Implementation of a real-life educational method for logistics in Vietnam: between Episteme and Techne

Although it is widely acknowledged that real-life dealing with logistics operations is more complex than theoretical knowledge, traditional educational settings offer very few ways for learners to experience this aspect. This article deals with the development of a real-life environment for teaching logistics management in emerging countries and more specifically in Vietnam. This particular pedagogical initiative results from specific educational research that has been materialised through the creation of a learning centre that brought theory and practices closer. This article shows how the use of a real-life-based teaching method can contribute to an authentic learning through the presentation and the discussion of a case study in Vietnam: Logistic E-Training Center (LETC–http://letc.vimaru.edu.vn/). The novelty of this educational research in logistics is to define and exemplify a framework for the development of an appropriate educational setting offering a real-life environment in which learners can experience their knowledge and formulate all the tacit skills required to handle logistics operations. Such education context provides the opportunity for students to exercise realistic work practices by developing cognitive skills required in real/authentic working situations. Learners who have attended LETC programmes that include real-life activities are better prepared to transfer the skills they have learnt in an educational setting to a work.