Following the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policy on strengthening cooperation with Laos, the VNU has supported and coordinated with the NUOL in implementing various cooperative activities over the years. These activities include the exchange of staff, lecturers, and students, Vietnamese language training, the reception and professional training of many generations of staff and students from the NUOL, and the organisation of short-term training courses to enhance the capacity of the staff, lecturers, and students from the NUOL.
Since 2015, more than 300 Lao students have pursued undergraduate and master's programmes at the VNU. The number of Lao students has been increasing year by year, and will continue to be prioritised for training through various programmes and projects.
To further promote the relationship between the two countries and the cooperation between the two major higher education institutions, on January 12, 2018, the leaders of VNU and the NUOL met and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, to promote the comprehensive cooperation between the two universities. This included an appendix on cooperation to implement the project for the construction of the Scientific Research and Training Centre at the NUOL. On January 10, 2022, the Director of VNU and the Minister of Education and Sports of Laos exchanged documents on the implementation of the project.
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Director of the VNU-Hanoi, Le Quan, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony. |
At the ceremony, Director Le Quan announced that the Scientific Research and Training Centre at the NUOL will become a fully-equipped facility, with synchronous equipment and technical infrastructure. It will effectively support scientific research and training to enhance professional expertise, managerial knowledge, and skills, contributing to the development of scientific experts and personnel capable of mastering and advancing technologies prioritised by both the NUOL and the VNU-Hanoi.
This marks the first time a university institution has been entrusted to lead a project using Vietnam's aid funds for the Laotian government. The Government’s appointment of the VNU-Hanoi underscores national responsibility and regional stature, while also promoting the internationalisation efforts of the VNU.
Both Director Le Quan and Acting Director of the NUOL Dexanourath Seneduangdeth, believed that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Scientific Research and Training Centre signifies a pivotal moment in their collaborative development, in the enhancement of scientific research and education quality, thereby contributing to the development of both Vietnam and Laos.
In the coming time, both parties will focus on building infrastructure and material facilities, organising technology transfer training, promoting cooperation on scientific research, and conducting studies on climate change and environmental science, to ensure environmentally responsible implementation, minimise human health impacts, and safeguard resources for future generations.