Nguyen Tat Thanh University joins ConnectTNE Matchmaking Workshop to advance UK–Vietnam transnational education cooperation
NTTU – Nguyen Tat Thanh University was represented at the ConnectTNE – Matchmaking Workshop: TNE Connection and Partnership Development. The workshop, held on May 26, 2026, at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) in Hanoi, brought together more than 40 higher education institutions from Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
A Forum Built for Action
ConnectTNE is one of five strategic pillars of the UK–Vietnam EmpowerTNE Network, an initiative launched in November 2025 under the British Council’s Transnational Education Strategy 2025–2027. The network unites 14 official Vietnamese member institutions and operates through five complementary pillars — TrainTNE, NetworkTNE, ConnectTNE, ActTNE, and ThinkTNE — covering capacity building, partnership formation, student mobility, and policy dialogue. It was established as Vietnam and the United Kingdom upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with education, science, technology, and innovation identified as priority areas.
The event brought together nearly 80 delegates — including university leaders, heads of international cooperation departments, and partnership development officers from both countries — for a day of structured networking and strategic dialogue on transnational education (TNE).
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director General of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training, delivers opening remarks at ConnectTNE
The event opened with remarks from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director General of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, who described ConnectTNE as “a timely and practical initiative.” She underscored its alignment with Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, which calls for improving the quality of higher education, deepening international integration, fostering innovation, and strengthening Vietnam’s global academic connections. She also reiterated Vietnam’s broader ambition to position the country as a regional education hub, with transnational education serving as a key lever for raising program quality and expanding equitable access to international qualifications.
At the heart of the workshop were more than 180 one-on-one exchange sessions, enabling representatives from Vietnamese and UK institutions to explore concrete pathways for collaboration. Areas of discussion spanned a wide range of cooperation models, including joint and dual-degree programs, franchise training arrangements, credit transfer and articulation pathways, co-developed curricula, faculty and student exchange, and collaborative research and innovation initiatives.
NTTU at the Table: Pursuing Meaningful UK Partnerships
Nguyen Tat Thanh University (NTTU) was represented at the workshop by Vice President Dr. Phan Thi Viet Nam and Dr. Ho Thi My Linh, Head of the Department of Quality Assurance. Their participation placed NTTU directly within the conversations shaping the next generation of UK–Vietnam academic cooperation.
For NTTU, the workshop was a direct extension of its active pursuit of UK academic partnerships. The University has formally expressed its intent to expand transnational education through joint undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs with UK institutions, and ConnectTNE provided the ideal forum to advance those conversations through targeted, one-on-one engagement with prospective partners.
This involvement also reflects NTTU’s broader institutional strategy. The policy priorities highlighted at the event — raising educational quality, deepening international integration, and strengthening global academic ties — are directions NTTU has consistently embraced. By taking part in ConnectTNE, the University reinforced its commitment to building substantive, high-quality international partnerships rather than symbolic ones.
Opening New Doors for NTTU Students
ConnectTNE is designed to catalyze lasting institutional relationships, not merely to facilitate introductions. In the weeks following the workshop, the UK–Vietnam EmpowerTNE Network will work with participating institutions to follow up on the exchanges initiated during the event and translate them into formal cooperation agreements and joint activities. For NTTU, this creates a clear runway to convert the connections made in Hanoi into concrete programs.
The long-term impact for NTTU students is tangible: expanded access to internationally recognized programs, pathways to dual degrees, greater opportunities for academic exchange, and stronger foundations for global careers. NTTU remains committed to pursuing high-quality international partnerships that raise the standard of education and broaden the horizons of every student it serves.
Msc. Tu Anh
