President Said Irandoust on 11 August 2007 welcomed to AIT a delegation led by H.E. Professor Dr. Pham Vu Luan, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), Vietnam. The vice-minister was accompanied by Dr. Phung Khac Binh, Director General of the Department of Student Affairs; Mr. Tran Ba Viet Dzung, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation; and Dr. Ngu Duy Anh, Deputy Directory General of the Department of Student Affairs (who led the Vietnamese team of student athletes at Bangkok’s Universiade 2007).
During the visit, Vice-Minister Pham Vu Luan conveyed the greetings of H.E. Professor Nguyen Thien Nhân, former MOET Minister who has recently been promoted to Deputy Prime Minister. The vice-minister explained to AIT administration officials the Government of Vietnam's emphasis on quality education and training as per the needs of Vietnamese society, university research geared towards the needs of the country, and improved quality of management in Vietnamese universities.
The Vietnamese government’s long-term plans are to educate 20,000 Vietnamese nationals at the doctoral level, of which 10,000 would be trained abroad, and to implement a training of trainers (TOT) program for 15,000 primary and secondary school principals, Vice-Minister Pham Vu Luan said.
President Irandoust expressed AIT’s keen interest and willingness to contribute to this initiative of the Government of Vietnam, citing AIT’s long-standing association with Vietnam, the Institute’s considerable expertise in post-graduate education, its skill in organizing workshops such as the one on Good Governance in Universities for Senior Management Officials of Pakistani Universities, and also its experience in the training of trainers of school teachers from Sri Lanka.
“AIT can play a significant role in this effort by the Government of Vietnam,” President Irandoust told the delegation. In addition, he sought the support of the Government of Vietnam in enlisting as a member to the new Charter of AIT.
Accompanying the AIT President in the discussions were Prof. I. M. Pandey, Dean of SOM; Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar, Associate Dean of SET, and Dr. Pritam K. Shrestha, Head-ERCO. Dr. Ho Thanh Phong, an AIT alumnus who is an Associate Professor and currently the Vice-Rector of Ho Chi Minh City International University (HCMIU), also came to AIT to meet the vice-minister and his delegation. As highlighted by the vice-minister, AIT alumni are making significant contributions to the development of Vietnam.