Within the framework of the Italy-Vietnam Executive Program of Cooperation in the field of education signed in Hanoi on June 6 during the official visit of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Uni-Italia Vietnam and the Van Lang University, in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, the Embassy of Italy in Hanoi and the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City have organized the VIETNAM-ITALIA HIGHER EDUCATION FORUM 2019.
The event has taken place in Ho Chi Minh City on 7 October at Van Lang University – Campus 3 (416/4/8 Nguyen Thai Son Street, Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City).
The Forum, which has been opened by the Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Education and Training, Mr. Pham Quang Hung, and the Ambassador of Italy to Vietnam, H.E. Antonio Alessandro, aimed at addressing topics of common interests, such as scholarships, mobility of students, researchers and professors, joint research projects, funding possibilities, visa matters, the establishment of an alumni network and much more. The ultimate goal is that of giving a concrete contribution to the development of our bilateral academic relations through the sharing of ideas and the shaping of a common strategy for the future. Indeed, as cultural exchanges between our two countries are constantly growing, education plays a key role in the strengthening of the strategic partnership linking our two peoples. Some remarkable figures testify such a trend: 521 study visa issued to Vietnamese students in 2018; 107 agreements between universities; more than 1.000 Vietnamese university students learning Italian; more than 50 Italian students attending exchange programs in Vietnam.
The Forum has been joined by 18 Italian universities (Brescia, Bocconi, Secoli Institute, IUAV, Luiss, Lumsa, Macerata, Milano, GGE Art Group, Pavia, Pisa, Polimi, Sapienza, Siena, Torino, Tor Vergata, Trento, Unimore), representatives from 23 Vietnamese universities
and other relevant stakeholders.
The event has been held back-to-back with the yearly fair of the Italian Universities in Vietnam taking place in Hanoi (October 5), Ho Chi Minh City (October 6) and Danang (October 8).
Among the recommendations of the Forum: focusing on the areas with more complementarity between Italy and Vietnam; facilitate more connections with the private sector and Italian companies in Vietnam; re-activate scholarships of the Vietnamese Government for students travelling to Italy; strengthen the Italian language courses in order to mitigate the linguistic barrier; promote a network between the universities of our two countries and hold the forum every two years.
During the Forum several cooperation agreements were also signed between Italian and Vietnamese universities and there was the opening of the first Vietnamese institute for studies on cultural heritage in partnership with IUAV.
For further information please contact Uni-Italia Vietnam at +024 3824 0579 or hotline 096 888 5484.
