Vystrcil made the statement during a visit to the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV), where he also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two countries’ diplomatic academies.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thin, Deputy Director of the DAV, said the academy, now approaching its 70th year, stands as Viet Nam’s leading institution for diplomatic training, professional development and research. She underlined that international collaboration in education and research forms a key pillar in DAV’s ambition to become a premier regional and international centre for diplomatic studies.
According to Thin, the MoU represents an important milestone that will boost people-to-people exchanges and strengthen cooperation in education and diplomacy between Viet Nam and the Czech Republic. She added that the agreement carries special significance given the Czech Republic’s extensive experience in education, science and technology, engineering and environmental technology, having trained more than 30,000 Vietnamese students over the decades.
The agreement sets out a framework for the two academies to exchange modern teaching methods and research practices, and opens new opportunities for student, lecturer and researcher exchanges through joint training programmes, workshops and seminars.
Thin expressed her hope that the Czech Senate President will continue to support the swift implementation of the agreement through concrete actions that will advance cooperation in education, science and technology, and further reinforce the Viet Nam–Czech Strategic Partnership.
Dana Kovarikova, Director of the Czech Diplomatic Academy, described the MoU as a strategic step at a time of rapid global change requiring closer international cooperation, especially in diplomacy. She said the expansion of educational collaboration is a well-founded decision, building on the long-standing tradition of the Czech Republic training hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese students, who now serve as cultural bridges between the two nations.
Speaking with DAV students after the signing ceremony, Vystrcil noted that although the two countries are geographically distant, they are united by shared aspirations for peace, development and prosperity. He also highlighted the important role played by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, which continues to strengthen bilateral ties.
