Vietnam - Australia strengthen higher education co-operation

With the support from the Australian Department of Education, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) has organised a conference on Vietnam – Australia Higher Education Partnerships 2023, in Hanoi (May 17) and Ho Chi Minh City (May 18), connecting more than 150 Australian and Vietnamese institutions, to exchange ideas and explore partnerships.
Vietnam - Australia strengthen higher education co-operation

Education is a key pillar of the Australia – Vietnam relationship. This initiative capitalises on the strong interest of Australian and Vietnamese higher education institutions in transnational education (TNE) partnerships, arising from years of engagement.

This programme follows a conference on cooperation and investment in education, hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, in September 2022 and an earlier industry webinar conducted by Austrade, in August 2021.

This week’s events provided a platform for both sides to discuss key topics in the current higher education landscape and meet face-to-face to explore institutional linkages, multi-facet collaborations and commercial partnerships.

Rebecca Ball - Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade Vietnam, speaks at the event.

Rebecca Ball - Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade Vietnam, speaks at the event.

Rebecca Ball, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade Vietnam, shared: "Vietnam and Australia have built a strong strategic partnership over the past 50 years of diplomatic engagement. Collaboration between Australia and Vietnam in people-to-people links like education, is one of the cornerstones of our bilateral relationship and is one of our most enduring areas of engagement. Our strong education ties with Vietnam are demonstrated at both government and institutional levels.”.

Vietnam is the 5th largest source country of international students in Australia (26,434 Vietnamese international students in 2022).

The conference in Ho Chi Minh City discussed developing employability after graduation.

The conference in Ho Chi Minh City discussed developing employability after graduation.

Education partnerships such as joint programmes through transnational education (TNE), are also of great interest to over 20,000 Vietnamese students pursuing Australian qualifications in Vietnam.

There are over 80,000 Vietnamese alumni who graduated from Australian education institutions, currently working in Vietnam.

Australia is increasingly becoming a strategic education partner for Vietnam and a top TNE collaborator involved in 300 collaborative programs, which vary from undergraduate to postgraduate, from articulation to joint programs and other research activities. These cover a broad range of disciplines including law, business, IT, engineering, healthcare, tourism and agriculture, with strong interest from Australia and Vietnam to build new partnerships.

The event connects Vietnamese and Australian educational institutions.

The event connects Vietnamese and Australian educational institutions.

Australia-Vietnam Higher Education Partnerships 2023 had participants from 17 Australian universities and institutions, with a strong attendance of Vietnamese institutions from many different cities and provinces across Vietnam.

Panel discussions covered key topics of the current education market, from the readiness for partnerships to aligning such partnerships to Vietnam’s future jobs and industry demand, as well as developing graduate employability through institutional and industry linkages.

NDO