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.

227
Vietnamese students enrolled at UQ

38
Vietnam-UQ co-publications

25
academic staff born in Vietnam

6
research projects about Vietnam

939
alumni in Vietnam

18
agreements with 17 official partners

Fast facts show full-year 2017 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 106 articles with researchers at Vietnamese universities including the Vietnam National University, Hanoi Medical University, and the National Economics University Vietnam. The main research areas for co-publications were public, environmental, and occupational health; environmental sciences; infectious diseases; agriculture; and tropical medicine.

Research about Vietnam

In the past 5 years, UQ researchers have been involved in 16 research projects focusing on Vietnam, backed by more than A$9.2 million in funding (164.7 billion VND). Project funders include the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Government's Grains Research and Development Corporation.

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), Associate Professor Andrew Borrell (pictured) is 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) emissions, climate-smart crop rotations, and water-saving irrigation strategies.

Global research project to target adolescent mental health

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.

Supporting rural communities

To support the development of evidence-based policy and governance in Vietnam, a collaborative network of experts from UQ, the University if Newcastle (UON), the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and a range of Vietnamese research institutions have formed the Cooperative Research and Capacity-Building Initiative (CRCI). In June 2016, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor Ron Johnstone held discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi, where the Vietnamese Government formally committed to contributing AUD 1.2 million for a project dedicated to building-up rural communities, with a focus on sustainable agriculture.

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 Associate Professor Rob Cramb 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.

In the past 5 years, more than 650 Vietnamese students have been enrolled in UQ degrees, with PhD studies, Economics, and International Economics and Finance programs among the most popular.

The UQ Vietnamese International Student Association (UQ VISA) runs academic, social, and cultural events to promote Vietnamese culture, to encourage interaction among members, and to strengthen networks. Run by students, the Association's mission is to become a "second home" to all UQ Vietnamese students, and to celebrate Vietnam's vibrant and rich culture on campus. The Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law (BEL) also offers the Vietnam Global Leaders Scholarship, which covers tuition at UQ (excluding the MBA), as well as a number of programs to help develop employability skills.

Video: Ha Le, from Vietnam, is studying a Bachelor of Economics at UQ. She was chosen as a Brisbane International Student Ambassador in 2015.

Vietnamese video | Tiếng Việt

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. In 2016 and 2017, the Museums and Memory program, led by School of Social Science Associate Professor Graeme Were, involved 16 UQ Masters students and 12 participants from MOCST and museums in Hanoi, Danang, and Hoi An.

Reporting live from Vietnam

The School of Communication and Arts’ Vietnam Reporter program has run since 2012, supporting journalism students to gain hands-on experience in foreign correspondance. As part of the 10-day field trip, students have travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An to report on social and political issues, as well as on projects where UQ is working in partnership with Vietnamese universities. The radio, television, print, and photojournalism stories are posted on the UQ in Vietnam website, which is available to media anywhere in the world free of charge.

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.

Animal health and production prac

16 students from the School of Veterinary Science travelled to Vietnam in 2016 for vacation preclinical practical work as part of the Animal and Veterinary Enterprises course. Students were introduced to a range of activities associated with animal health and animal production, focusing on specific needs and requirements in resource-limited settings. The School partnered with Nong Lam University (NLU) and Ho Chi Minh City, and received funding through the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility Program.

Alumni Vietnam

Associate Professor Nguyen Van Trao

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

Hue University of Foreign Languages Vice-Rector, 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)