Further co-operation in higher education can create conditions for the two countries' universities to work out criteria to mutually recognise their certificates, said Mr Audeoud, who is President of the Commission for External Relations of the Conference for French University Presidents.

He underlined the progress in the two education sectors' co-operation in the past year, highlighting the launch of French university-run centres in Vietnam in the 2006-07 academic year.

“France has applied this French university training model only in Turkey and Vietnam,” Mr Audeoud said, adding that French universities will co-operate with the Vietnamese side in training at these centres. The university is a demonstration of Vietnam's learning tradition, he said.

Meanwhile, the French Government has pledged to grant a total of 3 million Euros to fund new training centres under a French education exchange programme in Vietnam.

Under the new agreement, which was signed in Hanoi on May 15 by Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Minh Hien and French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Francois Blarel, training centres are to be set up at Hanoi National University and HCM City National University with French assistance.

Ten new faculties will be established at the two centres, providing training courses on economic management, information technology, high-tech machinery, law, vocational guidance, industrial management, telecommunications and genetics.