National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ and leaders of the University of Waikato along with the Vietnamese students at the city took a commemorative photo during his visit to the university on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HAMILTON — National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ visited the University of Waikato in Hamilton City and attended an education forum there as part of his official visit to New Zealand.

At his meeting with the university’s leaders, Huệ said education-training is one of the most important and effective cooperation areas between Việt Nam and New Zealand.

Among the Southeast Asian nations, Việt Nam is the third biggest source of students to New Zealand, with 2,700 students, he added.

Huệ congratulated the University of Waikato on being named among the top 1.1 per cent of universities and the top 1 per cent of business schools in the world, expressed his delight that more than 200 Vietnamese students have graduated from and 50 others are studying at the university.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley, who is also President of the New Zealand-Việt Nam Friendship Association, pledged that the university will make greater efforts to promote educational cooperation between the two countries.

Huệ said Việt Nam has great demand for personnel training and development, and expressed his hope that the university will launch projects on higher education in Việt Nam, covering such areas as university administration, scientific research and digital transformation, and conduct the exchange of lecturers and students in the areas of its strengths like business, education, economy, communications, finance and accounting.

The top legislator also suggested the University of Waikato cooperate with Vietnamese government agencies in personnel training, and open training centres in Hà Nội and HCM City.

Chancellor of the University of Waikato Anand Satyanand, who is former Governor-General of New Zealand, said the Việt Nam-New Zealand education forum would offer an opportunity for the two sides to exchange experience and promote cooperation in important areas, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. — VNS