After spending 10 months in Asia as a visiting Fulbright Scholar, CSUDH Professor of Social Work Paul DuongTran came to a conclusion about the work. “The Fulbright is probably the best way to really promote and understand diplomacy between countries,” he says.

“I’m not talking about in terms of diplomatic or governmental diplomacy,” he clarifies. “I’m talking about regular people — it’s a great way for us to interact. This kind of in-person interaction and cultural exchange brings people together in ways that other programs can’t.”

The Fulbright Program, which calls itself “the U.S. government’s flagship international educational and cultural exchange program,” was established in 1946. It allows scholars and other professionals an opportunity to live and work abroad, with the goal of fostering mutual understanding between the U.S. and over 160 partner countries. Fulbright Scholars study, teach, conduct research, and help find solutions to shared international concerns.

DuongTran was CSUDH’s first Fulbright Scholar in over a decade, and the first faculty member from the CSUDH Department of Social Work to earn such an award. He lived in Vietnam from September 2024 to July 2025,providing lectures to social work and psychology classrooms, as well as university seminars on topics ranging from research writing to culturally-appropriate nursing, social work, and mental health practices.

He also conducted clinical and research training seminars and workshops for mental health and social work students and professionals. In all, DuongTran spent time at two dozen universities and non-governmental organizations, engaged in teaching, research, or consultation with local scholars and officials.

“My intent was not to show off my expertise or tell people in these countries what to do or how to do it,” he explains. “My goal was to figure out how we can share the knowledge we have and how this can stimulate ideas. Given that they have many less resources than we do, how can they begin to think of their own approaches?”

“In America, we have an attitude that we must invent, create, and implement changes right away. Things don’t work that way,” DuongTran says. “In most places, that’s somewhat inappropriate, because they don’t have the same resources we do. But we can help them gain the knowledge and skills that will allow them to create their own programs and solutions.”

For DuongTran, this kind of independent academic and social research and discussion helps countries become truly independent on the global stage. “I think that the best form of decolonization is to generate your own knowledge and be the owner of that knowledge,” he says.

During his stint abroad, DuongTran expanded his base of operations from Vietnam with working trips to universities in the Philippines and Indonesia. The contrasts and similarities between the two nations had a profound effect on the professor.

“I spent almost a week in the Philippines, which has a high concentration of Catholics,” he says. “I also spent 11 days in Indonesia, where more Muslims live than in the entire Middle East. These are two of the largest, most concentrated centers for these two religions in the world.”

“One thing I learned is, no matter where they are located or what religion they follow, everybody wants to do things well, to do well at their jobs,” he continues. “Whether you’re a painter or a university professor, you want to learn the best ways to do your job and be the best you can be.”

“Everybody wants the same thing — and I’m not talking about an iPhone. Everybody wants to learn the best techniques, to own the knowledge and to be a part of transmitting that to the next generation.”

Overall, DuongTran believes that his time as a Fulbright Scholar has been valuable for both sides of the exchange. “In truth, I’ve learned tremendously,” he reflects. “People have learned tremendously for me. I think that in the end, that’s the goal of any kind of exchange.”

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