Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính delivered a speech as he visited the University of San Francisco on September 18, 2023. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

SAN FRANCISCO — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính visited the University of San Francisco (USF) on September 18 (local time), as part of his trip to the US for the high-level week of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly and bilateral activities in the country.

The leader stressed that on the basis of the newly-established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, enhancing education cooperation matches Việt Nam's priority, era trends, as well as collaboration orientations of both countries.

Cooperation in education-training, especially high-quality personnel training, is a focus of the Việt Nam-US relations as mentioned in a joint statement issued by the two countries’ leaders, he continued, adding that Việt Nam takes high-quality personnel training as one of the major breakthroughs.

Chính also lauded contributions by the USF to the strong developments of the bilateral education cooperation over the past time, saying there are about 50 cooperation programmes between Vietnamese and US educational institutions.

The PM emphasised that Việt Nam always wants to seek and expand cooperation opportunities with US educational institutions, including the USF, and expressed his hope for stronger collaboration between the university and Việt Nam, with more diverse, intensive, extensive, effective, and practical formats.

He suggested the university grant more scholarships to Vietnamese students, focusing on new areas like innovation, digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, and sharing economy.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính had talks with University of San Francisco President Paul J. Fitzgerald. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

Chính urged Vietnamese students in the US to study harder, thus contributing to the development of both nations as well as their relations.

Founded in 1855 as the first university in San Francisco, the USF is a private Jesuit university with a distinguished history in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, law nursing, and business.

According to the university President Paul J. Fitzgerald, about 80 Vietnamese students are studying at the university, the third biggest number after those from China and India.

Agreeing with the President’s views on contributions by religions in Việt Nam's history, Chính highlighted their important role in the formation of the Vietnamese culture, and national construction and defence.

As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, the Vietnamese State always consistently pursues the policy of respecting and ensuring the right to freedom of belief and religion, and the right to follow and not follow any religion; guaranteeing equality and non-discrimination based on religion and belief; and protecting the activities of religious organisations by law, he affirmed. — VNS