First Vietnamese studies centre opens in northeast Thailand
A centre for Vietnamese studies was opened in Udon Thani province, northeastern Thailand, on November 1. The facility will provide in-depth training on Vietnam, data and multi-dimensional knowledge about the S-shaped country while contributing to promoting the understanding and sound cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking at the ceremony, rector of Udon Thani Rajabhat university Dr Khanisara Thansunthornsakun, affirmed that the launch of the centre in this year reflects the importance of the relations and cooperation between Thailand and Vietnam, especially when the two countries celebrate the 47th anniversary of diplomatic ties and 10 years of their strategic partnership, as well as the university marks its 100 founding anniversary.
Currently, Vietnamese language is becoming popular in Thailand. Many local universities and high schools have had academic exchanges with Vietnam, and more than 30 schools in the northeastern region have taught Vietnamese.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh highlighted the significance of the opening of the centre, saying that it marks obtainments in educational cooperation that the two sides have built over the past decades.
With more than 700 investment projects in Vietnam, Thailand has a high demand for personnel who can speak Vietnamese and understand culture and society. Therefore, the centre has the potential to open up many opportunities for cooperation with Vietnamese universities, he said.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy presented dozens of tiles of Vietnamese-language books, newspapers, and publications to the university. The selected documents are diverse in type and content, from Vietnamese language textbooks, research books, to magazines, newspapers, among others.
As a prestigious and long-standing educational institution in the northeastern region, Udon Thani Rajabhat University has so far signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on academic cooperation and personnel and student exchanges with many Vietnamese universities such as Quang Binh University, the Da Nang University of Foreign Language Studies, Thai Nguyen University, Tan Trao University, among others.
After the opening ceremony of the centre, the Thai university also signed a MOU with Vietnam's Hue Academy of Music.
