Vs2 Geography of Vietnam and Southeast Asia

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Michal Schwarz, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Michal Schwarz, Ph.D.
Department of Mongolian, Korean and Vietnamese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Michal Schwarz, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Mongolian, Korean and Vietnamese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
no requirements
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course goal is to offer complex overview to the geography of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries including adjacent seas. Main focus: explanation of differences in climatic conditions, demographic development and distribution of mineral and other resources. The course Geography of Vietnam and Southeast Asia is a fundamental theoretical profile core course of the study programme Vietnamese Studies. Content of this course and acquired knowledge will be also a part of the Final State Examination. The course is open for students of other study programmes – in such a case only final written examination with requirements of more moderate results is needed to pass the course.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course, the student is able to explain differences among Vietnam and other countries as well as explain the reasons of these differences in following areas:
- surface
- waters
- climate
- natural and mineral resources
- demographic and socio-economic conditions
- causes from history and international relations including disputed areas
Syllabus
  • • 0. Geography as a field of study - definition, subfields and methodology 1. Location of Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries on Asian continent; continental vs. insular parts, brief historical chronology
  • 2. Climate and natural conditions including mountain and river systems – their influence on demography and distribution of ethnic groups
  • 3. Urban vs. country areas in the light of recent demographic trends influenced by politics and economy
  • 4. Provinces of Vietnam and administrative division of other Southeast Asian countries
  • 5. Main mineral resources, their reserves and distribution in Vietnam and Southeast Asia
  • 6. Flora and main agricultural crops in Southeast Asian countries
  • 7. Fauna, extent of animal husbandry, hunting and fishing in Southeast Asian countries
  • 8. Mountainous and landlocked provinces of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar
  • 9. Valleys and flood lowlands in the deltas of large rivers, coastal areas of Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Thailand
  • 10. Solely insular countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, East Timor
  • 11. Insular systems of Vietnam and continental Southeast Asian countries, including distal or disputed groups of islands (India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Australia: Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands, disputed areas in South China Sea: Spratley and Paracel Islands – in Vietnamese Hoàng Sa, Trường Sa)
  • 12. Systems of seas in Southeast Asia, their ecology and economic importance
  • 13. Geographic conditions of international economic relations in Southeast Asia (sharing of rivers, seas, air and climatic conditions – collaboration and competition in the case of natural resources)
Literature
    required literature
  • Studík, P., Teplík, T. 2006. Vietnam: země rozmachu - země příležitostí. Praha: Longa.
    not specified
  • Tran Chi Thien. 2007. The Greater Mekong sub-region countries: economic development and cooperation. In: The Economic circumstances for development of the greater Mekong sub-region countries. Ed. Tran Chi Thien. Hanoi: Statistical Publishing House, 1-20.
  • Số liêu thống kê vị thế kinh tế - xã hội 63 tỉnh, thành phố Việt Nam (xếp hạng các chỉ tiêu kinh tế - xã hội). Statistical data on socio-economic positions of 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam (ranks of socio-economic indicators). Ed. Hội thống kê Việt.
  • Wong, Tai-Chee + Rigg, Jonathan (eds.). 2010. Asian cities, migrant labour and contested spaces. London – New York: Routledge.
  • Sterling, E.J. & Hurley, M.M. & Le Duc Minh. 2006. Vietnam: A Natural History. New Haven – London: Yale University Press.
  • Jáč, Ivan. 2015. Hospodářská geografie. Liberec: Technická univerzita v Liberci.
  • Rumney, Thomas A. 2010. The Geography of Southeast Asia. A Scholarly Bibliography and Guide. Lanham - Boulder - New York - Toronto - Plymouth: University Press of America.
  • Chapman, Graham P. and K. M. Barker (eds.). 1992. The Changing Geography of Asia. London - New York: Routledge.
  • Vũ, Tự Lập & Taillard, Christian. 1993. Atlas du Viêt-nam. Atlat Việt Nam. An Atlas of Vietnam. Paris: Reclus – La Documentation Française.
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
Students of the study programme Vietnamese Studies: 1) three written tests during the course - at least 50 % of correct answers is needed to pass for final written examination; + 2) final written examination: at least 75 % of correct answers is required to pass the course. Students of other study programmes: only final written examination is compulsory: at least 50 % of correct answers is needed to pass the course.
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/Vs2