International Cooperation
Ha Bac Period: 1967–1983
The Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine was the first faculty of the university to receive assistance and collaboration from a world-renowned university: Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands. Right after the country’s reunification, Mr. Le Viet Ly was the first to be invited to visit, initiating a long-term and effective partnership. In 1976, the first scientific aid arrived at the university, consisting of equipment and instruments for a relatively complete milk analysis laboratory. In addition, students from the partner institution sent a valuable and modern set of musical instruments (including drums, brass instruments, and various guitars) as a gift to our students. This instrument set was subsequently used for numerous university cultural performances.
Continuing to promote international cooperation activities, in 1979, the faculty participated in the VH12 Project—part of a major cooperation program funded by the Dutch Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (NUFFIC). The project leader for Vietnam was Mr. Le Viet Ly, and for the Netherlands was Dr. G. Montsma from the Department of Tropical Animal Husbandry at Wageningen Agricultural University. After the university relocated to Hue, Mr. Tran Dinh Tu and Mr. Nguyen Kim Duong continued as project leaders until 1987.
The greatest contribution of the VH12 Project was that, at the most crucial time, it helped the faculty train human resources—a teaching staff strong enough to access advanced science and technology from abroad. Many academic staff members improved their professional expertise and English proficiency, becoming the core of various departments, such as Mr. Le Viet Ly, Tran Dinh Tu, Dang Vu Binh, Nguyen Van Bao, Vu Binh Minh, Nguyen Van Thuan, Dang Tat Nhiem, Do Trong Du, Hoang Thach, Hoang Nghia Duyet, Nguyen Van Due, Le Duc Ngoan, Nguyen Tien Von, Dam Van Tien, Nguyen Kim Xin, Pham Khanh Tu, Tran Sang Tao, and Truong Thanh Canh. To date, 18 faculty members and nearly 30 personnel-visits have gone to the Netherlands to participate in long-term (Master’s and Ph.D. degrees) and short-term training programs.
Building on the foundation of knowledge and English language skills gained from the VH12 program, many lecturers later pursued Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Australia, Sweden, the United States, Japan, and Germany. During the period of collaboration, seven of the faculty’s laboratories were equipped with relatively modern and comprehensive equipment. It can be said that the VH12 international cooperation project was a breakthrough that paved the way for subsequent international cooperation programs and projects of both the faculty and the university. The position of University of Agriculture No. 2 and the faculty was significantly elevated by these initial partnerships.
Hue City Period: 1967–Present
Carrying forward the tradition of international cooperation, the Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine continues to develop and remains the leading faculty in international cooperation at the university. Following the program with the Netherlands (VH12), many international cooperation activities have continued to expand. Notable among these is the collaboration with SAREC (Sweden) starting in 1990, initiated through Prof. Le Viet Ly (then Vice Director of the National Institute of Animal Science). This program significantly contributed to enhancing the faculty’s training and research capacities. Firstly, 12 staff members obtained Ph.D. and Master’s degrees (from 1992 to 2007), and dozens participated in short-term training courses.
Lecturers from the faculty were also pioneers in proposing, establishing, and leading the Center for Rural Development (CRD), as well as projects on sloping land farming and resource management in hilly and lagoon areas—activities that continue to grow and expand today.
Annually, 6 to 8 research projects conducted by staff members receive funding from SAREC. Equipment such as computers and laboratory instruments have also been funded and upgraded through the project. Through the SAREC program, the faculty became one of the first units to have internet connectivity in Hue and across the nation (connecting with Oxford University in 1992). With this communication system, updated information was integrated into lectures, and international relationships were continually broadened.
Moving beyond grant-based cooperation (focused on training and equipment supply), these international partnerships have elevated to bilateral cooperation, such as protocols with Italy and China, as well as joint efforts with ACIAR (Australia). Many faculty members serve as principal investigators for international projects partnered with IDRC (Canada), Belgium, Sweden, and others. Currently, the faculty maintains cooperative relationships with numerous international universities and organizations, including Wageningen University and Utrecht University (Netherlands), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the University of Melbourne and University of Queensland (Australia), Obihiro University, Okayama University, and Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University (Japan), as well as the University of Tennessee (USA).
The faculty has organized and participated in numerous international conferences, with many research papers published in prestigious international journals. Consequently, the faculty’s role and reputation continue to be affirmed. Numerous domestic and international individuals and organizations highly appreciate the maturity and contributions of the Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine in research and education.