Vietnam strengthens cooperation on scientific training and research with Ireland

On July 4, the Vietnam National University of Agriculture received Mr. Colm Brophy, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ireland and Mr. John McCullagh, Ambassador of Ireland to Vietnam, together with a delegation of high-ranked leaders.

Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, rector of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, affirmed that this marked an important milestone in the university's development history, demonstrating the support of the Government and people of Ireland in developing cooperative relations with Vietnam.

According to the rector, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, established in 1956, is one of the key research-oriented training institutions of the nation. The university has been making many important contributions to the development of agriculture and rural areas in Vietnam, providing over 60 per cent of high-quality human resources for this sector.

The university currently has a team of 1,400 staff scientists and specialists, including about 300 professors, associate professors, and doctors, who have been trained from many countries with advanced science around the world. They have acted as an important force performing the tasks of scientific research and technology transfer, contributing to developing Vietnam's agricultural production effectively and in a green and sustainable direction. The university is providing training for about 25,000 students of all levels, from bachelor to master and doctoral degrees. The rate of the university’s graduating getting jobs is quite high, at over 90 per cent.

Lan said the bilateral cooperation relationship between Vietnam and Ireland has achieved very positive results in many fields since the two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1996, such as trade - investment, education - training, agriculture, green technology, renewable energy, health, sustainable development, among others.

"As far as we know, Ireland is currently ranked 59th out of 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. To date, more than 250 Vietnamese students have received scholarships from the Irish Government to study in Ireland. To the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, the cooperation with Ireland has only been established in recent years, but has achieved many remarkable results. Specifically, the University has signed Memorandum of Understanding with leading Irish universities such as University of Cork in 2015 and National University of Ireland Galway in 2018", she added.

From these MOUs, the Institute's units have connected and developed a proposal for cooperation with Irish professors within the framework of the Vietnam Ireland Bilateral Education Exchange (VIBE) programme that is supported with non-refundable aid from Irish Embassy.

VIBE programme aims to contribute to Vietnam’s socioeconomic development priorities by encouraging mutually beneficial development links between Vietnam and Ireland, with particular reference to third-level education and research cooperation.

Through such projects, the university has sent staff to Ireland for short-term training, exchange and cooperation on education and research for over 25 times. Many alumni and staff of the University have also received scholarships to Ireland.

The rector of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture hoped that this visit of the Secretary of State of Ireland to Vietnam and to the university would continue to strengthen the cooperation and relations between the two nations in many fields, particularly in science and technology, agricultural sector, food security, high-tech agriculture and agricultural innovation.

The professor also believed that his visit would open up many opportunities for cooperation in training and scientific research between Irish universities and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture through the strategic cooperation agreement between the university and the Embassy of Ireland and the exchange the members of the delegation and the staff of the University on the day.

Also at the meeting, Mr. Colm Brophy expressed his pleasure to see the growing cooperation between the University of Ireland and Vietnamese universities in general and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture in particular.

According to him, Ireland has a great advantage in the field of agri-food. “We have many advantages to support Vietnam in this field,” said Mr. Colm Brophy, emphasizing that the Vietnam National University of Agriculture has become an important partner of Ireland for many years.

On this occasion, the Vietnam National University of Agriculture proposed to the Irish Government to support training human resources in innovation, commercializing agricultural technology and offering scholarships for students.