Vietnam and Northern Ireland Enhance Educational Collaboration

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United Kingdom, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK recently paid a working visit to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, as part of the activity program of the Vietnam-UK Friendship Year 2023.

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Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long (6th from left) and lecturers of the Ulster University. Photo: VNA
Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long (6th from left) and lecturers of the Ulster University. Photo: VNA

The Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK, Nguyen Hoang Long, recently undertook a working trip to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, in order to strengthen bilateral ties and collaborations, particularly in the domains of education and commerce, according to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on Saturday. During his stay, Ambassador Long held meetings with the Lord Mayor of Belfast, as well as with representatives from various educational and trade institutions. He also visited the University of Ulster, where he discussed potential academic and research partnerships between Vietnam and Northern Ireland.

During the journey from May 9th to 11th, Long paid visits to two of Northern Ireland’s premier universities, Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast, to discuss collaborating in research, training, student exchange and English language teacher training.

At the Ulster University, nine MA scholarships on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) for English language teachers from Vietnam have been announced. Long was warmly welcomed by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Seawright who expressed his hope that the collaboration will help to strengthen the bond between Northern Ireland and Vietnam.

Long said that the scholarships, part of the British Council’s UK/Vietnam Season, are designed to recognize and celebrate the strong ties between the UK and Vietnam, and to foster closer connections between the two countries’ people.

Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long with Queen's University Belfast Vice-Chancellor Helen McCarthy (4th from left) and professors and lecturers at Queen's Belfast. Photo: VNA
Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long with Queen’s University Belfast Vice-Chancellor Helen McCarthy (4th from left) and professors and lecturers at Queen’s Belfast. Photo: VNA

The Director of the British Council for Northern Ireland, Jonathan Stewart, has declared that the organization is devoted to furnishing English language teachers with access to the best professional development opportunities available and helping them reach their maximum potential.

At the Queen’s University Belfast, Long attended a lively roundtable discussion with representatives from Ulster University, the Queen’s University Belfast, and the British Council in Belfast. During the discussion, they discussed various topics and strategies to enhance educational exchange opportunities.

He expressed his appreciation to the leaders of Queen’s University Belfast for their numerous educational collaborations with Vietnamese universities in recent years – including providing a significant number of PhD scholarships to Vietnamese researchers.

Participants agreed to explore ways to fortify cooperation in the areas of higher education, scientific research, and innovation; medical and life sciences; computer science, network security, network technology, creative industries, and agriculture, while boosting trade exchanges and business collaborations and establishing partnership at the local level between Vietnam and Northern Ireland.

Long expressed his hope that the Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast administration will design policies to bolster support for Vietnam, including providing affordable accommodation, tuition fees, and scholarships for talented Vietnamese students.

Delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK took commemorative photos with Vietnamese professors, lecturers and doctoral students at Queen's University Belfast. Photo: VNA
Delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK took commemorative photos with Vietnamese professors, lecturers and doctoral students at Queen’s University Belfast. Photo: VNA

Queen’s University Belfast currently boasts five professors and lecturers from Vietnam, in addition to approximately 10 postgraduate students and 60 undergraduates studying technology, telecommunications, healthcare, and English language teaching.

Hannah Nguyen
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