Unlocking Brighter Futures: Vietnam and UK Forge Unbreakable Bonds in Education
Strengthening Vietnam-UK Educational Cooperation
At the NDO – Municipal People’s Committee Headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City, British University Vietnam (BUV) and City St. George’s University – University of London, in cooperation with the Centre for Training and Knowledge Development of Diplomatic and Foreign Languages (CEFALT), formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding, opening a new chapter in training cooperation and improving the quality of education international in Vietnam.
The strengthened cooperation will strengthen international ties in the field of higher education, thereby opening up opportunities for students and lecturers from all three institutions to access a diverse and high-quality learning environment, and contributing to the enhancement of educational cooperation between Vietnam and the UK.
The signing ceremony was conducted by Mayor of London’s Financial District and Principal of City University – London, Professor Michael Mainelli, in the presence of Mr. Vo Van Hoang – Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Ms. Alexandra Smith – British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Sionard Robinson – Deputy Director General for Business Cooperation and Career Opportunities, City St George’s University – University of London, Professor Rick Bennett, Vice President and Pro-Vice President of BUV and Ms. Mai Anh Thai, Director of CEFALT.
Extensive Collaboration on Many Major Content Areas
The two units will cooperate extensively on many key content areas in the 2024-2029 period, establish and offer international joint training opportunities for all training programs, and create bridges for students to access quality international education and diversify their study choices.
At the same time, the program will strengthen cooperation perspectives for obtaining funding in the field of research, support capacity building, scientific innovation and development of new initiatives, contributing to industrial science, education and economic development; strengthen the strategic partnership between BUV and City and St. George’s University, University of London, opening up extensive cooperation possibilities and strengthening the bridge of quality education between the two countries; improve distance learning capabilities and increase access to international educational content for a diverse group of students; implement a student exchange program to support students’ skills development, broadening horizons and cultural exchange.
Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Vo Van Hoang, recognizing that education is an important pillar of bilateral cooperation, stressed that the signed agreement is a solid foundation for the exchange of expertise and knowledge between schools and centers, creating favorable conditions for exchanges between students and lecturers, opening up many opportunities for international cooperation.
“We believe we need to build on this foundation and further promote cooperation between educational institutions. We can set up another British university focusing on programs such as technology and finance, together with other international universities in Ho Chi Minh City, such as those from Australia, France and Germany, to increase the internationality of Vietnamese students,” Vo Van Hoang said in a statement shared.
Professor Michael Mainelli, Mayor of London’s Financial District, commented: “This partnership not only reflects the strength of the UK-Vietnam relationship, but also demonstrates our ambition to expand collaboration in research, academia, finance and business. The direction of my term as Mayor is to celebrate the value of expertise as a catalyst for prosperity and a key point in our century-long journey.”
Supporting the above views, Ms. Alexandra Smith, British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, stressed that “I believe that the signing of today’s Memorandum of Understanding marks the beginning of deeper exchanges between the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, BUV and the British Consulate General”.
Multilateral Strategic Cooperation
Commenting on the collaboration, Professor Rick Bennett, Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of BUV, said: “This strategic collaboration marks an important step forward in multilateral cooperation. By strengthening our collaboration with our visionary partners, City and St. George’s University, University of London and CEFALT, the programme confirms our commitment to providing students with an international quality learning and training experience and contributing to the sustainable development of Vietnamese education.”
Mai Anh Thai, Director of CEFALT, said: “Today’s cooperation signing ceremony is very meaningful for the education and training activities of the parties, opening the door for many joint activities in the future, bringing British education closer to the people of the city, and contributing to promoting educational cooperation and mutual understanding between the UK and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, and between the UK and Vietnam in general.”
Dr Sionade Robinson, Deputy Director General for Enterprise Partnership and Career Opportunities at City and St George’s University, University of London, said: “The QAA Global Certification Programme is recognised by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and meets international standards.”
Previously, CEFALT and BUV established a bilateral cooperation relationship with the common goal of improving the quality of foreign language education and promoting the spirit of lifelong learning in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.
Building on this foundation, the cooperation will not only increase access to quality education for urban residents, but also confirm the parties’ commitment to making British education more accessible to various groups both inside and outside Vietnam.
This marks an important step forward and marks the presence of British education in Ho Chi Minh City, contributing to the realization of the goal of establishing a British university in the city and contributing to improving the quality of education for the people and today’s development of Ho Chi Minh City.