Based on the framework of the newly established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of promoting cooperation in education , which aligns with Vietnam's priorities, the trends of the times, and the direction of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam.
USF is a private, Catholic university in San Francisco, founded in 1855. It was the first university in San Francisco and the second oldest in California, and is part of the U.S. National University System. USF comprises five colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Law, the College of Management, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences . Currently, USF offers over 80 undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, nursing, and health sciences, and over 60 graduate programs.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh with students from the University of San Francisco. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA
Sharing with the Prime Minister and the Vietnamese delegation, Father Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ, the 28th President of the University of San Francisco, stated that USF students come from all 50 states in the United States and 111 countries. USF has over 117,000 alumni living in the United States and 139 countries. Currently, the number of Vietnamese students ranks third among the university's international students, with approximately 80 students (after China and India). President Paul J. Fitzgerald praised the Vietnamese students as being very intelligent and hardworking.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure at meeting with the university's administrators, lecturers, and students; highly appreciated the achievements of USF; and stated that this visit by the high-level Vietnamese delegation is even more significant as Vietnam and the United States are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their Strategic Partnership (2013-2023) and have just upgraded it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework during President Joe Biden's recent visit to Vietnam.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks during a visit to the University of San Francisco. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
According to the Prime Minister, the Joint Statement of the Leaders of Vietnam and the United States emphasized that cooperation in education and training is one of the priorities of bilateral relations, especially in training high-quality human resources to help Vietnam achieve its development goals.
For its part, Vietnam identifies education as a top national priority, advocating for lifelong learning; training high-quality human resources is one of its three strategic breakthroughs.
In the overall context of bilateral relations, Vietnam-US cooperation in education has witnessed significant development over the years, with contributions from USF University. Currently, there are approximately 50 joint training programs operating between higher education institutions in Vietnam and the United States.
Emphasizing the Vietnamese people's tradition of valuing education, "even a single word of instruction makes one a teacher," the Prime Minister stated that Vietnam always desires to seek and expand opportunities for cooperation and development with educational and training institutions in the United States, including the University of San Francisco, with its long history, tradition, and worldwide reputation. The Prime Minister expressed his hope and belief that the cooperative relationship between the University of San Francisco and Vietnam will continue to build upon existing achievements, developing further with more diverse, profound, effective, and substantive forms. The Prime Minister requested that USF take the lead in the trend of cooperation between the two countries in education and training, identifying Vietnam as a key area of cooperation, providing more scholarships for Vietnamese students, and focusing on new fields such as innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, and the sharing economy. Creating favorable conditions for foreign students, including students from Vietnam - a developing country with a transitional economy.
Based on the newly established framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States, and with specific contents of cooperation in education and training agreed upon by the high-level leaders of both countries, the Prime Minister emphasized that promoting cooperation in education is consistent with Vietnam's priorities, the trends of the times, and the direction of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam.
Congratulating the students from Vietnam on enjoying excellent educational conditions, the Prime Minister hoped that they would uphold the spirit of studiousness, patriotism, national pride, and strive for high academic achievements, while preserving fundamental cultural values and fostering a desire for exploration with modern thinking, mastering new knowledge and technologies, affirming that Vietnamese people are not inferior to the world in any field; and promoting the role of a bridge and a highly skilled workforce, contributing to the development of Vietnam and the United States, and to the relationship between the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of San Francisco University Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA
Regarding the Rector's sharing about the contributions of religions to Vietnamese history, including the formation of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script, the Prime Minister agreed and further shared that religions have made enormous contributions to the formation of Vietnamese culture, to the cause of national construction and defense. The Prime Minister recalled that in the 1945 Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh quoted the American Declaration of Independence, affirming the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of every individual. The Prime Minister emphasized that, as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation with a rich religious life, the Vietnamese State consistently implements a policy of respecting and guaranteeing the right to freedom of belief and religion, the right to follow and not follow any religion; ensuring equality and non-discrimination on the basis of religion or belief; By protecting the activities of religious organizations through law, legitimate religious organizations with followers in Vietnam are given favorable conditions to operate.
The Prime Minister shared, "If there are people who don't understand Vietnam, or Vietnam's ethnic and religious policies, then I would like to ask the teachers and students of USF University to explain it to them. We are also ready to invite everyone to visit Vietnam to see firsthand the implementation of ethnic and religious policies in Vietnam; seeing is believing."
Recalling the Vietnamese folk saying, "Oh gourd, have pity on the squash/Though they are of different kinds, they share the same vine," the Prime Minister once again affirmed Vietnam's policy of national unity and religious solidarity.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh with faculty and students of the University of San Francisco. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA
During the meeting, the Prime Minister directly answered many questions from USF students; affirming that the Party and State respect students' choices regarding their studies and careers, but that they are welcome to return to their country and contribute their best whenever they feel they can. The Prime Minister stated that the Government has issued Decree 140/2017/ND-CP on policies to attract and recruit outstanding graduates and young scientists. Currently, relevant agencies are continuing to research and develop new, more appropriate and effective policies and regulations on this issue.
According to VNA/News Agency
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