On the 8 January 2020, the ‘Master in Rehabilitation Techniques, Majoring in Speech Therapy’ was officially opened at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP), District 5, HCMC. TFA directors Lindy McAllister and Marie Atherton attended, as did representatives from USAID and MCNV, UMP senior staff, the 14 Masters students, A/Prof Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung (formerly of our partner University of Medicine Pham Ngoc Thach, UPNT), and past speech therapy graduates of UNPT. Lindy spoke of the journey taken by TFA and its partners beginning with the first short course in speech therapy held at the ENT Hospital in HCMC in 2008 to the nationally recognised Masters program, and of the exciting times ahead as the speech therapy profession continues to grow in Vietnam. Upon completion of the Masters program, the graduates will return to their workplaces to educate others about the speech therapy profession and to teach into future speech therapy Bachelor degrees in Vietnam.

Whilst in HCMC, Lindy and Marie also gave lectures and practical learning activities in qualitative research methods as part of the Introduction to Masters Thesis subject. Marie reported that students engaged enthusiastically with the learning material and were keen to explore how qualitative research could inform the profession of speech and language therapy in Vietnam. As part of this subject, students are required to complete a research thesis that will be co-supervised by academic staff at UMP and Australian speech pathology academics. Thesis topics include the development of a normative sample for the first Vietnamese language assessment, adult experiences and perceptions of stuttering, and the help seeking behaviours of persons with communication disabilities and their families in Vietnam.