Ireland hopes to welcome more Vietnamese students who pursue their education in the country, Director for International Relations at Ireland’s University of Cork Christopher Brown has said.

He made the wish at a recent signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between his university and the Vietnam International Education Development Department.

Under the MoU, the University of Cork will offer scholarships and academic support to Vietnamese students who come to study and research at the school.

At the ceremony, Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Damien Cole applauded bilateral collaboration in this field, expecting an increasing number of Vietnamese students to access high-quality training in Ireland.

In November 2011, Irish Minister of State Department of Environment, Community and Local Government Jan O’Sullivan visited Vietnam, signing a 55 million EUR Irish educational aid package in a view to attracting more Vietnamese learners.

Over 30 Vietnamese are currently enrolled in Ireland’s universities funded by Irish Government scholarships, with an alumni network of over 100.-VNA