Perceptions of LIS development in Vietnam: educational outcomes and the way forward

The authors have been involved in the design and delivery of several LIS training and education programs in Vietnam in recent years. This activity has led them to become aware of library developments and initiatives taking place within Vietnam, and of issues that will affect future development of the library and information industry. Some of these developments have been documented, primarily in English language sources. The literature review in this article has attempted to draw together these sources to present a summary of library development in Vietnam to the present time. In order to collect input from Vietnamese information professionals currently in the workforce, in early 2008 ten young information professionals who were undertaking postgraduate studies in education and librarianship were interviewed. Their viewpoints on the critical factors in library development in Vietnam over the next decade are discussed in this article. Information about current library initiatives was also provided to the authors and is reported on, supplementing that which appears elsewhere in the literature. Realistic options for the Vietnamese library and information industry are discussed, together with a framework for the assistance that could be provided by the international library community.