>>> HCM City calls for US’s support to build start-up ecosystem
The signing of the MoU took place in the framework of a working visit to the US by a delegation of HCM City officials led by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan.
Under the agreement, the two universities will enhance the exchange of lecturers, scholars and managers in the fields of education and scientific research.
They will also work together on developing joint research programmes related to biomedical science and stem cell research as well as seeking research funding from their Governments and private resources.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Director of the VNUHCM Huynh Thanh Dat stressed VNUHCM’s commitment to long-term collaboration with UCLA, expressing his hope that this will contribute to Vietnam’s education reform.
For his part, Professor Gene Block, Director of the UCLA said he believes the MoU will help promote more effective collaboration, especially in the fields of their common concern.
Secretary Nhan expressed his hope for effective cooperation and support between the two universities in the mentioned fields.
He suggested the two sides consider partnership in researching the application of artificial intelligence (robot) in remote diagnosis of serious diseases, especially cancer.
The same day, Nhan and the HCM City delegation had a working session with representatives from McCain Institute under the Arizona State University (ASU), during which they agreed on a cooperation programme to help HCM City solve its traffic problems.
Earlier on December 15, Secretary Nhan met with US partners at the Vietnamese Embassy in the US, in which he said that HCM City wishes to intensify relations with its US partners in many spheres, including trade, investment, personnel training, smart city management and high-tech.
Nhan also stated that HCM City would continue to create optimal conditions for US partners.
He took the occasion to underline strong developments of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership in 2017, especially the visit to the US by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in May 2017 and the Vietnam visit by President Donald Trump in November the same year.
US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Jennifer Zimdahl Galt congratulated Vietnam on its successful organisation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting and President Trump’s visit, which, she said, has helped elevate the bilateral relationship to new high, and enhance the two countries’ cooperation in many realms such as national defence, regional security challenge response, trade-investment, post-war consequence settlement and people-to-people exchange.
She said HCM City is expected to contribute to exchanges and sharing of experience between Vietnam and the US for the training of Vietnamese young generations, as the southern metropolis houses a large number of US businesses and Fulbright University Vietnam, the first US University in the country.
Besides Jennifer Zimdahl Galt, other guests at the reception included Acting Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative Karl Ehlers, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Joseph Felter, Washington DC Deputy Mayor HyeSook Chun, World Bank Vice President Victoria Kwakwa and President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council Alexander Feldman, among others.
