OLPC Vietnam

OLPC Vietnam project is progressing to a full fledge OLPC project by building a supporters community and bringing communities, educational institutions and official partners together. Ultimate goal of the project is a large scale deployment to support and foster the change of frontal teachers centralized methods to a learner and learning focused methodology in Vietnam.

Project Goals

Vietnam is an emerging country, that is very famous for its friendly people, good food, motorbike transportation and the desire of people to constantly learn and improve their lives - perfect conditions for an OLPC project.

Participation of the OLPC project in Vietnam is supporting the current change of the way children are taught in schools, a change from teachers centralized methods to a methodology that puts children and learning itself in the center. OLPC Vietnam support a holistic approach that puts students in the center and fosters active participation, learning in the digital society and using IT for a change to the better.

The mission of this Nonprofit project organization is to create an environment for the OLPC project, take necessary steps to ensure every OLPC delivered gets to a child and to cooperate with partner projects, such as Freifunk to bridge the digital divide especially in remote regions.

Current Status

The OLPC project in Vietnam is currently in the process of building a wide network of support and partners involving key players including universities, the National Institute of IT, computer associations and outlining the project with potential partners in the ministry of science and technology and the ministry of education.

Stakeholders

There are a number of stakeholders already involved to improve education and bring new opportunities for economic development through low cost computing and computer literacy for the Vietnams's and the region's future.

The project is in the process of discussing official agreements with the following actors:

• Educational Institutions and Universities
• Software and education community groups
• Event organizers such as GNOME.Asia
• Asian lightweight software projects such as LXDE
• Community Network operators including Freifunk
• Government officials

Members

• Mario Behling (contact: http://olpc.vn, +84 1286380690)
• Nancie Severs
• Marina Zdobnova
• DANG Hong Phuc

Pilots/Deployments

• OLPC Vietnam Project Proposal (Phase 1)
  • Technical Team Pilot Program: The OLPC Vietnam team is working closely together with community multipliers. In the first phase of the project the team includes about 30 volunteers, who are getting themselves acquainted with the XO, software and hardware. In the initial phase team members will specialise in different areas and work together to develop the details of the following phases. Experience of successful deployments from Peru to Afghanistan have shown, that local support of technical as well as non-technical people is essential. The implementation of the OLPC project in Vietnam includes staff from previous OLPC deployments and builds on the experience of successful projects elsewhere.
  • Technical Implementation: The OLPC technical implementation and translation teams start working in October 2009. The current focus is on setting up a test lab. The project is applying for XO's for the team. These XO's are used for experiments and testing in the OLPC-VN Office by its technical team, in order to develop and test new activities and software for XO's.
  • Project Members: Mario Behling (Project Leader), Hong Phuc Dang (Head of Team), Svetlana Senjanova (Advisor OLPC), Dang Phuc Hau (Volunteers Coordinator)

• Vung Vieng Fishing
  • The Vung Vieng Fishing Village is located in Bai Tu Long Bay, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. The Village is located about 40 kilometers from Ha Long City, Vietnam. Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are located in Northeast Vietnam approximately 165 kilometers from Hanoi. A successful deployment in this very unique site will be visible to visitors from many nations, generating interest and excitement for OLPC. Small deployments around the world are a good business model to keep the OLPC Laptop Project excitement alive, and to effect change, one child, one school, and one community at a time. This project will be a good deployment and activity model for the OLPC Community. A condition of receiving/using these XOS will be willingness to participate in follow-up by the VVV Laptop Project Team in Vietnam.
  • Project Coordinator: Nancie Severs (Project Leader, OLPC Volunteer)

• OLPC Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City's Phu My Orphanage
  • This project started January 2010, and takes place in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
  • http://saigonolpc.wordpress.com/

Contacts and Further Information

• OLPC Vietnam website (community group currently independent from OLPC Foundation/Association)

List of XOs

• OLPC Vietnam/List of XO Users
• Cantho - 1 XO
  • Mario Behling
• Vung Vieng, Ha Long Bay - 10XOs
• Saigon - 4XOs