and reasons influencing Korean students’ enrolments in VS. The increased demand among Korean students for VS is shaped by a multitude of factors and aspirations, ranging from policy drive, institutional responses, and personal circumstances, to religious pursuits. This demand, the students’ accompanying aspirations and desires, and the value attached to VS have led to what we call ‘accidental internationalization’ on the part of the surveyed Vietnamese institution. Our study enriches scholarly inquiries on inter-Asian student mobilities and offers original implications for the internationalisation of higher education beyond the dominance of English.