Dedicated facilities for a flagship of German-Vietnamese academic cooperation: today saw the official opening of the gates to the new campus at the Vietnamese-German University (VGU). This state university has been established following the model of a research-oriented university in Germany; it is moving into new buildings near Ho Chi Minh City which house the latest equipment for research and teaching. The VGU has for 14 years been receiving funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) managed by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD).

‘The Vietnamese-German University enables German academic principles, including autonomy in higher education, academic freedom and integration of teaching and research, to be experienced on the ground in Vietnam. As a Vietnamese state university, it radiates out into the country’s higher education landscape and provides impetus to the modernisation of Vietnam’s higher education and science system’, said DAAD President Professor Joybrato Mukherjee to mark the celebrations in Vietnam. Collaboration among German and Vietnamese researchers and lecturers at the VGU is also claimed to enable a deepening of mutual academic cooperation and to result in greater exchange involving students, academics and researchers from both countries.

The initial spark came from Hesse

The founding of the VGU dates back to 2008 and a joint initiative involving the Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst (HMWK – Hesse’s Ministry for Science and the Arts) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. The BMBF and HWMK have since then been funding the VGU’s structural establishment in equal parts; the Vietnamese assume responsibility for its infrastructure and core funding. 
It all started in rented premises with just 35 students, meanwhile there are now over 2,000 students registered at the VGU in seven bachelor's and nine master´s degree courses. In addition to this, there is a steadily increasing number of doctoral candidates, and currently around 90 lecturers and researchers.

Modern equipment for teaching and research

The 50-hectare VGU campus erected with support from the World Bank provides modern facilities that are exceptional in Vietnam: managed via an integrated campus management system, there are premises and laboratories for teaching and research, a central library that seats 1,500 people that is architecturally and technically unique in Vietnam, a science park, accommodation, canteen, and sports facilities. The spaciously laid out campus also forms the basis for the VGU’s planned expansion to 5,000 students by 2030.

Support from Germany

A consortium of 37 German partner higher education institutions organised into an association forms the academic backbone of the VGU. Members of this association include universities, universities of applied sciences and the TU9 consortium. Its office is located within the DAAD. This association coordinates the assistance provided by the German higher education institutions, in particular the development of study programmes, capacity building at the VGU, and the initiation of collaborative research projects.
This includes the member institutions adapting German study programmes to meet Vietnamese requirements, transferring these to the VGU and awarding German degrees in the first few years. The long-term aim is for these study programmes to be offered with a German-Vietnamese dual degree, or as a joint degree.