On November 15, 2024, at Danang Furama Resort, the University of Danang (UD) hosted a conference on "Enhancing Collaboration in Training High-Quality Human Resources for the North Central and South-Central Coast Regions" under the spirit of Politburo Resolution 26-NQ/TW dated November 3, 2022. The event, a significant scientific and practical milestone attended by over 250 delegates, was part of the activities marking the 30^th anniversary of UD's establishment and development (1994–2024).

Overview of the conference

Co-chairing the conference were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Minh Son – Deputy Minister of Education and Training (MOET); Prof. Dr. Le Quan – President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Dr. Ho Ky Minh – Vice Chairman of the Danang People's Committee; Prof. Dr. Sc. Bui Van Ga – Former Deputy Minister of MOET; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu – President of UD.

Distinguished participants Co-chairing the conference: Prof. Dr. Hoang Minh Son, Prof. Dr. Le Quan, Dr. Ho Ky Minh, Prof. Dr. Sc. Bui Van Ga, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu

Attending the event were Lieutenant General Thai Dai Ngoc, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Member of the Central Military Commission, Commander of Military Region 5; representatives of provincial and municipal leadership, including Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province, Mr. Hoang Xuan Tan - Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Binh Province; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy - Director of the Higher Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training; Prof. Dr. Tran Van Nam - Former President of the UD; Dr. Phan Minh Duc – UD’s Party Secretary, Chairman of the University Council of the UD; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Cao Vinh - Vice Rector of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; Prof. Dr. Le Anh Tuan - Chairman of the Council of Hanoi University of Science and Technology; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha - Vice Chairman of the Council of Thai Nguyen University; and Vice Presidents of the UD: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Quang Son, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thanh Bac, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Toan, along with leaders from member universities and affiliated units of the UD.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, President of the UD, delivered the opening speech at the conference.

Also in attendance were representatives of leaders from provincial and municipal departments, agencies, and sectors; corporations; high schools in the North Central and South-Central Coastal region; administrators, educators, scientists, and experts. The sponsors were represented by executives from THACO Group, BIDV Bank (Hai Van Branch), Central Power Corporation, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company, Bac My An Tourism Joint Stock Company – Danang Furama Resort, and Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Corporation, alongside national and local media outlets.

Dr. Tran Dinh Khoi Quoc - Head of the Department of Training and Quality Assurance, UD, presents a discussion report.

At the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, President of the UD, delivered an important keynote speech. His address highlighted the UD's vision, role, and responsibility in connecting local governments, businesses, universities, high schools, and relevant organizations to jointly fulfill the mission of training high-quality human resources for regional and national development.

The President of the UD extended the warmest congratulations and sincere gratitude to the distinguished leaders and participants for their valuable time and contributions to the conference. This meaningful event commemorates the 30^th anniversary of the UD’s establishment and development, as well as the 42^nd anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20^th, it underscores a shared commitment to advancing education and training, developing high-quality human resources, and fostering substantive, effective, and sustainable collaboration among the "three pillars" (the State, academia, and enterprises) in high-quality human resources training. This effort contributes to successfully realizing the Party and State’s policies, particularly Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW.

Lieutenant General Thai Dai Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, and Commander of Military Region 5, delivered a speech.

The President of the UD summarized the key milestones and remarkable achievements of the university over its more than 30 years of establishment and development, inheriting nearly 50 years of tradition from its member universities. Today, the UD has truly become a leading center for education and research in the North Central and Central Coast regions as well as the entire country, with a training scale of over 60,000 students, ranking among the top in Vietnam.

With a strong and growing team of nearly 2,600 staff members, nearly 50% of the faculty hold doctoral degrees or higher (with over 70% at UD- University of Science and Technology), most of whom were trained abroad. These faculty members are not only highly qualified in their fields but also proficient in foreign languages. The UD offers programs across almost all disciplines to meet the needs of society and learners, especially in core and foundational technology sectors.

Prof. Dr. Le Quan, President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, delivered a speech.

The UD has established a broad network of cooperation with hundreds of international partners and maintains close relationships with prestigious ministries, sectors, and businesses both domestically and internationally. The university places great emphasis on training quality, considering it the "red thread" running through its operations and serving as the foundation for sustainable development.

In recent years, the UD has consistently maintained a high standard for student admissions, earning the trust and preference of parents and students alike. This foundation enhances the university's reputation, positioning it as one of the top trusted training institutions in Vietnam. As such, UD can be considered a "cradle" for training high-quality human resources, significantly contributing to the socio-economic development of the Central Highlands region in particular and the nation as a whole.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Training, delivered a speech.

The President of UD stated that, in recent times, the university has implemented numerous solutions and strategies aimed at improving training quality, focusing on the following key pillars:

(1) Innovating university governance and enhancing management efficiency to maximize the collective strength of member universities.

(2) Reforming training programs, teaching methods, and activities related to scientific research and innovation to strengthen professional skills. Integrating digital technology into education to enable graduates to quickly adapt to professional working environments.

(3) Expanding international exchange programs to facilitate faculty and student mobility. Strengthening collaboration with businesses to ensure a close connection between education and the practical demands of the labour market.

(4) Promoting relationships with ministries, sectors, and local governments to identify workforce needs and contribute intellectual resources to policy development and socio-economic planning.

Dr. Ho Ky Minh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, delivered a speech.

