PM Chinh Meets Vietnamese Community, Visits Universiti Brunei Darussalam

At the meeting. Photo: VNA

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said that he will propose Brunei create more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community living, studying and working in the country, especially in legal assistance, VNA reported Friday.

Meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy and community in Brunei right after arriving in the country on February 10 afternoon (local time) for a two-day official visit, PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam has never had such fortune, potential, international position, and prestige as it does today, adding that the Vietnam-Brunei comprehensive partnership is developing fruitfully.

He expressed his delight that the Vietnamese community in Brunei, though with a modest number of people, are strong and working in various areas from study, teaching to business. The Vietnamese leader urged them to abide by laws in the host country, stay united and serve as a bridge in relations between the two nations.

The Vietnamese embassy was also asked to hold activities linking the Vietnamese community together and provide them with more support, particularly in legal procedures.

Representatives of the Vietnamese community wished that more activities would be held to bring Vietnamese together in Brunei and the homeland, popularise Vietnam’s culture in Brunei, especially teaching Vietnamese language.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife on February 11 visited Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). Photo: VGP

On the morning of February 11, PM Chinh and his wife and high-ranking Vietnamese delegation visited the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), according to VOV.

UBD chose Vietnam as the place to locate its first campus in Southeast Asia, opened by the Sultan of Brunei on the occasion of the APEC Summit in Da Nang in 2017. This is a prominent highlight in educational cooperation between the two countries, contributing to improve English proficiency for Vietnamese students.

During the visit, PM Chinh and his spouse exchanged with students of the university’s Vietnamese language class. He expressed his joy that more and more foreigners learn Vietnamese, through which Vietnamese land and people, and culture, are increasingly being promoted around the world.

The Vietnamese Government chief believes and wishes that the university’s Vietnamese teachers will be more and more numerous and strong, with Vietnamese students soon able to use Vietnamese fluently in order to become ambassadors of friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.

The Prime Minister and his wife talk with students of the UBD’s Vietnamese language class. Photo: VGP

Also at the university, PM Chinh interacted online with Vietnamese students studying English taught by Bruneian lecturers at FPT-UBD Da Nang Global Center.

PM Chinh discussed with students about their learning situation, especially during the pandemic period. He stated that the cooperation relationship between FPT University of Vietnam and the UBD specifically the FPT-UBD Global Center, is a vivid symbol of the educational cooperation between Vietnam and Brunei.

He said he hopes that the Center’s students will continue to make great progress in their studies, and make positive contributions to the friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

PM Chinh interacted online with Vietnamese students studying English taught by Bruneian lecturers at FPT-UBD Da Nang Global Center. Photo: VGP

Talking to the Minister of Education of Brunei and UDB leaders, Chinh highly appreciated the results of educational cooperation between the two countries, including the cooperation between FPT and UDB, as well as the introduction of Vietnamese language by UDB to officially teach at the university. He voiced his hope that UBD will continue to pay attention to ensuring the quality of teaching and further expand the size of their classes.

He hailed the positive results of educational cooperation between the two countries on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Education Cooperation, signed in April 2014), while suggesting that Brunei continue to provide scholarships and effectively implement short-term exchange courses for students such as the Global Discovery Program or the Discovery Year Program.

The Vietnamese Government chief praised UDB for choosing Vietnam as the place to set up its first facility in Southeast Asia. He expressed his confidence that UBD will grow stronger in the region and in the world to make greater contributions to the educational cause of Brunei, and continue to expand cooperation relations with higher Vietnamese education institutions in the time ahead.

The Prime Minister interacts with UBD’s ethnic band. Photo: VGP

The Universiti Brunei Darussalam is the largest and most prestigious university training institution in Brunei, ranking 3rd in the region. The university is one of the symbols of cooperation between Vietnam and Brunei in the field of education and training.

UBD officially established cooperative relations with FPT University of Vietnam in July 2013, mainly in English training. The university has just introduced Vietnamese into teaching alongside other foreign languages such as English, French, German, Japanese, and Korean.

The Prime Minister plants a tree at the school campus. Photo: VGP

PM Chinh arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan at 5:25 pm (local time) on February 10.

A welcome ceremony for PM Chinh and his spouse was chaired by the Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadee Billah at Brunei International Airport.

This is the first visit to Brunei by Chinh in his new position, also the first by a Vietnamese PM to the Southeast Asian nation over the past 15 years.

The trip takes place in the context of the well-developed Vietnam-Brunei comprehensive partnership. The two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022, with bilateral contacts at all levels as well as cooperation mechanisms maintained effectively.

Vietnam and Brunei have collaborated in a series of fields, particularly defence, energy, agriculture, education, maritime area, and people-to-people exchange. They have also worked closely together in regional and international matters of common concern, including the East Sea issue; and supported each other at multilateral forums such as the UN, ASEAN, and APEC.