Bangkok (VNA) – Vietnamese Consul General in Thailand’s Khon Kaen Dinh Hoang Linh recently held a working session with Orathai Piayura, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Khon Kaen University (KKU), on the establishment of a Vietnam Studies Centre at the university.
The initiative, proposed by the Vietnamese Consulate General as a key cooperation activity for 2026, aims to build a platform to promote cultural exchanges and educational cooperation, thereby strengthening Vietnam–Thailand friendship.
KKU leaders welcomed the proposal and assigned the faculty to develop an implementation plan within the year.
At the meeting, Linh said that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-Hanoi) and the Vietnam Education Publishing House support the initiative and are ready to cooperate in establishing the centre, with the goal of promoting Vietnamese language and cultural values in the region and the world.
In the long term, the consul general suggested building a comprehensive ecosystem for Vietnamese language and culture, including a Vietnamese-language library and a dedicated website on Vietnamese culture. He noted that the consulate general is willing to assist with content, data and images, while the KKU would provide appropriate facilities and technical infrastructure.
For her part, Piayura expressed strong support for creating a symbolic Vietnamese cultural space featuring the national flag, images of Ho Chi Minh, bronze drums and other iconic cultural elements to enhance the centre’s visibility and identity.
She also voiced confidence that the consulate general would continue mobilising domestic partners to supply Vietnamese-language books, documents and cultural publications, helping establish a learning and reading space for Vietnamese studies.
Both sides agreed that the centre should serve not only as a hub for teaching and learning Vietnamese but also as a venue for cultural exchange, academic research and community connection. Planned activities include Vietnamese language training, Vietnam-related research, faculty and student exchanges, human resource development programmes, and cultural events involving the local Vietnamese community.
They also stressed the importance of communication and outreach to encourage strong participation from Vietnamese expatriates in the region, helping to further promote Vietnamese language and culture.
The two sides affirmed their determination to inaugurate the centre in August this year, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic relations./.
VNA
