On March 24, 2011, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam jointly organized an international conference with the theme: "Canadian training and research in Vietnam: Opportunities and Prospects".The workshop was attended by representatives of international training and research institutions in Vietnam such as the Diplomatic Academy, the Institute of American Studies, the Institute of African and Middle Eastern Studies, Hue University, the University of Foreign Languages, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the National University of Ho Chi Minh City, the University of Education, Dong Do University, etc. In particular, the workshop had the presence of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Vietnam, Ms. Deborah Chatsis, officials from the Canadian Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City. The main purpose of the workshop was to answer two questions: Why and How to enhance training and research on Canada in Vietnam?
In their reports, the delegates all affirmed that Canada is a subject worthy of attention and research. Domestically, Canada is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural country with a democratic, stable and transparent political system, and is considered one of the happiest countries in the world. In terms of foreign affairs, Canada implements an open, peaceful and constructive foreign policy, and is a member of many prestigious regional and international organizations such as the G8 group, the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the Francophonie bloc and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. In relations with Vietnam, the two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1973. During the war, Canada participated in the Geneva International Control and Supervision Commission in 1954 and 1973. Currently, Canada is an important partner of Vietnam in development cooperation and poverty reduction programs, and is a trusted address for Vietnamese students. However, understanding of Canada is still limited, training and research on this country are scattered and unsystematic. In Vietnam, so far, only the Faculty of International Studies - University of Social Sciences and Humanities has a subject on Canada. Reports have affirmed that in order to enhance training and research on Canada, training and research institutions in Vietnam must strengthen coordination, share staff and documents, learn from the experiences of other countries, effectively exploit Canada's assistance, have an appropriate roadmap, to build a Canadian training and research strategy suitable to Vietnam's conditions. On behalf of the school's leadership, Associate Professor, Dr. Vice President Nguyen Van Kim thanked the Canadian Embassy for its effective support in the past time, highly appreciated the idea of coordinating with the school to organize the first conference on Canadian training and research in Vietnam and committed to working with partners to form a Canadian training and research network in Vietnam. In her speech, Ambassador Deborah Chatsis also expressed her gratitude to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and especially the Faculty of International Studies for being willing to organize this Conference. The Ambassador emphasized: Vietnam and Canada are two important partners, both are members of many important regional and international forums and have a full basis to develop a comprehensive cooperative relationship, especially in the fields of training and research. In her speech, Political and Information Counselor Joya Donnelly provided a lot of useful information about support programs for learning and researching about Canada, helping Vietnamese partners better understand the opportunities to access Canadian research. In the conclusion, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh affirmed the importance of Canadian training and research in Vietnam and wished to continue to receive cooperation from Vietnamese partners and the Canadian Embassy. To strengthen training and research on Canada, the following tasks need to be carried out in the immediate future: First, it is necessary to build and develop a source of documents including basic and specialized books, specialized journals on the fields of history, culture, economics, politics, society and foreign relations of Canada; Second, it is necessary to build human resources, train a team of experts with in-depth expertise in Canada's fields. Third, it is necessary to build a network, establish cooperative relations between Canadian training and research institutions in Vietnam and with partners in the region and the world. To do this, the best way is to create conditions for Vietnamese experts to regularly exchange with foreign scholars, participate in Canadian research associations. In particular, the Canadian Embassy should be a bridge to help research and training institutions of Canada and Vietnam establish cooperative relations to exchange teachers and students, coordinate training and implement joint research projects.
