Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) had talks with President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Cameron of the Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam considers education and training, along with the development of high-quality human resources, a top national policy and a key strategic priority, particularly in the context of promoting digital transformation, innovation and a knowledge-based economy in service of its long-term development goals.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính made the statement on Thursday while receiving a delegation from Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), led by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Cameron, who is on a working visit to Việt Nam.

The PM praised RMIT’s contributions, particularly those of RMIT Vietnam over the past 25 years, to training skilled human resources and promoting educational cooperation between Việt Nam and Australia. He noted that reputable international institutions like RMIT have helped improve training quality, expand academic exchanges and strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries.

To further strengthen cooperation, PM Chính suggested that RMIT continue to effectively implement its training programmes in Việt Nam, contributing to improving the quality of human resources and enhancing Vietnamese students’ capacity for international integration, while supporting the development of the country’s higher education system.

He suggested that if RMIT considers Việt Nam a strategic base, it should step up investment in infrastructure, strengthen its teaching staff and ensure adequate learning resources to operate as a comprehensive university. He also encouraged the expansion of training scale and diversification of disciplines, particularly in areas of strong demand such as digital technology, artificial intelligence, green economy, innovation and technology governance.

He further called on the university to enhance collaboration with Vietnamese enterprises, research organisations and educational institutions, contributing to the development of the innovation and startup ecosystem as well as knowledge transfer. He encouraged the university to expand scholarship programmes and research partnerships, creating more opportunities for Vietnamese students to access international education and develop comprehensively.

For his part, Professor Cameron affirmed that RMIT’s presence in Việt Nam is not solely profit-driven but also aims to contribute to the country’s human resources development.

He said the university plans to expand its operations by establishing additional campuses in Hà Nội and HCM City, and expressed appreciation for the Vietnamese Government’s support. He expressed his hope that relevant ministries, sectors and localities will continue to expedite procedures to support RMIT’s expansion in Việt Nam.

Affirming that the Government consistently creates favourable conditions for reputable international educational institutions, including RMIT, to operate in Việt Nam in accordance with Vietnamese law and contribute to the national education system, the Government leader said relevant agencies are actively addressing procedures and obstacles to facilitate the establishment of RMIT Việt Nam's campus in Hà Nội.

He called on Professor Cameron, with his experience and prestige in international education, to continue proposing initiatives to further enhance cooperation in education, training and research between RMIT and Việt Nam, thereby contributing to strengthening the Việt Nam–Australia partnership. — VNA/VNS