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Purpose Learning style differs among students; 4 were identified by David A. Kolb (1984). Learning style identification plays a vital role in enhancing learning performance in response to choice of approaches to engaging students, particularly for Problem-based learning (PBL) methods used in Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. This research aimed to identify the learning styles of those students responding to PBL packages and investigate relationships between their learning styles and academic performance. Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted nursing students (N=135) who engaged with PBL packages in the subject Fundamental Nursing 3 in the second semester of the academic year 2016-2017. A questionnaire consisted of items on general characteristics, a learning style scale (Kolb LSI 3.1), and details around academic performance. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 22.0 program. Results The findings indicated that the diverging is the descriptor of the preferred learning style of 43.7% nursing students; 24.4% represented the converging style; the accommodating style accounted for 18.5% and assimilating style was 13.3%. Our study had not yet found the effect of learning methods on the academic performance of nursing students (toward Formative result: F=0.872, p=0.235; toward Summative result: F=1.116, p=0.345). Conclusion A majority of nursing students chose the diverging learning style over others but there was no significant difference between academic performance and learning styles. Therefore, teachers should be flexible and use different stimuli for learning in order to attempt to engage learners in stimuli for learning about different situations, irrespective of their preferred style for learning. It is important to provide optimal learning environments for most students.

Objectives To describe the attitudes and perceptions toward nursing profession among nursing students at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Hue UMP). Method The mixed method study involved 319 nursing students from first to fourth-year. Quantitative data was collected by using the Attitudinal Scale for Nursing Profession, and participants’ subjective perception of nursing profession was collected by asking participants questions such as: "How do you feel about nursing and nursing profession?" Results The quantitative results showed that the mean score of nursing students’ attitudes toward nursing profession was 148.76 (SD = + 37.29). The average score on satisfaction for nursing profession varies from 40 to 200. The qualitative findings show perceptions classified under 2 emergent themes: 1) A career that requires passion and professionalism 2) High-pressure and a boring career. Conclusion These findings provide a preliminary understanding of nursing students’ attitudes and perceptions toward the nursing profession. The study has implications for both the nursing professors and university: Curricula have to emphasize ways of enhancing student’s positive awareness of the contemporary roles and values of the profession to students. Collaborative studies with other Universities and Colleges will assist in developing stimulus material and learning strategies that will enhance the value of the role of nurses in contemporary Vietnamese health care.

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. The security of Energy, Food and Water (EFW) – basic human necessities – have lately emerged as a key policy challenge for the Vietnamese policy-makers. This research is premised on the argument that current policy focus for ensuring EFW security is deficient as it is based on siloed thinking, neglectful of the complex, multifaceted, interlinkages (nexus) between EFW, the economy, the society and the environment. An integrated approach to policy, informed by the nexus will therefore be needed to redress the security challenge. Against this backdrop, this research analyses the impacts of alternative developmental pathways (scenarios) on EFW security and the economic, social and environmental domains for Vietnam for the period 2014-2030. These scenarios represent different policy foci, for example; SC1-BAU (Business-as-Usual) Scenario representing continuation with existing policy trends; SC2 Scenario emphasising energy security; SC3 Scenario – food Security; SC4 Scenario – water security; SC5 Scenario – EFW security; and SC6 Scenario – EFW security with specific priority on the environment. Each scenario is underscored by its own technological, economic and other assumptions which are broadly in accord with the current or likely trends in Vietnam. The EFW security and wider impacts of each scenario are assessed in this research through the application of an EFW-security-extended input-output based integrated framework (model), specifically developed for this research. The analyses of these impacts suggest that continuation with existing policy trends will produce detrimental EFW security, and economic, social and environmental outcomes for Vietnam. SC2, SC3 and SC4 scenarios (emphasising energy, food and water security, respectively) will produce superior outcomes in their specific domains but inferior outcomes in other domains (for example, in the S2 scenario energy security will improve appreciably, but at the expense of food and water security). The nexus scenarios (i.e., SC5 and SC6), while producing the best overall EFW security and overall economy-wide outcomes, do offer distinctive choices. SC5 produces extremely positive EFW security and economic and social, but relatively inferior environmental (CO2 emissions), outcomes; SC6 on the contrary produces considerably positive EFW security, social and environmental outcomes, but relatively lower economic outcome (with approximately one percent lower GDP in comparison with SC5 scenario). Such insights into the impacts of various (nexus and non-nexus scenarios) and, more pertinently, associated trade-offs across the scenarios, should – it is contended – provide the Vietnamese policy makers a much robust platform to inform their policy choices to promote EFW security, while ensuring the much-needed socio-economic development of the nation.

In recent years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have globally shown increasing impact on health status in populations with disproportionately higher rates in developing countries. NCDs are the leading cause of mortality worldwide and a serious public health threat to developing countries. Recognizing the importance and urgency of the issue, a one-day symposium was organized on NCDs in Developing Countries by the CIHLMU Center for International Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, Munich on 22nd March 2014. The objective of the symposium was to understand the current situation of different NCDs public health programs and the current trends in NCDs research and policy, promote exchange of ideas, encourage scientific debate and foster networking, partnerships and opportunities among experts from different clinical, research, and policy fields. The symposium was attended by more than seventy participants representing scientists, physicians, academics and students from several institutes in Germany and abroad. Seven key note presentations were made at the symposium by experts from Germany, UK, France, Bangladesh and Vietnam. This paper highlights the presentations and discussions during the symposium on different aspects of NCDs in developing countries. The symposium elucidated the dynamics of NCDs in developing countries and invited the participants to learn about evidence-based practices and policies for prevention and management of major NCDs and to debate the way forward.