LookAtVietnam Bridge – A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Vietnam-US education cooperation was signed on June 25 in the evening (Vietnam time) at the headquarters of the US Department of State. The two sides agreed to set up an education working group, increase the number of Vietnamese students studying in the US, and intensify education programmes designed to help Vietnamese students better adapt to Vietnam’s modern economy.

The two sides agreed to set up an education working group, increase the number of Vietnamese students studying in the US, and intensify education programmes designed to help Vietnamese students better adapt to Vietnam’s modern economy

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman and Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan signed the MOU under the watch of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The working group will stimulate connections and strengthen cooperation between Vietnamese and US universities. The working group will make recommendations to the two governments about effective measures for educational cooperation between the two countries, organise workshops to discuss the best way to build up the best mechanism for university education for Vietnam with the support of US universities, and simplify the procedures to establish programmes on new education exchange and cooperation.

The two countries have agreed to raise the number of Vietnamese students studying at US universities and colleges, especially postgraduates studying for doctorates.

The US side has also committed to intensifying education programmes designed to help Vietnamese students adapt to Vietnam’s modern economy.

The US Department of State has announced a Fulbright training programme for a Master’s of Public Policy in September 2008, and Global Undergraduate programme, under which Vietnamese students can study in the US for one year, also commencing in September 2008.

In addition, the US plans to expand the Fulbright Vietnam programme in August 2008 to include a programme on supporting English teaching, under which English teaching assistants will be sent to Vietnamese universities.

On the same day, the US Embassy in Vietnam, Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and the Association of American Universities (AAU) organised a roundtable discussion about Vietnam’s demand for university education and necessary support through US government initiatives and the private sector.

Attending the discussion were the leaders of many leading US universities, namely Johns Hopkins; John F. Kennedy School under Harvard University; University of Kansas; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Montana; University of North Carolina; University of Michigan; University of Washington; University of Missouri-Columbia; and the Fulbright Vietnam programme.

Phuong Loan (from Washington D.C)