The visit, headed by Nguyen Trong Nghia, Chairman of Viet Nam’s Party Central’s Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation, was timely as this year commemorates 50 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Aotearoa New Zealand. Vietnamese Ambassador His Excellency Phan Minh Giang also attended the event.
Vice-Chancellor Nic Smith said hosting the Commission, one of Viet Nam’s most influential in setting Government policy, underscored the importance of strategic relations with Viet Nam.
“Victoria University of Wellington is proud to have a deep and long-standing partnership with Viet Nam. For over 70 years, Vietnamese students have chosen to study with us here in Wellington.”
In 2003, Te Herenga Waka was New Zealand’s first university to establish a joint teaching programme with Viet Nam in partnership with the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics—a programme that has graduated over 500 students.
Te Herenga Waka has nearly 300 Vietnamese students currently enrolled, with many welcoming the delegation and sharing insights about their studies and life in Wellington.
Vice-Chancellor Smith said, “We’re incredibly appreciative of the contribution Vietnamese students make to our global student community here at Te Herenga Waka, and it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout at this event.”
Ngân Hà, who is undertaking a PhD in Education, spoke of her experiences as a Vietnamese doctoral student at the University, saying her supervisor helped her three-year-old daughter readjust to life in New Zealand after two years in Viet Nam during COVID-19. “In that moment, I no longer saw her only as a professor, but as a mother.… That humanity is something I deeply cherish,” Hà said.
And it’s not only students who have benefitted from the University’s partnership with Viet Nam. Within the last five years alone, Te Herenga Waka academics have worked with 32 institutions in Viet Nam to co-author 129 research publications.
Vice-Chancellor Smith described the visit as a significant milestone in the University’s ongoing partnership with Viet Nam. “As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries, this visit highlights the vital role of education in our shared future.”