Name: Molly Grönlund Müller
Studies: political science
Tell us something about your field study
I travelled to Vietnam to write about a collaborative project on sustainable forest management and payment mechanisms for ecosystem services. I had been in the country before and was keen to go back and had a contact there. I was based in Hoi An in central Vietnam, a city of about 100,000. It is much calmer and nicer than big cities like Saigon or Hanoi (although these of course also have to be experienced).
I arranged my interviews through a contact at WWF Vietnam that WWF Sweden organised for me. That contact put me in touch with relevant interviewees and provided feedback and tips. However, it was more difficult than I expected to contact people willing to be interviewed, because many were worried that the regime would perceive their opinions as criticism and that this could lead to trouble for them. I also applied for a tourist visa instead of a work visa, but WWF said I could only talk to the locals if I had a work visa. Unfortunately, this kept me from being able to speak to that particular group. But I did manage to gain access to internal reports and nine people from WWF and to government actors at district and provincial level who were willing to talk about the project.
Why did you want to do an MFS?
I saw it as a valuable experience. For one thing it is a solid qualification to have, but mainly because it was an exciting experience. I can learn a lot by reading, but reading could not give me the experiences I have had here.
What are some of your takeaways from this experience?
I have gained a solid qualification for future jobs, and I have had the opportunity to dig into an interesting topic. In addition to that, I have realised that I can do very well on my own, even in a country that does not have all the amenities that are available in Sweden. Meeting nice (and not so nice) people along the way was also an experience.
What were the main challenges?
The authoritarian regime and the safety of my interviewees and of myself. I was able to solve everything organisational without major problems, but constantly having to think about what you are talking about with other people is tiresome. When I met people in private rooms, it was very interesting to hear what they had to say about life and the regime’s rule, but on the street, politics is avoided.
Do you have any practical tips for other students thinking about doing an MFS?
Prepare as much as you can. The better prepared you are in practical terms, the easier it will be once you are there. This will allow you to focus on your thesis and hopefully also to experience the country once you are there. Expect that everything will not go as planned.
