Two universities to collaborate on academic research, faculty and student exchanges

Joint curriculum development and specialist training planned

High-level Nghe An delegation attends as Korea-Vietnam cooperation deepens

Key figures pose for a photo at the Nghe An Province-Korea Business Partnership Conference held Thursday at the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul. Front row, from left: second, Bui Thanh An, vice chairwoman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee; third, Bae Geon-gi, CEO of Zenith Union Partners; fourth, Shin Geon-cheol, vice president of aSSIST; fifth, Nguyen Khac Thuan, Nghe An Party Secretary; sixth, Kim Jae-hong, standing chairman of the ESG Practice Citizens' Alliance and former president of Seoul Digital University; eighth, Seo Min-ho, policy committee chairman of the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju City Council. [Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul]
Key figures pose for a photo at the Nghe An Province-Korea Business Partnership Conference held Thursday at the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul. Front row, from left: second, Bui Thanh An, vice chairwoman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee; third, Bae Geon-gi, CEO of Zenith Union Partners; fourth, Shin Geon-cheol, vice president of aSSIST; fifth, Nguyen Khac Thuan, Nghe An Party Secretary; sixth, Kim Jae-hong, standing chairman of the ESG Practice Citizens' Alliance and former president of Seoul Digital University; eighth, Seo Min-ho, policy committee chairman of the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju City Council. [Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul]

Seoul's aSSIST (Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technologies) has partnered with Vietnam National University, Vinh to advance academic research and specialist training in ESG (environmental, social and governance) and AI.

aSSIST signed a memorandum of understanding with Vinh University on Thursday at the Vietnamese Embassy in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, covering joint research in ESG and AI as well as faculty and student exchanges, the university announced Monday.

The signing took place on the sidelines of the Nghe An Province-Korea Business Partnership Conference held at the embassy. aSSIST Vice President Shin Geon-cheol and Vinh University Vice President Tran Ba Tien signed the agreement.

Under the MOU, the two universities plan to pursue joint academic research and education projects centered on ESG and AI. They also agreed to broaden cooperation by expanding faculty and student exchanges, sharing research experience and developing new curricula.

The partnership combines the educational and research strengths of both institutions at a time when ESG management and AI technology are growing in importance, with the aim of training specialists needed for corporate management and economic development. The universities also focused on building a human-resource base to support the upgrading of Vietnam's domestic industries and meet growing demand from Korean companies expanding their investments there.

The Vietnamese Embassy said it expects the MOU to "serve as a foundation for promoting academic exchange, sharing of experience, curriculum development, and the cultivation and networking of high-level talent needed for economic development, corporate management and internationalization," adding that it "will contribute to strengthening Nghe An Province's human-resource competitiveness and meeting the workforce demands of future Korean investment projects."

Vinh University, located in Nghe An Province in north-central Vietnam, has about 38,000 enrolled students and more than 1,300 faculty members and researchers. aSSIST focuses on professional education and academic research in ESG management and AI.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Nguyen Khac Thuan, Nghe An Party Secretary; Bui Thanh An, vice chairwoman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee; and Kim Jae-hong, standing chairman of the ESG Practice Citizens' Alliance and former president of Seoul Digital University.

Nguyen and Bui urged the two universities to "translate the MOU into concrete action and cooperate particularly on research into ESG and AI, and on educating the next generation."

The business partnership conference drew about 50 Vietnamese participants, including Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho and the Nghe An provincial delegation, along with about 60 representatives from Korean companies and organizations.

On the Korean side, attendees included SK Innovation Vice President Yoo Young-wook, Zenith Union Partners CEO Bae Geon-gi, Energyen CEO Ahn Jin-hoe and Korea ESG Academic Society President Ko Moon-hyun, who discussed ESG management and ways to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.


pooh@heraldcorp.com