Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Anh Tuan, President of Foreign Trade University, speaks at the 7th Forum on Internationalisation in Higher Education (FIHE7) on November 1. — Photo courtesy of the FTU

HÀ NỘI — The Foreign Trade University (FTU) organised the seventh Forum on Internationalisation in Higher Education (FIHE7) on November 1 in Hà Nội.

With the theme 'International Branch Campuses: New Approaches for Multinational Higher Education Institutions in Emerging Countries,' the annual event provides a platform to share knowledge and experiences on innovative models for international cooperation in higher education.

This year’s FIHE welcomed more than 300 delegates representing 90 educational institutions, organisations and businesses from both Việt Nam and abroad, as well as 25 embassies in Việt Nam.

Speaking at the event, Associate Professor Dr Bùi Anh Tuấn, President of FTU, emphasised that FIHE served as a forum to exchange innovative methods in international collaboration, explore opportunities and pursue the broader goal of internationalisation in higher education institutions.

“International branch campuses (IBCs) can play a key role in offering world-class education in emerging countries in general and in Việt Nam in particular. By doing so, IBCs help broaden access to international education and facilitate global knowledge exchange without requiring students to leave their home countries,” said Dr Tuấn.

“Our goal is not only to form partnerships with institutions around the world, but also to create a space where these institutions can come together and share their experiences, discuss the challenges they face, and learn from each other’s successes. FIHE is an example of how we are working to make this happen.”

“Through this forum, we aim to create a community of institutions, organisations and educators who all share the same goal - to make education more global and open to everyone. We believe that when we come together and collaborate, we can make higher education more innovative and inclusive, benefiting both students and society,” added Dr Tuấn.

A panel discussion as part of the event. — Photo courtesy of the FTU

This year’s forum aims to generate significant positive impacts for all educational institutions navigating the journey of internationalising their operations. FTU remains committed to maintaining FIHE as an annual event, facilitating opportunities for global higher education institutions and organisations to engage and share their internationalisation experiences.

Building upon the success of the six previous forums, FIHE 2024 saw the participation of numerous scholars, experts, leaders and representatives from both domestic and international prestigious higher education institutions and organisations.

At the forum, General Director of Global Partnership at Massey University (New Zealand) Rob Stevens shared Massey University's experience in establishing a branch campus in Singapore as well as valuable lessons learned during this process. He highlighted that Việt Nam, as an emerging country, has become a strategic destination for Massey University's partnerships and investments.

Professor Julia Gaimster, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor at RMIT Vietnam, shared an in-depth perspective on RMIT Vietnam’s 20-plus years of experience in offering high-quality education in the country, to offer a comprehensive view for international universities considering investment in Việt Nam.

The panel discussions noted that internationalisation in education is no longer a new concept, even for Việt Nam. However, contributions to resources and economic development have led to significant differences in how internationalisation manifests across nations.

For this reason, higher education institutions must adopt a strategic vision, optimise the use of available resources and consider establishing branch campuses in emerging countries as a model that maximises resource efficiency and provides broad benefits for all stakeholders involved. — VNS