Hanoi and Hungary forge stronger educational ties
Education and training have become a major highlight of Vietnam-Hungary relations. The Central European country has trained over 4,000 Vietnamese professionals at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi will boost cooperation with Hungary to expand education partnerships and accelerate urban management reforms, said Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Quyen at the meeting with the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) delegation led by Chairman Imre Komjáthi on June 4.
Hungary, which has trained over 4,000 Vietnamese professionals and remains the largest Central and Eastern European provider of scholarships to Vietnam, reaffirmed its commitment to deepening ties, particularly in higher education.
Komjáthi highlighted that many Vietnamese graduates from Hungary now hold influential roles in government and business.
Hanoi’s People Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Quyen meets Hungarian MSZP Chairman Imre Komjáthi on June 4. Photo: Viet Anh/The Hanoi Times
The delegation included István Hiller, former Hungarian Minister of Education and current head of the Hungary-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, who emphasized Budapest’s strengths in technical training, medicine, and water management and proposed enhanced university partnerships between the two capitals.
Vice Mayor Quyen expressed Hanoi’s interest in deepening collaboration with Budapest. He cited the existing memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed in 2009 and 2013, which focused on culture, tourism, and urban management, and proposed updating these agreements to develop a new plan that tackles current global challenges.
Quyen briefed the guest on Hanoi’s economic ambitions with expected 8% growth by 2025 and double-digit expansion by 2030. He identified administrative reforms, such as streamlining governance from three tiers to two, as essential for enhancing efficiency.
Both sides agreed to facilitate high-level exchanges. Komjáthi pledged to connect Hanoi’s leaders with the mayor of Budapest ahead of an upcoming visit to Hungary by a Vietnamese delegation.
Vice Mayor Quyen warmly invited the Hungarian delegation to experience Vietnam’s cultural and culinary highlights to foster mutual understanding.
Hungary was one of the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, doing so in 1950. During the war against America, the Eastern European nation provided material aid and trained thousands of Vietnamese professionals, paving the way for today's educational partnerships.
The two countries hold annual political consultations and provide mutual support in multilateral forums. According to official data from the Vietnamese government, as of 2025, Hungary ranked 52nd among foreign direct investment (FDI) investors in Vietnam, with $50.66 million injected in 21 projects, including manufacturing and real estate in Hanoi ($8.59 million).
