Ho Chi Minh City university to launch academic center for ASEAN students
The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) has established a center devoted to supporting academics from ASEAN countries in the hope of attracting students from across Southeast Asia to the city to conduct research and launch new businesses.
The founding of the center, named ASEAN Hub, has been in the works for several years, UEH president Su Dinh Thanh said on Wednesday.
In particular, UEH hopes students from Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos will see the launch of the ASEAN Hub as an open door to begin their academic careers in Vietnam.
The city is poised to become a destination for international students and a bastion of scientific research thanks to expansive education infrastructure and a coterie of top professors across a variety of fields.
Professor Barney Glover from Western Sydney University, a UEH partner, said that the ASEAN Hub will also serve as a home to nurture future innovative startups.
Aside from facilitating the success of new startups by creating a research-rich environment for entrepreneurs, upping the number of successful companies headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City can help the city bounce back from the economic hit it took during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rebecca Ball, senior trade commissioner at Austrade Vietnam, said the establishment of the ASEAN Hub will help strengthen the bond between Australian and Vietnamese universities.
In the future, the ASEAN Hub can help transform Vietnam into an academic center where international students can learn research schools and access advanced technologies.