On the morning of March 3, 2025, at Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), the Faculty of Economics and Management solemnly held the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Student Exchange Program with Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan. This was an important event in the series of international cooperation activities of the Faculty to provide students with opportunities to study, exchange cultures and broaden their global vision.
The student exchange program between the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA and Aoyama Gakuin University was first launched in 2024. Since the first year, the program had received enthusiastic response from students of both universities. Students not only had the opportunity to participate in intensive courses on economics and management, but also experienced the unique cultures of the two countries. The positive results of the program last year were a great motivation for the two universities to continue to expand the scope and improve the quality of cooperation in the second year, 2025.
The 2nd opening ceremony of the program was attended by Professor Koichi Fujita, leader of delegation from Aoyama Gakuin University; Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA, and faculty lecturers who participated in teaching and supporting the delegation, along with a large number of students from both universities. Speaking at the ceremony, representatives of the two universities expressed their confidence in the prospects of sustainable cooperation, while emphasizing the important role of the program in improving the quality of training and promoting academic exchange.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hien, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA, delivers the opening speech
The 2nd student exchange program continued to maintain in-depth academic content and rich extracurricular activities. In 2025, the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA, assigned the Department of Agricultural Economics and Policy and the Agricultural Policy Research Group to coordinate the program. The program took place from March 3 to March 10, 2025. During this time, students from both countries attended 4 lectures by Prof. Koichi Fujita and lecturers from the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA. The contents of the lectures were related to an overview of Vietnam's economy and agricultural economics, labor migration of Vietnamese people to Japan and Korea, production and consumption activities through contracts/associations, and the administrative apparatus in rural areas of Vietnam. The exchange student group attended 4 field trips to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) office in Hanoi, visited some agricultural projects in Hanoi funded by JICA, visited the clean vegetable and fruit cooperative model in Yen Dung, Bac Giang and visited the migrant village of workers to Japan in Tan Ky commune, Tu Ky district, Hai Duong province. The exchange students were divided into groups for interviews and participation in discussions through the lessons and field trips, then each group presented their research results in the summary session.
Lecturers and students of the two universities take a photo.
The 2nd Student Exchange Program between the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA, and Aoyama Gakuin University not only opened up opportunities for international study and exchange for students, but also contributed to promoting a sustainable cooperative relationship between the two universities. With initial successes and a clear development orientation, the program promised to continue to be one of the typical activities in the international cooperation strategy and enhance the training capacity of the Faculty of Economics and Management, VNUA, and Aoyama Gakuin University in the coming time.