UQ and Vietnam

Vietnam’s economic and community development priorities mirror UQ's strengths – particularly in agriculture and food safety, tourism and museum studies, and public health.

248
Vietnamese students enrolled at UQ

62
Vietnam-UQ co-publications

26
academic staff born in Vietnam

1
research projects about Vietnam

1230
alumni in Vietnam

23
agreements with 18 official partners

Fast facts show full-year 2019 data.

Based in Hanoi, UQ's Global Engagement and Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) Vietnam representative fosters engagement with Vietnamese universities, government agencies, corporate networks, and non-governmental organisations, while supporting alumni in the region.

Co-publications

In the past 5 years, UQ has co-published 267 articles with researchers at Vietnamese universities including the Hanoi Medical University, Duy Tan University, and the Vietnam National University Hochiminh City. The main research areas for co-publications were environmental sciences, public, environmental and occupational health and genetics and heredity.

Research about Vietnam

In the past 5 years, UQ researchers have been involved in one research project with two institutions on improving children's respiratory health from traffic-related air pollution.

Smart solutions to climate change

The alluvial soil in the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta can contribute to high rice yields, however, increasing frequency of floods and droughts is threatening production. As a result, smallholder rice farmers in Vietnam require cropping systems that are more resilient to the negative impacts of extreme weather conditions and salinity. Through UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), Professor Andrew Borrell (pictured) has developed a range of climate-smart measures for rice production: salinity-tolerant rice varieties, slow-release nitrogen fertilisers, organic fertilisers that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), climate-smart crop rotations, and water-saving irrigation strategies.

Global survey on adolescent mental disorders

UQ researchers have partnered with institutes in Vietnam, Indonesia and Kenya, to investigate the prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents. Research Fellow Dr Holly Erskine said the multi-million dollar project would determine the prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents and identify factors that influenced a young person’s risk of poor mental health.

“It will involve nation-wide surveys, and will be the first project of its kind to focus on mental disorders in 10-17 year olds in these countries,” she said.

UQ talks mental health care in Vietnam

The University of Queensland recently collaborated with Hanoi Medical University to deliver a workshop on mental health challenges and possibilities. The workshop was part of the ASPIRES (Australian Speakers and Partners in Research, Education and Skills) series, which aims to support education and skills reform throughout Vietnam. The collaboration involved UQ Office of Medical Education Director Professor Kirsty Foster, Faculty of Medicine Deputy Executive Dean and Medical Dean Professor Stuart Carney, and the University’s Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship unit.

Empowering farmers with sustainable agriculture

Throughout South-East Asia, cassava is an important crop in terms of rural livelihoods and regional economic development. Vietnam alone grows more than 500,000 ha of cassava crops to meet rapidly growing demand for animal feed, starch products, and biofuel to ensure the crop will remain sustainable and accessible for years to come, particularly for resource-poor farmers living in marginal upland areas. UQ School of Agriculture and Food Sciences Dr Dominic Smith is leading a project to develop effective value-chain linkages and to increase the adoption of improved technologies. UQ is partnering with several Vietnamese institutions on the project, including the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, and Tay Nguyen University.

Improving incomes for Vietnam's poorest farmers

The increased availability of imported fruit in Vietnam is causing prices to drop – and local farmers are suffering. To evaluate consumer and market dynamics, UQ School of Agriculture and Food Sciences (SAFS) is leading research into more profitable and sustainable vegetable farming systems in North-West Vietnam. Funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), SAFS' Dr Oleg Nicetic is collaborating with researchers from Vietnam's Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, the Plant Protection Research Institute, and Hanoi Agricultural University to improve supply chains from smallholder farmers to more-valuable markets.

Museum studies field school

UQ and the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism (MOCST) have a long-term commitment to joint museum and heritage projects, workshops, policy development, and training. The agreement ensures reciprocal knowledge exchange for postgraduate students at UQ and professional staff in Vietnam, and includes an annual two-week intensive museum studies field school in Vietnam and Asia-Pacific museum conferences.

Environment and planning partnership

The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers an annual two-week Vietnam Summer Semester course in partnership with Can Tho University in the Mekong Delta region, and the University of Architecture in Ho Chi Minh City. The program explores the significant environmental and planning pressures faced by Vietnam, a rapidly developing nation.

Clinical placements in Hue

The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences runs an annual clinical placement program in Hue, working with children with disabilities in schools and orphanages. The School has partnered with Vietnam's Office of Genetic Counselling and Disabled Children, and the Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy on the initiative.

Mai Lan Kunzy Scholarship

UQ administers the Mai Lan Kunzy Scholarship for graduates or staff of Hue University. Donated by private donor Dr Hugo E Kunze, the award includes a full scholarship to undertake a research higher degree at UQ. It is intended for health-related research with the potential to build capacity at the community level, or support a sustained national initiative to improve the health of the Vietnamese people.

Associate Professor Nguyễn Văn Trào

President, Hanoi University (PhD School of Languages and Cultures, 2010, Visiting Scholar at UQ's School of Education, 2014)

Thi Ngoc Diep Nguyen

Institutional Development Specialist (Master of Social Planning and Development 2002, International Alumnus of the Year 2009)

Le Van Phong

Project Manager, Children of Vietnam (Master of Community Development 2008, Special Award for Outstanding Achievement 2014 Australian Alumni Awards, Vietnamese Graduates of Australia Club)

Associate Professor Pham Thi Hong Nhung

Vice Rector of Hue University of Foreign Languages and Australia Awards Endeavour Executive Fellowship recipient (PhD – applied linguistics 2005)

Nguyen Thi Le Huyen

HIV prevention specialist (Master of Development Practice 2009, 2012 winner of the UQ-Vietnam Professional Development Seminar Series Alumni Award)