Hong Bang International University (HIU) in Ho Chi Minh City has just entered a partnership with Indian company Aieraa Overseas Studies to train medical students from India and other Asian countries. This event makes Vietnam a training destination for medical students from other countries. Mr. Pham Sanh Chau, Vietnamese Ambassador to India, who has played a very important role in creating the meaningful milestone, gives an interview to provide more information.
Mr. Pham Sanh Chau – Ambassador of Vietnam to India
Congratulations to the Ambassador for having successfully linked the two partners, HIU and the Indian company. What motivated you to connect the two for Asian medical students to come to HIU instead of another university in Vietnam?
One of our Embassy’s priorities is to link Vietnam and India in education. When we saw India has a need to train many medical students, we contacted universities with medical training in Vietnam.
The first requirement is that the selected university must be able to train in English. Through research, we found that in Vietnam today, only HIU and VinUni have medical training programs entirely in English. Both universities expressed their desire to cooperate. And HIU’s advantage is it has established medical and healthcare training programs; the tuition fee is very attractive and there is preferential policy to reduce tuition fees for Indian students.
Previously, the Embassy had the privilege to organize an event with HIU to introduce students to study information technology: India’s high-tech group HCL recruited outstanding IT students from HIU to work for them after graduation.
Mr. Pham Sanh Chau – Ambassador of Vietnam to India: “I have deep faith in Hong Bang International University and Nguyen Hoang Group.”
Can you share your thoughts on the first time a private Vietnamese university gets Indian medical students, and what is the significance of this in the India-Vietnam relationship?
Firstly, this is a new milestone in Vietnam’s education, the first time Vietnam has entered the list of countries offering medical training to international students. It means Vietnam is no longer a country that sends its students overseas, it has become a destination for international students. Vietnam’s university level has come of age with reputable medical training from Vietnamese universities.
Second, this is a breakthrough in the two countries’ diplomatic and economic ties. From September 2021, about 200 Indian students will come to Vietnam to study medicine annually. Taking in a large number of international students, Vietnam’s education system has many prospects to become a new sector that create values to the country.
A new milestone in Vietnam’s education: foreign medical students will come to study at Hong Bang International University
Third, this is a new point in people-to-people diplomacy, one of the five pillars of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and India.
“I have deep faith in Hong Bang International University and Nguyen Hoang Group. That is why I served as the bridge to connect. This partnership lays the foundation for university-level medical training exchanges between Vietnam and India.”Mr. Pham Sanh Chau – Vietnamese Ambassador to India |
What message do you want to send to HIU in training and taking care of Indian students as well as promoting educational cooperation between the two countries in the coming time?
HIU and Vietnamese authorities need to work hard to ensure the program’s success. Indian students must be well trained to attract more enrollments for the following years.
Every year in India, 1.5 million students take exams to become medical students, and about 800,000 can pass the exams. However, Indian universities are currently only able to meet less than 50% of the demand, so many students choose to study abroad.
Compared with the familiar destinations overseas for medical Indian students, such as Bangladesh, China, Nepal, the Philippines, Malaysia, and some Eastern European countries, Vietnam has many competitive advantages. We have a comprehensive strategic partnership with India, political stability, and a safe, friendly environment, especially for female students. Vietnam also shares many cultural similarities with India, it is more convenient for Indian students to stay and study.
Medical students at Hong Bang International University
Generally Vietnamese families spend big for their children to study overseas. Every year, the total spending is estimated at about USD4 billion. The fact that HIU gets students from abroad to Vietnam makes many people surprised and exciting. In your opinion, what are conditions for Vietnam to promote “export of educational services”?
Firstly, it is necessary to develop training programs in standard English, approaching international standards with teams of good lecturers. In the immediate future, we can also “import” medical lecturers from India so that they can share their experiences with Vietnamese lecturers. And most importantly, those universities which get international students must commit to ensuring the quality of training and taking good care of international students.
Viet Nguyen
