Two agreements on tertiary education cooperation between Vietnamese and Swiss universities were signed in Hanoi on August 5 in the witness of visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.
Under the agreements, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technologies and the Hanoi National University will cooperate with the Lausanne University and the Geneva University , respectively, in exchanging lecturers and students, granting scholarships, conducting research activities and organising conferences and seminars.
Earlier, President Couchepin, who is on a Vietnam visit from August 3-6, visited the Ministry of Education and Training and met with Minister Nhan on the two countries’ cooperation in education.
After the meeting, Deputy PM Nhan revealed to the press that the two countries will intensify cooperation in training lecturers for tertiary schools in finance-banking and tourism as well as in scientific and technological research.
The Deputy PM said the two countries over the past 12 years have cooperated in training personnel for environmental protection and financial-banking sectors, and masters of business administration.
According to a report on Vietnam-Switzerland education cooperation, some 150 Vietnamese students and trainees are attending training courses at Swiss universities.
Before, during a talks between Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey and Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung in Davos , Switzerland , in January 2007, Switzerland also affirmed its priority on assistance to Vietnam ’s education system.
