The event took place within the framework of the 25th session of the Russia-Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee on cooperation in the fields of economy-trade and science-technology.

In his remarks at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh said that along with the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, bilateral cooperation in education and science-technology has developed in both depth and width. This is particularly significant as 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the agreement on strategic partnership in the fields of education and science-technology, he stressed.

He noted that over the past decade, four sessions of the committee have been held, yielding encouraging results. Dinh said he hoped that this session will create a new impetus for the development of cooperation, with both sides agreeing on specific orientations to deepen the strategic cooperation in education, science-technology, and innovation.

To make science-technology and innovation a pillar of economic development, Vietnam needs close collaboration in education and science-technology with countries around the world, particularly Russia.

For his part, Russian Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Konstantin Mogilevsky underscored that Russia has always actively promoted strong cooperation in the fields of science-technology and education with Vietnam, garnering many positive results. Both sides have been actively collaborating on marine research, and are expected to see the completion of an intergovernmental agreement on transferring the research vessel "Professor Gagarinsky" to Vietnam for joint research in the country’s waters this year.

Other meaningful activities included the establishment of the Russian-Vietnamese Consortium of Technical Universities in December last year and the second forum of rectors of Russian and Vietnamese universities. Regarding training coordination at national level, Russia will continue to grant a quota of 1,000 scholarships to Vietnam a year and the two sides have reached an agreement on the number of scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year.

During the meeting, representatives from both countries discussed a range of issues, including the launching of new competitive research projects with equal funding sources. They exchanged views and agreed to continue actively implementing cooperation contents, co-funding joint research projects, and carrying out commitments made in education and training. They will also work closely to finalise negotiations on the agreement between the two Governments on the establishment and operation of the Pushkin Centre for signing in 2024 and organise joint events and seminars in both countries in the fields of science-technology, education, and culture.

The two sides signed a series of documents laying the foundation for bilateral cooperation in the fields of education and science-technology, including a Memorandum of Understanding on joining the network of Russian and Vietnamese technical universities./.VNA