In practice, whenever localities require human resources to develop a specific industry or field, the UD has proactively and swiftly met these needs. Notable examples include contributions to the development of key sectors such as petroleum, automotive industries, tourism, and hospitality services.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, the North Central and Central Coast region, encompassing 14 provinces and cities from Thanh Hoa to Binh Thuan, holds a particularly important strategic role in economic, political, cultural, social, environmental, national defense, security, and foreign affairs. It serves as the "front yard" of the nation, the "heartland" of the country, and the "gateway" to the sea, connecting the East-West economic corridor. The region is endowed with numerous advantages, including excellent transportation infrastructure, a long and beautiful coastline - one of Vietnam's finest - and vast potential for development in the marine economy, industry, agriculture, and services.

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province gave a speech

Analyzing and identifying the limitations, shortcomings, and challenges in response to the need for training human resources that meet the development requirements in the new era, the President of the UD opened up several discussion topics related to the theme and participants of the seminar. He expressed a desire for attendees to engage in discussions, propose ideas, and offer suggestions to unlock potential and strengthen the quality of human resource training.

At the conference, Dr. Tran Dinh Khoi Quoc, Director, the Department of Training and Educational Quality Assurance at the UD, delivered an overview of the university's role in training high-quality human resources for the provinces and cities in the North Central and Central Coast region. The report analyzed and assessed the results, identified limitations and shortcomings, and proposed solutions to enhance the collaboration between various parties to improve the quality of human resource training.

Prof. Dr. Sc. Bui Van Ga – Former Deputy Minister of MOET delivered a speech

Under the guidance, insights, and exchanges of the seminar's chair, participants engaged in discussions on topics related to the theme. They highlighted theoretical and practical issues arising from the demands and developmental context of the region and localities, emphasizing the need to enhance awareness of the role and responsibility in training high-quality human resources. The discussions underscored the importance of integrating training with scientific research, innovation, and focusing particularly on key industries to create breakthroughs based on the foundations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as Artificial Intelligence, semiconductor technology, and information technology. These efforts aim to integrate into global production networks and supply chains, meeting the demands of regional and international labour market integration and competition.

According to Prof. Dr. Le Quan, President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, higher education in today's context must focus on high-quality education as a precursor to developing high-quality human resources. He stressed the need to prioritize strategic training segments. Leading universities, including the UD, as the core institutions in the North Central and Central Coast region, must take the initiative in talent training, prioritizing digital technology fields. Achieving this requires breakthrough mechanisms, genuine autonomy, and policies to attract outstanding scientists and exceptional students.

Discussion session

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education and Training, suggested that higher education institutions should proactively develop plans to enhance faculty capacity and invest in facilities to meet the requirements for improving training quality. Institutions should also take the initiative in crafting strategies aligned with the development orientation of the region and the nation.

Lieutenant General Thai Dai Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, and Commander of Military Region 5, emphasized that, under the spirit of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW and Conclusion No. 79-KL/TW of the Politburo, the UD possesses the tradition, potential, and position to evolve into a national university. He highlighted the importance of linking human resource training with the dual goals of fostering socio-economic development and ensuring security and national defense in the strategically significant North Central and Central Coast region.

Based on the speeches from leaders of localities such as Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province, as well as input from businesses, participants at the seminar reached a strong consensus on the policy and mission of developing UD into a National University. This transformation aims to secure the mechanisms and resources needed to join Vietnam’s two existing National Universities as pioneering and core institutions in training high-quality human resources not only for the region and the nation but also for the global labour market.

In the concluding remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Minh Son, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, expressed his joy and congratulations to the UD on the occasion of its 30^th anniversary. He highly valued the significance and objectives of the seminar, which highlighted the role and responsibility of the UD in Vietnam's higher education system, especially its mission to train high-quality human resources to contribute to regional and national socio-economic development.

Summarizing the discussions and agreements reached the seminar, the Deputy Minister emphasized two key terms: "focal point" and "connection".

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Minh Son – Deputy Minister of Education and Training (MOET) delivered the closing remarks

According to Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son, the key priority is to identify critical sectors and fields for focused and strategic investment, enhancing the quality of human resource training with scientific research and innovation. This approach is essential to attract talent, including scientists, experts, and outstanding students, thereby creating a high-quality education foundation for the North Central and Central Coast regions.

The term "linkage" here can be understood as both a goal and a solution - an approach that aligns with the trends and needs of stakeholders in high-quality human resources training. This involves connecting key players: the "three pillars" (government, academia, and enterprises); training with scientific and technological development and innovation; universities with recruiters and human resources users; and universities with one another as well as with high schools. This collaboration aims to nurture talented students early on, integrate applied technology into schools, and elevate training quality.

UD affirms its pivotal and pioneering role in high-quality human resources training

Expressing gratitude to participants for their time and insightful contributions to the conference's success, the President of UD, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, noted the conference's strong support from ministries, central agencies, local authorities - particularly the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and the Danang city - as well as the active participation of agencies, organizations, leaders, managers, educators, scientists, experts, and entrepreneurs. Over 70 research papers have been published in the conference proceedings.

The President of UD acknowledged the guidance from Deputy Minister of MOET Hoang Minh Son and the delegates, reflecting the shared responsibility and collaboration among stakeholders in the mission of high-quality human resources training - a cornerstone of the country's strategic breakthroughs for development.

Linkage in high-quality human resources training for provinces in the North Central and Central Coast regions under Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW

The conference outcomes provide additional scientific and practical evidence, data, and insights; identify challenges; and offer suggestions and proposals for ministries, central agencies - particularly MOET and localities and enterprises to consider. These contributions can serve as a basis for advising the Government in directing and refining appropriate policies and mechanisms to strengthen linkages in high-quality human resources training. This will contribute to the success of industrialization and modernization in the "new era - the era of national ascent," emphasized President Nguyen Ngoc Vu.