Chonnam National University is in the top 10 best universities in Korea located in Gwangju Province, which is roughly 300km far from Seoul. This university has many training sectors and is known as a place where educates plenty of successful people in Korea and as an AEP student, I feel very grateful to be given such a great opportunity to participate in the Exchange Program in CNU for one semester.

In terms of Education, Chonnam National University has a professional study environment. From registering subjects, checking timetables to submitting homework or downloading study materials,..etc Everything can be done on the website of CNU. The facilities in the classrooms are very modern to satisfy all the needs of lecturers and students. With lecturers who are well-known doctors and professors, we had lots of interesting and useful lessons. In addition, we also attended a Korean course in the evening. It was an exciting experience and I was so impressed by the teaching methods of Korean teachers here. They avoid using English as much as they can. Instead of that, they use teaching equipment and put students in actual situations in order to help us remember words and sentence structures more systematically. In the course, I have met and talked to the other exchange students who came from different countries like France, Malaysia, Finland, the USA,… and it helped me to know more about their countries. If you have a chance to exchange study at CNU, I highly recommend you to attend this class. (By the way, this course is sponsored by the AIMS program, which means it is free. So why not? :D)

Besides studying, we also joined in many extracurricular and after-class activities. We came to visit a large number of places in Gwangju and outside Gwangju such as Gwangju Kimchi Town, Smart Energy Creator KEPCO, Gwangju KIA Motors, JS Cuisine,…. Especially the trip to K-Style Hub and Lotte World in Seoul. It was an unforgettable  2-day-1-night trip. For my friends who don’t know, Lotte World is the largest indoor amusement park in the world located in Seoul and I can guarantee that when you take the first step into it, the only word you can say is a big fat “Wow” because of its splendor. In my opinion, it would take you a week to fully explore this place as the number of games here is almost countless. To be honest, I wish I had more time there but maybe it was enough for me to memorize forever.

Regarding living, CNU has a big and modern system of dormitories to make sure that students always have the most convenient and comfortable time staying here. Every room is consists of an air-conditioner, a self-contained bathroom with a heater, a fridge, 2 beds, 2 desks, 2 wardrobes, and a shoe rack. The other dorm residents are fun and friendly. At mealtimes, you can go to the dorm restaurant to eat. The menu in the restaurant is so diverse and flexible that it makes us eager for the meals. Moreover, there are convenience stores, supermarkets, other restaurants like BBQ restaurants, noodle restaurants,… or karaoke shops, PC Bangs around the dormitory area for you to buy some goods for your living or to relax in spare time.

The last will be the Buddy Program, they are Korean friends who know this place very well and they did help us a lot when we were in Korea. They are truly dedicated and enthusiastic, from supporting us to move in the dorm, showing us the ways to in the university, registering subjects to sharing must know things in Korea. As a former member of the Buddy Program in TUAF, I have found many things I can learn from them. But more than that, our Korean buddies are very fun and cute. Thanks to the Advanced Education Program and Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry that I can have such wonderful friendships in this beautiful country.

(Quach Bao Chau K49-CTTT)