On November 30, 2023, President Ochi of Hiroshima University (HU) paid a courtesy call to H.E. Mr. Vo Van Thuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, who was visiting Japan as an official working visitor, and engaged in a meeting. The meeting was also attended by HU Executive Vice President for Global Initiatives, Shinji Kaneko, Professor Tran Dang Xuan of the IDEC Institute, and members of the Vietnam Japan Specialist Association, comprised of Vietnamese researchers active in Japan and business people with dealings in Vietnam.

During the meeting, President Ochi began by introducing Vietnam as having the third largest number of international students studying at HU (currently 65 with 343 alumni), and that there are alumni organizations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He then explained the efforts being made in collaboration with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Agriculture and Development to prepare for the establishment of a satellite campus for doctoral course students in the field of agriculture in Thai Nguyen Province, which will focus on the digital transformation (DX) of agriculture, upgrading of the livestock industry, and rice farming to resist drought and salt damage, and provide executive education on local administration and public policy for senior-level administrative officials of the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs. In closing, he mentioned that the four fields he would like to focus on for human resource development in cooperation with Japanese companies operating in Vietnam are agriculture, semiconductors, carbon neutrality, and smart cities, and that he would like to actively accept excellent Vietnamese students at HU.

In response, H.E. Mr. Vo Van Thuong praised HU’s efforts and expressed his hopes for the expansion of future exchanges, saying, "I hope HU will promote exchanges not only with universities in Thai Nguyen Province, but also with universities throughout Vietnam.” In particular, he noted that semiconductors are positioned as an important strategic field, and stressed that he expects HU to cooperate in the promotion of research and development and human resource development of his country.

HU has been making efforts to promote exchanges with Vietnam, as evidenced by President Ochi meeting with H.E. Mr. PHAM Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Vietnam, during his visit to Japan for the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May of this year. HU will continue to actively promote exchanges with universities, government agencies, and companies in Vietnam, and contribute to the development of friendly and sustainable relations with Vietnam.

• [G7] HU President Ochi Meets with H.E. Mr. PHAM Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
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