Visit to the Erasmus Networking Forum in Hanoi

From 15 to 17 May 2019, Prof. Dr. Ute Nikolay and Dr. Kathrin Jaszus took part in an Erasmus+ Networking Forum organized by the DAAD on the theme "EU Higher Education Cooperation between Germany and Southeast Asia". The aim of the event was to strengthen the university cooperation between Germany and Southeast Asia in Erasmus + and to present funding opportunities for cooperation with the Southeast Asian region. From Southeast Asia, about 90 university representatives, mainly from Vietnam but also from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia attended.  Germany was represented by 20 participants.

On the first day of the event, 15 May 2019, the Director of the DAAD Hanoi office spoke about the Vietnamese higher education system. In this context, he emphasized the rapid economic and social development of the region, especially Vietnam. Afterwards a Vietnamese Erasmus alumna told interesting facts about Vietnam and its inhabitants. In the afternoon, visits were made to various Hanoi universities based on participants' project requirements, or specific area of ​​expertise.

The focus of the conference on 16 and 17 May was on capacity building projects, but also funding opportunities for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, Jean Monnet networks, mobility with partner countries etc. were presented. As part of the network seminar, the German and Asian university representatives were able to present their project ideas to potential partners.  At the end of the conference there was a “German Higher Education Fair”, where interested Vietnamese school students could inform themselves about studying in Germany.

Following a spontaneous invitation from the Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business, Prof. Dr. Ute Nikolay and Dr. Kathrin Jaszus visited on Saturday, May 18th Thai Nguyen City about 80 km north of Hanoi.

After the welcome by the Dean of the Faculty, visits were made to the university, the city and the surrounding area. Compared to noisy and bustling Hanoi, the idyllic area around Thai Nguyen could be described as an oasis of peace.

Already on 14 May, a meeting took place with representatives of the Foreign Trade University (FTU), which has been our partner university since 2011. The expiring cooperation agreement with the FTU was extended for a further 5 years and the desire for an intensification of the cooperation was expressed.