The opening of the Vietnamese Studies Center in Thailand's northeastern province of Udon Thani on November 1 marks a step forward  in educational cooperation between the two sides over the past decades, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh.

The ambassador stressed that the opening of the Vietnamese Studies Center at Udon Thani Rajabhat University has great political and cultural significance.

"This is a foundation for coordinating in-depth education on Vietnam, providing data and multi-dimensional knowledge on the S-shaped country, and contributing to promoting understanding and good cooperation between the two countries," Thanh said.

He noted that with more than 700 investment projects in Vietnam, Thailand needs human resources who are proficient in Vietnamese and understand the country's culture and society. "Therefore, the Center for Vietnamese Studies has the potential to open up more opportunities for cooperation with Vietnamese universities," Thanh added.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh (center), Consul General Chu Duc Dung (left) and representative from Udon Thani Rajabhat University cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Center for Vietnamese Studies. Photo: VNA

The Ambassador also expressed his hope that the Center will receive support from Vietnamese educational institutions and meet the needs of the Thai people for teaching and learning in the field of Vietnamese studies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Rector of Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Dr. Khanisara Thansunthornsakun, affirmed that the opening of the Vietnamese Studies Center demonstrates the importance Thailand attaches to relations and cooperation with Vietnam, especially on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership between the two countries, and the 100th anniversary of the founding of Udon Thani Rajabhat University.

"At present, the Vietnamese language is becoming increasingly popular, with more than 30 schools in the Northeastern region of Thailand teaching Vietnamese and extensive academic exchanges between Thai universities and high schools and their Vietnamese counterparts. Thus, the Center for Vietnamese Studies is an attempt to intensify such efforts," the rector said.

Songpon Baolopet, a teacher of the Center for Vietnamese Studies, affirmed that the Center will be a source of academic knowledge, a repository of information about Vietnam in all fields, including economics, society, politics, history and culture, to improve relations between the two nations in many areas.

Songpon also emphasized the importance of teaching and learning Vietnamese in Thailand in the context of the close economic ties between the two sides.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand donated dozens of  Vietnamese books, newspapers and publications to the Center for Vietnamese Studies, including Vietnamese language textbooks, research books, magazines, newspapers and others.

As a prestigious and long-standing educational institution in the northeastern region of Thailand, Udon Thani Rajabhat University has signed several memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on academic cooperation, staff and student exchange with many Vietnamese universities, including Quang Binh University, Da Nang University of Foreign Studies, Thai Nguyen University, Tan Trao University.

After the opening ceremony of the Center for Vietnamese Studies, the MOU signing ceremony between Udon Thani Rajabhat University and Vietnam's Hue Academy of Music took place.