Exploring the relationship between cultural intelligence and culture shock among Vietnamese students: a case study

Going abroad for study or internship is becoming increasingly popular in Vietnam. Besides great benefits in terms of academic performance and career development, students are facing challenges due to cultural differences. The study aims at investigating how Vietnamese students suffered culture shock and what is the relationship between their cultural intelligence and the level of culture shock they suffered. The data were collected via the questionnaire and the semi-structured interview. The number of participants is 34, who studied or had an internship in Australia, the United States of America, and Thailand. The study reveals that students had a relatively high cultural intelligence level, and they experienced culture shock in their time abroad. Yet, the level of culture shock they suffered varies, depending on their cultural intelligence. It is recommended that to overcome such difficulties, students should equip themselves with cultural knowledge and skills before going abroad.