On December 14, 2023, Hiroshima University (HU) concluded an inter-university international exchange agreement for the establishment of a satellite campus with Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF), Vietnam. Upon signing this agreement, HU President Mitsuo Ochi, Executive Vice President for Global Initiatives Shinji Kaneko, Dean of the HU School of Applied Biological Science Masayuki Shimada, and Professor Tran Dang Xuan of the IDEC Institute, visited TUAF, met with Professor Nguyen The Hung, Chancellor of TUAF, and Associate Professor Nguyen Hung Quang, Rector of TUAF, and toured the campus.

President Ochi expressed his ambition: “Through the provision of doctoral courses at the satellite campus, we hope to contribute to the development of highly skilled human resources in Vietnam by conducting education and research focusing on the digital transformation (DX) of agriculture, upgrading of the livestock industry, and rice farming to resist drought and salt damage in Vietnam.”

Chancellor Nguyen The Hung and Rector Nguyen Hung Quang showed their welcome, saying, “We are very pleased to be able to establish a satellite campus of HU here at TUAF. We would like to cooperate in the establishment of the campus in the future.”

During the campus tour following the agreement signing ceremony, participants visited research facilities, accommodations, and the International Development Center.

HU has been making efforts to promote exchanges with Vietnam, with President Ochi meeting with H.E. Mr. Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, during his visit to Japan for the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May 2023, and with H.E. Mr. Vo Van Thuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in November. It is hoped that this visit and the conclusion of an inter-university international exchange agreement will promote exchanges with TUAF and other universities and research institutions in Vietnam.