With the resolve to modernise its education, Vietnam has expanded the tertiary and postgraduate training cooperation with developed nations in the world, including the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. Since the start of this year, many cooperation agreements between Vietnam and other nations promised an education revolution in the Southeast Asian nation.
The United Kingdom has long been known as a leading education destination in the world with many well-reputed names like Cambridge and Oxford. Therefore, apart from cultural and economic cooperation, education is seen as an important bridge to link the two nations. To date, the education and training cooperation between Vietnam and the UK have been developed and expanded into many forms and levels. The bilateral tertiary education has intensively and extensively developed. Several UK universities like Nottingham, West London and Bell have been carrying out many joint education and training programmes and distance education with Vietnamese counterparts. Recently, 40 Vietnamese trainees obtain the doctorate papers through these methods. At primary education level, the UK is assisting Vietnam to carry out a project to associate 47 primary schools in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City.
The British Council is an exemplary model of cooperation. During its 20-year presence in Vietnam, the British Council has taught and certified thousands of Vietnamese students, becoming a top-tier English training unit in the country and a club for young Vietnamese to meet internationals.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, about 6,000 Vietnamese students are studying at educational establishments in the UK and the figure is forecast to be on the rise when many postgraduates come to this nation to obtain master and doctor degrees. In July 2008 alone, the British Embassy in Hanoi granted more than 400 visas for Vietnamese students. To bring the well-reputed education of the UK to Vietnam, Vietnam has granted the licence for the establishment of Apollo University, the first UK university in the Asian nation, headquartered in Hanoi and branched in Ho Chi Minh City. The two nations agreed to increase the cooperation between Vietnamese and UK universities, expected 40-60 units in 2010. UK universities will assist Vietnam to train 500 doctors and thousands of English teachers.
The US, a country with the top-tier education system, is the most favourite destination of Vietnamese students and researchers. The number of visas granted to Vietnamese students by the US authorities increased 73 per cent year on year so far this year. After more than 20 years in Vietnam, the US’s Fulbright Programme helped more than 700 Vietnamese students and scholars to study and research in the US. Among many American programmes in Vietnam, the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) has supported the Vietnamese education a lot. Starting operations in Vietnam in 2003, VEF has sent 270 Vietnamese students to follow doctorate courses at US universities. The tightening cooperation between Vietnam is partially thanks to the presence of the Houston Community College System in Vietnam eight years ago. So far, more than 200 Vietnamese students obtained the US certificates without going to study in the US. During the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visitor to the US in June, the two countries agreed to set up a joint education workgroup to research and develop the cooperation between their universities. The two are very keen on the establishment of an American university in Vietnam.
Remarkably, on October 29, the Fideco Group and US Stellar Management opened an Education, Training and International Conference Centre (FideS). In the first phase, FideS will offer short courses on journalism, telecommunications and movies.
One of the largest contributors to the Vietnamese education over the past 50 years is the Russia Federation (formerly the Soviet Union). The Soviet Union was the largest contributor of the Vietnamese education system. Many senior leaders, cultural activities and artists in Vietnam studied in the Soviet Union. Since 1955, the Soviet Union trained 52,000 technical scientists, culturists and socialists, including over 30,000 university graduates, over 3,000 associate doctors and some 200 scientific doctors, and 98,000 technical workers. At present, around 400 Vietnamese citizens are trained in Vietnam a year, with scholarships from the Ministry of Education and Training. In recent years, Vietnam and Russia has expanded their scientific and education ties. Currently, the Hanoi University of Technology and the Vietnam National University of Hanoi cooperated with Saint Petersburg Electric Technique College and Moscow Energy University to train Vietnamese students in Vietnam with Russian syllabi lectured by Russian and Vietnamese teachers. In the last two years, students can go to Russia to finish the study or complete it in Vietnam. Scores and certificates are granted by Russia.
From May 10 to 18, 2008, Professor Nguyen Van Khanh, Rector of Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanity, visited several universities in the Russian Federation. During his visit, the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanity and Asia - Africa Institute (Lomonosov Moscow State University) reached an agreement on student and lecturer exchange. The two universities also cooperated in training and researching psychology. They will annually exchange students, postgraduates and lecturers, exchange information on science, coordinate in research projects, document preparations, and publish and exchange publications related to psychology. The Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanity Moscow State Institute (International Relations University, Russia) also agreed on cooperation in exchanging and sharing scientific information, governance experience, study and research documents and publications, coordinating in research programmes and collaborating in scientific workshop organisation. On the occasion of 50th Vietnam - Russia education cooperation anniversary, Mr. Andrey Valererich Suslov, second secretary of Russian Embassy in Vietnam, said in October that Russia will grant 170 scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in Russia in accordance with the agreement on training cooperation between Vietnamese and Russian universities.
Thanh Thảo
Vietnamese
