Centre for Vietnamese Studies Opens in Udon Thani Province, Thailand

On November 1, a Vietnamese studies center was opened in Udon Thani province, northeastern Thailand, as reported by VNA.

The center will provide comprehensive training on Vietnam, offering data and multidimensional knowledge about the S-shaped country while contributing to the promotion of understanding and strong cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh (C) cut the ribbon to open the center. Photo: Vietnamese embassy to Thailand

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh and Vietnamese Consul General in Khon Kaen Chu Duc Dung attended the launching ceremony along with officials and students of Udon Thani Rajabhat University, representatives of Thai secondary and high schools including teaching Vietnamese, as well as representing Vietnamese expatriates in Udon Thani province.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Khanisara Thansunthornsakun, the rector of Udon Thani Rajabhat university, affirmed that launching the center this year reflects the importance of the relations and cooperation between Thailand and Vietnam, especially as the two countries celebrate the 47th anniversary of diplomatic ties and 10 years of their strategic partnership, in addition to the university marking its 100th founding anniversary.

Currently, the Vietnamese language is becoming popular in Thailand. Many local universities and high schools have had academic exchanges with Vietnam, and more than 30 schools in the northeastern region teach Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh highlighted the significance of the center’s opening, stating that it represents achievements in educational cooperation that the two sides have built over the past decades.

With more than 700 investment projects in Vietnam, Thailand has a high demand for personnel who can speak Vietnamese and understand the culture and society. Therefore, the center has the potential to open up many opportunities for cooperation with Vietnamese universities, he said.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy presented dozens of Vietnamese-language books, newspapers, and publications to the university. The selected documents are diverse in type and content, ranging from Vietnamese language textbooks and research books to magazines, newspapers, among others.

The Udon Thani Rajabhat university signed a MOU with Vietnam’s Hue Academy of Music. Photo: Vietnamese embassy to Thailand

As a prestigious and long-standing educational institution in the northeastern region, Udon Thani Rajabhat University has so far signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on academic cooperation and personnel and student exchanges with many Vietnamese universities such as Quang Binh University, the Da Nang University of Foreign Language Studies, Thai Nguyen University, Tan Trao University, among others.

After the opening ceremony of the center, the Thai university also signed an MOU with Vietnam’s Hue Academy of Music.

A sidewalk tea corner of the Center for Vietnamese Studies. Photo: Vietnamese embassy to Thailand