The summit aims to mobilize political will and commitment for education development and two main goals – accelerating the implementation of existing multilateral agreements, and supporting the establishment of focus areas with resources from Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG 4).

At a meeting with the US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Son thanked the US Government for the scholarship programs that create favorable conditions for Vietnamese to study at the most prestigious universities. Many activities to support Vietnam’s education have been organized by the US government recently.

Son stressed that the US is one of the focus partners in Vietnam’s cooperation for education development. The cooperation has brought remarkable results. About 30,000 Vietnamese are studying and doing research at schools and universities in the US. About 50 joint training programs between US universities and Vietnam universities are being implemented in Vietnam. And six US-invested education establishments operated in Vietnam.

The establishment of Fulbright University of Vietnam (FUV) in 2016 in HCM City was an important event marking education cooperation between Vietnam and the US. FUV is considered the first not-for-profit university in Vietnam.  

The government of Vietnam pays high attention to developing high-quality human resources. This is one of the most important tasks in its socio-economic development strategy for 2021-2030.

Son expressed hope that the US government would continue to promote cooperation with Vietnam in the education and training sector, and made proposals for education cooperation in the time to come.

Son hopes the US will continue helping Vietnam upgrade higher education quality (training, research, accreditation) and teach English. 

Vietnam encourages prestigious higher education establishments to open branches or representative offices in Vietnam; encourages US investors to strengthen cooperation and investment in Vietnam; and pay attention to Vietnamese who are studying at training establishments in the US.

The US Education Secretary praised the efforts to promote cooperation in education between the two countries as well as efforts by American businesses and education organizations in bringing benefits to Vietnamese students.

Cardona said the US Education Department is ready to be a partner of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to ensure that the agencies in the US education sector cooperate and support Vietnam as well as share education strategies, and at the same time promote support to Vietnamese seeking opportunities to study in the US. 

Thanh Hung