A delegation of leaders from 10 Belgian universities visited Vietnam to tighten their bonds with Vietnamese counterparts.
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| Vietnamese, Belgian universities signed agreements (Photo: Vietnam News Agency) |
This is the first time such a mission has come to Vietnam.
During the stay in Vietnam on April 9-16, the guests will work with representatives from Vietnamese universities.
At a seminar held in Hanoi on April 13, representatives from both countries signed a number of agreements on education cooperation, including an agreement between Hanoi University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Hanoi University of Agriculture, Hanoi University, the University of Civil Engineering and Belgium’s universities, including Brussels Liberation University (ULB), Liege University (ULG) and Louvain University (UCL).
Speaking at the seminar, Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Hubert Cooreman, said that cooperation in the area of higher education accounts for 15% of Belgium ’s official development assistance to Vietnam, valued at around EUR2 million a year. Besides scholarships to Vietnamese students, Belgium is conducting an MBA training programme in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
He added that, in the coming years, the two nations will increase their cooperation, focusing on areas of strength in Belgium’s educational system, like agriculture, environment and rural development, as well as health care and infrastructure.
The two sides also plan to launch a website on Vietnam-Belgium education partnership. This will be a forum for Vietnamese students studying in Belgium to share their experiences.
According to Nguyen Thanh Huyen, Vice Head of the Ministry of Education and Training’s International Cooperation Department, since 2003, the Belgian government offered 40 scholarships annually for Vietnamese students. To date, Vietnam has sent 100 students to Belgium for training.
