National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at the forum Vietnam-UK Education Collaboration.(Photo: VNA)

Addressing the forum, National Assembly Chairman Hue stated education is a leading national policy in Vietnam, identified as one of the three breakthroughs to implement the nation’s socio-economic development strategy. Every year, Vietnam spends 20% of its national budget on education and training.

He said to create a strong transition in human resource development, Vietnam has determined that it is necessary to actively carry out international integration and promote foreign investment attraction in education for quality improvement.

With the country’s law made to facilitate businesses in the sector, Vietnam has to date attracted more than 500 foreign-funded educational projects worth 4 billion USD. Despite challenges and difficulties, room remains extensive for investing in Vietnam’s education, Hue affirmed.

He wished the bilateral educational cooperation would be concretised through impressive numbers, and recommended the two sides pay attention to step up exchanges of students and lecturers as well as collaboration between Vietnamese and UK universities.

He suggested the British Government continue to support English teaching and learning in Vietnam, share related learning resources, and increase scholarships for Vietnamese students. The Vietnamese side should work to increase the number of joint training programmes with ranked UK universities, he said.

The NA Chairman emphasised that Vietnam will create all possible conditions for prestigious British schools to soon open their branches in Vietnam. He asked the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to work closely with the UK’s education body and universities association and the Vietnamese Embassy to further foster the countries’ educational ties.

Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons Steve Smith stated education is among the UK’s top priorities in cooperation with Vietnam. There are 12,000 Vietnamese students studying in the UK and 40 UK-funded education projects in Vietnam.

He noted that the UK looks forward to supporting Vietnam’s efforts to strengthen English language training, develop the quality of English-language teachers, assess English proficiency, as well as digitise for a more inclusive education.

Smith also affirmed that the UK wishes to assist Vietnam’s development of key industries such as science, technology and innovation to help the local workforce enter the digital age.

In 2020, in a signed joint statement between the sides, the UK pledged to support the education reform strategy of the Vietnamese Government.

In April this year, the sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the legal framework for educational cooperation between the two countries with a focus on vocational training.

At the forum, the National Assembly Chairman and his entourage witnessed the exchange of MoUs between Vietnamese and UK universities.