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Oct 30, 2018 / 18:05

Vietnam has 12,000 students in the UK

With developing countries like Vietnam, internationalizing higher education (IHE) acts as a driver to enhance the quality of human capital and as a result, to enhance competitive advantage for the economy.

In recent years, the number of Vietnamese students in the UK is estimated at 12,000, making UK the third most populous country that hosts Vietnamese students.
The information was announced by Vice Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc during the Vietnam – UK Higher Education Collaboration Forum with theme “The global landscape in internationalizing higher education in favour of quality over quantity”.
The forum is organized by the British Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and training (MOET) of Vietnam on October 30.

 
Cabinet Secretary for Education of Wales, Kirsty Williams AM speaking at the forum. Photo: Ha Phuong
Cabinet Secretary for Education of Wales, Kirsty Williams AM speaking at the forum. Photo: Ha Phuong
According to the Vice Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc, this fact shows that the UK is an attractive destination for Vietnamese students to further their education both at further and higher education institutions.
“However, the collaboration between Vietnam and regions in the UK is still limited compared with actual potentials of both sides. Many Vietnamese universities have not had enough information and opportunity to partner with UK universities,” said Phuc.
With developing countries like Vietnam, internationalizing higher education (IHE) acts as a driver to enhance the quality of human capital and as a result, to enhance competitive advantage for the economy, to learn from the experiences of others to speed up education reform, and as an opportunity to establish excellent universities.
For higher education institutions, IHE helps enhance capacity in teaching and research, renovate curriculum, and promote student employability and student exchange. IHE brings benefits not only to the developing countries but also developed countries.
Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Cabinet Secretary for Education of Wales Kirsty Williams AM said that internationalization of higher education plays a crucial role in developing international cultural and diplomatic relations.
“The Welsh Government is committed to working with the British Council, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training, to address the challenges of the global landscape in internationalization of higher education,” the cabinet secretary for education of Wales added.

 
the Vietnam – UK Higher Education Network officially launched ten collaborative projects in line with the four objectives above and the main priorities in IHE. Photo: Ha Phuong
The Vietnam – UK Higher Education Network officially launched ten collaborative projects in line with the four objectives mentioned above and the main priorities in IHE. Photo: Ha Phuong
In the framework of the forum, delegates also exchanged education cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and the UK. Accordingly, Vietnam is recognized as one of the countries with an “openness” to international education rated as “very high” and “high” in terms of government support for international student mobility, joint training programs and research.
However, in order to establish a position in the regional or international higher education sector, the Vietnamese government considers quality as the top priority and this needs to be balanced with the fast development in quantity.
Also, in the UK – Vietnam Higher Education forum, the Vietnam – UK Higher Education Network officially launched ten collaborative projects in line with the four objectives mentioned above and the main priorities in IHE. This network consists of 56 universities and businesses from both Vietnam and the UK.
The British Council commits to supporting Vietnam in its efforts to internationalize education, science and innovation, and promote higher education cooperation between the UK and Vietnam.
According to the Country Director of the British Council in Vietnam, Donna McGowan, Higher education partnerships are a vitally important means of promoting inter-cultural co-operation, dialogue, engagement and shared understanding between the UK and Vietnam.