Receiving a boost from Korean ODA, the Diplomatic Academy is ready to reach regional and international levels

On April 28, the Diplomatic Academy in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) held a launching ceremony for the project "Enhancing training and research capacity with ODA and counterpart funds at the Diplomatic Academy".

The project is a testament to the increasingly deep and fruitful Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Korea. (Photo: Xuan Son)

Attending the event were Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, Director of the Diplomatic Academy Nguyen Hung Son, Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam, Country Director of KOICA Vietnam Lee Byung Hwa, along with officials, lecturers and students of the Academy.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu affirmed that the project shows the depth of political relations between Vietnam and South Korea, and is truly a shared joy for both countries. (Photo: Xuan Son)

At the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu congratulated the Korean government for choosing a suitable partner and trusted friend for this important project. After 3 years of careful preparation, the two sides officially started the project, thanks to the tireless efforts of experts from both countries.

This is not only the result of cooperation but also a significant milestone, marking the development of bilateral relations, especially in areas such as social sciences, international relations, economics, politics and foreign affairs. This project shows the depth of political relations between Vietnam and Korea, and is truly a shared joy for both countries.

The Deputy Minister hopes that after the project is completed, teachers and students of the Academy will effectively exploit the project's components, from the smart library, the Vietnam-Korea Strategic Cooperation Center, to Korean language training programs, in order to continuously improve their research capacity, foreign language proficiency and professional knowledge in their fields.

Director of the Diplomatic Academy Nguyen Hung Son delivered the opening speech. (Photo: Xuan Son)

Emphasizing that this is not only an investment project to improve the quality of training and research, gradually bringing the Academy closer to regional and international standards, but also a symbolic project, demonstrating the increasingly deep and good comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Korea, the Director of the Diplomatic Academy also said that in more than 65 years of construction and development, the Diplomatic Academy has always been steadfast in one mission. That is, "Training and developing high-quality human resources, pioneering in the fields of international integration, research, strategic forecasting and knowledge dissemination, effectively serving the diplomatic sector, meeting the diverse needs of society, for the benefit of the nation and people".

The Academy clearly defines its development orientation in the new period: Leading in Vietnam in training, fostering and researching international relations, foreign affairs, international integration, reaching influence in the Southeast Asian region and the world.

“Today’s project is one of the concrete steps to realize that vision, and reflects the spirit of educational and training cooperation between Vietnam and Korea that the two countries’ senior leaders have repeatedly emphasized,” the Director of the Diplomatic Academy shared.

With components such as building a smart library, expanding and modernizing Hall D, establishing the Vietnam-Korea Strategic Cooperation Center, enhancing professional capacity and supporting Korean language and Korean studies programs, the project will create very favorable conditions for studying, researching, organizing seminars and international connections.

KOICA Vietnam Country Director Lee Byung Hwa hopes to receive active support and attention from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to successfully implement the project. (Photo: Xuan Son)

KOICA Vietnam Country Director Lee Byung Hwa said that the project aims to invest a total of 4.95 million USD by 2026 to support the enhancement of the Diplomatic Academy’s training capacity. With the construction of a large multi-purpose hall, the Vietnam-Korea Strategic Cooperation Center and a smart library, the Diplomatic Academy will further develop into an important unit in training new-generation diplomats.

Mr. Lee Byung Hwa affirmed that the success of the project will not only be due to the efforts of the Academy and KOICA, but also require information sharing and close cooperation among relevant partners throughout the project implementation period. KOICA hopes to receive active support and attention from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam to successfully implement the project.

South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam said that the Vietnam-Korea relationship is developing very strongly and is considered a model of exemplary cooperation. (Photo: Xuan Son)

Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam emphasized that the Diplomatic Academy is the leading diplomatic training and research institution in Vietnam. The project will contribute to further enhancing Vietnam's diplomatic capacity, which will increasingly gain a high position in the international arena. In particular, the project is a valuable asset in helping to nurture the next generation of Vietnamese diplomats, who will open the future for bilateral relations.

Vietnam-Korea relations are developing very strongly and are considered a model of cooperation. After upgrading to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022, the scale of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries reached more than 5 million last year. In addition, there are more than 10,000 Korean enterprises - the largest number in the world - investing and operating in Vietnam. The two countries are working together towards the goal of increasing bilateral trade turnover to 150 billion USD by 2030.

"In Vietnam, there is a saying: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. I believe that today's project launch ceremony, although a small event, is a big start for Korea and Vietnam, true friends, to move forward together," Ambassador Choi Youngsam affirmed.

Delegates pressed the button to start the project, putting the Academy's training and research quality improvement program into operation. (Photo: Xuan Son)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/don-cu-hich-tu-oda-ha-n-quoc-hoc-vien-ngoai-giao-san-sa-ng-vuon-ta-m-khu-vuc-va-quoc-te-312610.html