The Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam, Prof Nguyen Kim Son, during the bilateral discussion with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Vietnam, Prof A. Saj U. Mendis, stated that Vietnam would be much interested to closely cooperate and collaborate with universities in Sri Lanka, particularly, in the sphere of exchange of students, scholars, researchers and faculty and Buddhist studies, amongst others. Sri Lanka and Vietnam have entered into an MoU on Education Cooperation Agreement in 2018 for a period of four years. Minister Prof Son assured that the MoU on Education Cooperation, which ceased in 2022, would be extended, thus further strengthening, deepening and elevating the contents and substance of the aforementioned Agreement/MoU.
Both the Minister and Envoy emphasized and accentuated the significance and seminal role the education plays in socio-economic advancement and augmentation of any given nation. Minister Son added that the Government of Viet Nam, similar to Sri Lanka, places great degree of importance on education since the contribution of an educated workforce in a country would be immense and immeasurable. Since Minister Prof Son has been a senior academic and professor including being the Dean at Viet Nam National University for over three decades, which is the premier academic institution of the country, Ambassador Mendis stated that he would be the most appropriate personality to be the Minister of Education. Ambassador Mendis stated that Sri Lanka has nearly 20 academic institutions and universities, recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and could establish affiliation and academic arrangements with select universities in Viet Nam.
Minister Son also stated that Viet Nam is much interested in the realm of Buddhist studies since both the countries have a large Buddhist populace. In this context, Minister Son added that in
order to study Buddhist scriptures and Sanskrit language, scholars and researchers from Viet Nam would be eager to travel to Sri Lanka and pursue their research and studies. Ambassador Mendis did state that a number of Vietnamese Buddhist monks are already in Sri Lanka studying in temples and monasteries. Minister Son highlighted the fact that such exchanges of faculty and students between the two countries in select universities could create an intellectually synergistic and collaborative advancement, thus benefiting both the countries.
Minister Son emphasized that Viet Nam has extended a number of opportunities and scholarships to Sri Lankan students to study in Viet Nam and added that with the passage of time, hope to witness greater fostering and nurturing of students as well as universities. Ambassador Mendis, whilst agreeing with the Minister, enunciated that one of the compelling and cogent reasons for Viet Nam to be amongst the fastest growing economies in the world was due to its sound education structure. This is one of the reasons that Viet Nam could attract and woo foreign investments and manufacturing outsourcing in an unprecedented manner during the last couple of decades, thus being described by economists and political thinkers as “China Plus One” and “Miracle on Mekong Region”. Minister Son, was assisted by senior most officials, assured that his Ministry would pro-actively cooperate with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in order to broaden and widen the education and cultural relations between the two countries.
(Sri Lankan embassy in Vietnam)