Read urban conditions directly through site visits, field observation and mapping.
Learning beyond the classroom
The City Is
Our Classroom.
At SUD, urban learning does not stop at the classroom door. Students observe places, work through real urban questions, collaborate across disciplines and connect academic concepts with rapidly changing urban contexts.
See SUD in actionLearning through the city
From observation to urban understanding
Field visits, community mapping, workshops and applied activities help students connect interdisciplinary knowledge with the spatial, environmental, infrastructural and social realities of urban development.
SUD’s existing activity archive documents urban field trips across Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas, together with workshop-based and collaborative learning activities.
Connect what is observed in the city with concepts, methods and evidence from different disciplines.
Work with peers through workshops, group assignments and applied learning activities.
Translate findings into proposals, presentations and discussions about sustainable urban futures.
SUD in action
Places, problems and people become part of the learning process
These experiences complement the formal curriculum by creating space for direct observation, collaborative problem-solving and reflection on real urban conditions.
01 / Fieldwork
Observe the city
Urban field trips take students into Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas for site visits, direct observation and community mapping.
The city becomes a source of evidence: its streets, infrastructure, neighbourhoods, public spaces and changing landscapes can be examined as interconnected urban systems.
02 / Applied learning
Work through problems
Workshops and project-based activities provide space to test methods, compare perspectives and develop responses to complex urban questions.
This format supports SUD’s interdisciplinary character: planning, infrastructure, environmental management, design and governance can be considered together rather than in isolation.
03 / Collaboration
Learn with people
Collaborative learning activities encourage students to discuss, negotiate and communicate across different academic and professional perspectives.
Where activities involve communities or external participants, they also provide opportunities to understand how urban issues are experienced beyond institutional and disciplinary boundaries.
Two urban regions
Compare urban development across Vietnam and Germany
The Joint Degree structure extends experiential learning beyond one city. Students encounter different spatial, institutional and infrastructural contexts through the programme’s study periods at VGU and TU Darmstadt.
Field notes
Urban fieldwork & workshops
A visual record of learning activities already documented by the SUD programme.
Continue exploring SUD