On August 1, the Taipei Economic and Cultural office in Vietnam and National Economics University signed an MOU in Hanoi, regarding cooperation for a Taiwan Studies Project. This project will see both parties make dedicated efforts to enhance research collaboration and sharing of experience related to climate change and disaster risk management.

The signing ceremony was held at National Economics University. The attendees from TECO in Vietnam included the Representative Richard R.C. Shih; Mr. Lee Ming, Director of the Education Division; Dr. Tung-Yi (Tony) Lee, Director of the Science and Technology Division; and Ms. Chang Shu-Ching, Third Secretary of the Education Division. The attendees from National Economics University included the university’s president, Dr. Trần Thọ Đạt; Dr. Dao Thanh Tung, Director of the International Cooperation Department; Dr. Bui Duc Tho, Director of Scientific Management; Dr. Dinh Duc Truong, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Urban and Rural Environments; Dr. Vo Trong Nghia, Director of the Communications Department; and Dr. Vo Van Ngoc, Director of the Personnel Department.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. Trần Thọ Đạt, the president of NEU, said that since the end of July, he has had the honor of being employed to be one of fifteen economics consultants for the prime minister of Vietnam. He expressed special thanks to the Ministry of Education in Taiwan for providing research funding under this MOU which will help to facilitate research cooperation between universities and research nits in Taiwan and in Vietnam on climate change and disaster risk management.

Dr. Đạt pointed out that NEU is one of the top universities in Vietnam, and students who want to be admitted into NEU have to get extremely high scores in Vietnam’s National University Entrance Examination. Dr. Đạt also said that he will establish a special unit which will be responsible for cooperation with educational institutions in Taiwan regarding such undertakings as teacher-and-student exchanges, joint research projects and joint research publications, and joint training programs.

Representative Richard R.C. Shih said that climate change and natural disasters are posing increasingly serious threats to countries in the world, and trying to deal with these threats with the efforts of a single country or area is not enough. We should seek solutions by combining group efforts and through joint cooperation. Taiwan and Vietnam, for example, are countries that are frequently affected by typhoons, and we hope that this project will help us to find ways to lessen the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.

The project will begin in 2017 and be implemented for three years. The total budget is 70,000 USD, of which the Ministry of Education in Taiwan is providing 60,000 USD and NEU is providing the remaining 10,000 USD. In the project’s first year, NEU will select five scholars to go to Taiwan for short-term academic exchanges and research collaboration.

Photo:Dr. Trần Thọ Đạt (left), president of National Economics University, and Richard R.C. Shih (right), Representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam signing the MOU at National Economics University.