ABSTRACT
This chapter explores issues for Vietnam's field education infrastructure; its strengths and weaknesses as perceived by Vietnam's faculty, students, leaders, and community agency representatives; and the model of field education that has naturally arisen given the status of social work in the country and the importance of community development. It discusses the specific strategies to develop the field internship infrastructure in countries where the professional infrastructure is emerging. A robust field internship program is a vital component of social work education at both the bachelor's and master's levels in western countries. Most neighboring countries with social work education programs require some field internship training. In all universities the field experience for undergraduates is progressively more demanding and practice-oriented as students progress through the four-year program. There are three components to universities' field programs: field agency observation; specialized practicum; and final internship.
