More than 200 policy makers and leaders of educational organisations from Vietnam and Britain gathered in Hanoi on Oct. 16 for a meeting on tertiary education.

The meeting, co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Training and the British Council, is part of activities of the memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation signed by the Vietnamese and British governments in 2008, which declared tertiary education one of five key areas for cooperation between the two countries.

Addressing the event, British Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam Peter Connolly said the two countries have, over the past years, shared a common view on the importance of reforming education.

Reaffirming that the British Government will continue assisting Vietnam in the area, he cited the fact that many British universities are interested in establishing cooperative ties with their Vietnamese counterparts.

According to the British diplomat, more than 200 Vietnamese students are studying in Britain thanks to British Government scholarships.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Le Huong from the Ministry of Education and Training told the participants that renewing tertiary education to meet regional and international standards is “a high priority for the Vietnamese government”.

She expected discussions at the meeting to help lay a foundation for the universities of both countries to increase information exchange, experience sharing and cooperation.

Joint training programmes, research cooperation, management of training quality and university cooperation were also be discussed at this meeting, according to Director of the British Council Robin Rickard.

On this occasion, an annual British education exhibition will be held in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City and the central city of Da Nang . A gala night for those who formerly studied in Britain will be organised in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City./.