Vietnam is seeking technical assistance and expertise exchanges from the U.K. and other international friends to improve the quality of its education and training, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. The Deputy PM made the appeal at a reception for U.K. Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, Lord David Terence Puttnam, in Hanoi on Feb 26. Vietnam is striving to improve its education quality to satisfy the requirements of global integration, Mr. Dam said, noting that the U.K., which has a strong education sector, could help the Southeast Asian country on this endeavor. Since the two countries established their diplomatic ties in 1973, they have boosted their multi-faceted cooperation, including education. Currently, around 8,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the U.K. compared to 5,000 in some years ago. Mr. Puttnam, in turn, said that the U.K. has always valued cooperation with Vietnam and suggested the Southeast Asian nation assess its demands for human resources in future to devise a long-term training plan in order to meet the requirements of sustainable development. On the occasion, the U.K. pledged to fund $15 million for Vietnam to carry out science-technology projects in the next five years. (www.chinhphu.vn [1] Feb 26)
