Vietnamese-Polish High School: Symbol of bilateral friendship

Vietnamese-Polish High School in Hanoi has long been a significant symbol of the Poland-Vietnam bilateral relations that have lasted for seven decades.

Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Wojciech Gerwel and representatives of Poland's schools visit Vietnamese-Polish High School in 2019. Photo: Ho Chi Hung

The school is considered “one of many examples” of “countless gestures of solidarity and friendly cooperation,” according to Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Wojciech Gerwel.

For that reason, the Embassy of Poland in Hanoi has intensified the Polish government’s support to Hanoi-based school which is called a vivid symbol of the long-lasting friendship.

Late last month, an official handover of the digital screens and computers to the school was organized by the Embassy of Poland in Hanoi in partnership with ADAMED Pharma S.A., one of Poland’s leading pharmaceutical companies and the largest Polish investor in Vietnam.

This year’s support follows a Polish-funded project to improve the school’s digital infrastructure which began in 2019.

Last year, the partnership between the embassy and the business helped install 20 digital screens for the classrooms.

The support is in the second edition of ADAMED SmartUP that has provided 100 places for students of all grades in the school. As such, those who qualify will attend the intense English course with native speakers and will join the environmental workshops, also in English, with Polish experts.

The school’s Principal Ngo Thi Mai Huong said the equipment provided by the Polish embassy and company was of great benefit to her students.

Back in 2009, the embassy launched a project worth US$155,000 to supply teaching equipment to the school, according to the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

The non-refundable aid is part of the Polish government’s assistance to Vietnam’s education sector.

It enabled the school to be equipped with modern devices such as computers, projectors, loudspeakers, photocopiers, printers and air-conditioners.

Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Wojciech Gerwel and Vietnamese-Polish High School's Principal Ngo Thi Mai Huong at the gift handover ceremony late October. Photo: Embassy of Poland in Hanoi

Decade-long support in education

Between 1960 and 1990, Poland trained more than 4,000 Vietnamese students and scientists, and over 3,500 apprentices, mostly in coal and shipbuilding sectors, statistics by the Vietnam-Poland Friendship Association showed.

Those who came back home for the country’s development have served as a bridge to nurture the friendship between the two countries.

From 2005 to 2018, a number of agreements on education between the two countries have been signed.

According to Mr. Maciej Duszynski, head of the embassy's Political and Economic Section, education is one of the main pillars and among the most stable yet dynamically growing parts of the flourishing and shining bilateral ties.

With the recent opening and continuity of the Polish language course, existence in Vietnamese studies at Poznan University, it will be shining even brighter, he noted.

In addition, the Polish language, which was taught in Vietnam in the 1980s, has been reintroduced in Vietnam’s university curriculum in 2018 to meet the growing demand in the face of tightened bilateral relations.

It’s a great success, also of the Embassy of Poland, to reestablish the course after 30 years of its non-existence in Vietnam following an agreement signed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and Hanoi University (HANU) on providing Polish language instruction at the university.

Ambassador Wojciech Gerwel said bringing back the Polish language after decades indicates the enhancement of the longstanding Vietnam-Poland relationship.

He believed learning the Polish language will enable learners to grasp more job opportunities in the context that more and more Polish companies are investing in Vietnam thanks to the broadened bilateral ties.

There are also rich and growing offers of fellowships, scholarships and summer schools in Poland provided to Vietnamese students and researchers by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), Mr. Maciej Duszynski informed.