This fund will see RMIT invest in education, research, partnerships and campus infrastructure, as Vietnam’s leading international university, contributing to the country’s social and economic goals.
Speaking at the RMIT campus in Hanoi, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the announcement of an additional 250 million AUD commitment from RMIT, describing it as a vote of confidence in Vietnam's future.
The first outcome of this fund will be RMIT’s Hanoi Industry and Innovation Hub, creating a gateway between local Vietnam-based partners and international expertise.
The Hub will support collaboration between Hanoi’s communities, Government and industries on key priorities, including smart and sustainable cities, regional collaboration, emerging technologies and social innovation. In addition to RMIT’s renowned undergraduate and postgraduate offerings, the Hub will cultivate a higher skilled and more adaptive workforce through short-form education solutions and workforce training.
“As Australia’s largest higher educational institution in-country and recognised as the exemplar of international education in Vietnam, we’re proud of the contribution that RMIT has made to Vietnam over the past 23 years,” said RMIT’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Alec Cameron.
“Education has the power to transform lives, communities and economies, so we’re committed to partnering with Vietnam for the long term, to support its rise to a high-income country by 2045.”
In the 50th year of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam, this significant investment by RMIT will play a key role in supporting the ambitions of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy to double two-way investment between the two countries.
For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh hailed that over the past 50 years, Australia has always been a trusted partner of Vietnam in all fields, especially in education.
“It's great to see the impact that an Australian university like RMIT has made in Vietnam that helps strengthen the people-to-people relations between the two countries,” he stated.