Advancing on education with Vietnam

Swinburne has a long history in Vietnam, from school engagement to education delivery and research projects, and offered its first international education program in Vietnam more than 25 years ago.

In that time Vietnam has transformed from one of the poorest countries in the world to a rapid growth economy.

In the beginning

Starting with the delivery of graduate certificate programs in 1994 with Telstra and Vietnam Post and Telecommunications, Swinburne has established strong Vietnamese government relationships and institutional partnerships.

Joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) scholarship projects with the Vietnamese government have trained 44 PhD students who are now working for government bodies and institutions in Vietnam.

Partnerships

Swinburne has institutional partnerships with Vietnam’s leading universities including University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Architecture, National Economics University, Danang University of Science and Technology, Danang University of Economics, International University, University of Economics and Law and, most recently, FPT University. These provide a range of collaborative activities such as joint research and PhD training, curriculum development and transnational education programs in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang.

Industry links with organisations including Vietnam Brewery Limited, Vietnam Air Caterers, Vietnam Airlines and Buffalo Tours, together with professional bodies such as CPA Australia, Vietnam Certified Practicing Accountants and Association Chartered Certified Accountants have been developed.

New partnership with FPT University

The number of Vietnamese Swinburne alumni is set to increase with the recent launch of a partnership with FPT University, which will deliver a small suite of internationally sought after undergraduate programs in Hanoi from September 2019.

The proposed courses will be offered in a staged implementation process and will include:

• Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology
• Bachelor of Business
• Bachelor of Media and Communication

FPT University is a leading Vietnamese private university owned by FPT, Vietnam’s largest global IT services corporation. Both FPT and Swinburne are focused on digital transformation for social and economic impact and delivering a highly skilled workforce as Vietnam embraces Industry 4.0.

“Together, Swinburne and FPT will expand student learning opportunities and deliver high quality and employable graduates, taking advantage of each partner’s global networks. Swinburne students in Vietnam will have opportunities to study in Melbourne and Sarawak, while Swinburne students in Melbourne and Sarawak can travel to Vietnam for study, internships and potentially work in an FPT global location,” says Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Duncan Bentley.

Past students

Swinburne has trained over 5,000 students in Vietnam, including: 3,500 in graduate certificate programs (1994-1998); 1,000 in the Master of International Accounting (1998-2012); 40 in the Master of Commerce (HRM) (2010-2012); and 500 in short course programs (1994-2010).

Vietnam’s current Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue is a Swinburne alumnus.

Vietnam’s smartest high school students

The winners of Vietnam’s longest running and most watched educational television quiz show, ‘Way to Olympia Peak’, receive a scholarship to study an undergraduate degree at Swinburne. Every year more than 20 million viewers watch Vietnam’s top high school students compete with their peers in English, mathematics, history, science and Vietnamese literature to become ‘Vietnam’s smartest high school student’. There have been 17 champions and several runners-up who have studied or are currently studying at Swinburne.

Student tours

Swinburne led three student study tours in Vietnam in January 2019: a design and architecture tour with Hanoi University of Business and Technology, Hanoi University of Architecture and the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City, a sustainability tour in collaboration with Danang University of Science and Technology and an information technology tour in collaboration with FPT University.

Swinburne Week in Vietnam

In May 2019, Swinburne Week in Vietnam showcased Swinburne’s contribution to education in Vietnam and commitment to thought leadership, research and learning in Industry 4.0.

“Through open days for prospective students in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, meetings and workshops with government, university and industry partners, research discussions and alumni events, Swinburne demonstrated how we are embracing the Industry 4.0 era and developing practical approaches to incorporating Industry 4.0 thinking across our teaching and research,” says Professor Bentley.

During the week, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, together with the Australian Department of Education and Training and the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training held a forum on ‘Preparing a future technology workforce’. The event was attended by academics, government, universities and industry partners, and experts shared their experiences of industry, government and university collaboration.

Speaking at the forum, Director General of the Higher Education Department at the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training, Dr Nguyen Thị Kim Phụng, said the Industry 4.0 revolution had created opportunities, but also challenges for different countries including Vietnam. She said graduates need high professional qualifications and working skills, but also research skills to promote their creativity and innovation. To achieve this, training courses at higher education institutions require innovation in order to improve the quality of students and researchers, she said.

Swinburne’s Professor Duncan Bentley spoke about how Swinburne connects students, researchers and enterprises to co-resolve complicated problems, show new solutions and forecast different situations for the future.

Learn more in media coverage of the event featured in Hanoi Times, Viet Nam News and The Voice of Vietnam.

Swinburne’s 10-year partnership with the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City was celebrated with the announcement of prizes for the inaugural Swinburne Design Challenge for high school and university students. The challenge involved students designing posters on the theme of ‘Community and Smart Cities’ to facilitate understanding and knowledge sharing across different stakeholders and local communities involved in the design of smart cities, particularly Ho Chi Minh, reflecting the move towards smart cities in Vietnam. Based on judging criteria of creativity, visibility and rationality, the first prize was awarded to Nguyen Doan Kim Khue, second prize to Dang Phuong Binh and third prize was shared by Le Ngoc Quynh Nhu and Troung Tu Tram.

In a further advancement of our architectural expertise in Vietnam, an articulation agreement was signed with Hanoi Architectural University to create opportunities for their students to study at Swinburne and for joint programs between the two universities. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture to work together on key initiatives that will lead to knowledge exchange, starting with a research project, ‘Knowledge Exchange for Smart City: Australia and Vietnam’, under an Australian government Australia-ASEAN Council grant.

Swinburne looks forward to further advancing our partnerships and relationships in Vietnam, and working together to deliver high quality teaching, learning and research.

The first prize of the inaugural Swinburne Design Challenge was awarded to Nguyen Doan Kim Khue for her poster on the theme of ‘Community and Smart Cities’.

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