Spotlight on Franco-Vietnamese cooperation

M. Olivier Brochet - French Ambassador to Vietnam; M. Stanislas Guérini - Minister of Public Transformation and Service; Prof. Jean-Marc Lavest - Principal Rector of USTH, Amélie Bensimon, HCERES DEI; Prof. Assoc. Dinh Thi Mai Thanh - Rector; Prof. Acad. Chau Van Minh - President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); Prof. Chu Hoang Ha - Vice-President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and President of the Board of the USTH.

On Friday 1 December, Hcéres officially awarded institutional accreditation to the Hanoi University of Science and Technology at a ceremony under the patronage of Mr Stanislas Guérini, Minister for Public Transformation and Service, and Prof. Acad. Chau Van Minh - President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), in the presence of the USTH rectors and the French ambassador to Vietnam.  The ceremony rounded off a particularly busy week for cooperation between Hcéres and Vietnam, with no fewer than 4 visits by evaluation committees to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang.

The University of Science and Technology of Vietnam (USTH) is the result of a Franco-Vietnamese government agreement signed in 2009. Since then, the institution has established itself as a key player in the Vietnamese higher education landscape. Evaluated in spring 2023 by a committee chaired by Jean-Paul de Gaudemar, former rector of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, the USTH has received institutional accreditation from Hcéres for a maximum period of 5 years. 

At a time when the autonomy process is forcing universities in Vietnam to renew their model, the committee underlined the relevance of the USTH's strategic choices, particularly in terms of education policy. The presence of Minister Stanislas Guérini, the French Ambassador and representatives of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (the USTH's supervisory body) at the ceremony last Friday underlines the importance of this international accreditation for the future development of the institution.

Last interview session with Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology rector, Prof. Mai Thanh Phong and Hcéres committee chaired by Prof.Christophe Haunold.

Franco-Vietnamese cooperation holds a special place for Hcéres. Operating in Vietnam since 2016, and officially authorised by the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam, Hcéres has evaluated 6 institutions at institutional level. Four of them were visited for the second time last week by Hcéres evaluation committees: Hanoi University of Sciences and Technology (HUST), Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE), Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and the University of Danang -University of Science and Technology. These universities operate the Training Programme of Excellent Engineers in Vietnam (PFIEV). Recognised by the CTI, these programmes are based on the model of the French Grandes Ecoles d'Ingénieurs and aim to train future Vietnamese managers with high scientific qualifications and a good command of French and English. 

Hcéres is therefore involved in the flagship projects for university and scientific cooperation between France and Vietnam. Through its Europe and International Department, it supports institutions that call on its expertise as both a French and European quality assurance provider, to help them integrate more effectively into the international arena.

The Rector of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Prof. Hoang Tung and his team with the Hcéres evaluation committee.