Vietnamese universities sign cooperation deals with foreign firms

Three Vietnamese universities and six foreign-invested enterprises signed six cooperation deals at a forum held to boost university-industry ties hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training on Wednesday.

Hanoi University of Mining and Geology signed agreements with Australian mining firms Blackstone and Mincore.

Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, based in Hung Yen province neighbouring Hanoi, signed deals with Cognex Vietnam, a provider of barcode readers, and ABB Vietnam under global technology giant ABB.

Hanoi Univesrity of Civil Engineering reached agreements with Life Design Kabaya, a Japanese builder of wooden houses, and Gree, a Chinese manufacturer of air-conditioners.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc stressed that foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam must further collaborate with Vietnamese universities to improve the workforce and facilitate growth, due to the low number of high-quality human resources in Vietnam.

The ministry has already facilitated cooperation between businesses and higher education and called on sides to share experiences and make recommendations regarding workforce training, he added.

Vietnam currently has 243 higher education facilities with 2.25 million students, which can only partly fulfill businesses’ demand for a high-quality workforce, the deputy minister emphasized.

Registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached $9.27 billion in the year to April 22, while disbursed FDI hit $6.28 billion, the highest figure in the last five years, according to the General Statistics Office.

Registered FDI was 4.4% higher than the same period last year ($8.88 billion), but lower year-on-year compared to 2019-2022, the peak period of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data.