They include an agreement between Hanoi University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Hanoi University of Agriculture, Hanoi University, the Construction University of Vietnam and Belgium’s universities, including Brussels Liberation University (ULB), Liege University (ULG) and Louvain University (UCL).

This is the first time a delegation of leaders from Belgium’s universities has visited Vietnam, which shows the Belgian government’s interest in promoting tertiary education cooperation in Vietnam.

Addressing a press briefing in Hanoi on April 13, Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Hubert Cooreman said tertiary education cooperation accounts for 15 percent of Belgium’s official development assistance to Vietnam, worth EUR2 million a year.

Apart from granting annual scholarships to Vietnamese students, Belgium is implementing a MBA training programme in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, he added.

In the following years, the two countries will increase tertiary education cooperation with a focus on Belgium’s strong areas of agronomy, environment and rural development, health care and infrastructure.

The two countries also plan to launch a website on Vietnam-Belgium education.