On September 16, 2019, the delegation of Kasetsart University (KU), Thailand, led by Dr. Nuchanata Mungkung, Vice President for Finance, and nearly 20 staff from different offices and departments of KU visited Vietnam National University of Agriculture. The aim of this visit was to learn and share general information, especially information about the activities of VNUA’s functional offices. Prof. Dr. Pham Van Cuong, VNUA’s Vice President, hosted the meeting to welcome the KU delegation with the participation of leaders of the International Cooperation Office and different other offices/centers, namely Center for Public Relation and Student Supports, Personnel Management Office, Training Management Office, and Center for Quality Assurance, as well as some university lecturers who are KU alumni.
    |
 |
| Vice President Pham Van Cuong hosts the meeting |
Kasetsart University is the first agricultural university in Thailand. In 2017, KU was ranked the 29th in the world, the 4th in Asia and the 1st in ASEAN in the fields of agriculture and forestry by the 2017 QS World University Rankings. Currently, KU provides undergraduate and graduate programs in English in the fields of industry, agriculture, economics, humanities, engineering, veterinary medicine, fisheries, forestry and science, attracting international students from over 40 countries.
Vice President Pham Van Cuong shared his gratitude when the collaboration between VNUA and KU has been increasingly enhancing. In 2018, the KU delegation led by Dr. Wachrinrat Chongrak, Acting President of Kasetsart University, visited and signed the MOU, establishing the official relationship and promoting the cooperation between the universities to the next level, based on a variety of cooperation activities set up by faculties of the two universities over the years. On behalf of the University Presidency Board, Prof. Dr. Pham Van Cuong thanked KU for providing VNUA students with scholarships for credit- exchange programs. Under this program, VNUA students could register several subjects for a semester or do research at KU. The university also hoped that KU would send their students to study at VNUA. On behalf of KU delegation, Dr. Nuchanata Mungkung expressed her thankfulness for the warm welcome and appreciation of VNUA towards KU.
|
 |
| Dr. Nuchanata Mungkung, KU’s Vice President for Finance |
|
 |
| Representatives of VNUA and KU |
VNUA also gave a brief introduction and shared general information on the history and the development of the university, human resources, organizational structure, training programs as well as notable achievements in research, scientific technology and international cooperation. The KU delegation was also very impressed with VNUA’s achievements, especially the efficiency of the staff in the functional offices, considering the fact that the number of supportive staff at KU is double the number of its teaching staff, whereas the number of supportive staff at VNUA is more or less as equal to the number of its teaching staff. The university autonomy implementation was also shared in the meeting. KU delegation highly appreciated the results that VNUA has achieved during its first year autonomy implementation in the context of decreasing subsidy from the government.
|
 |
| Vice President Pham Van Cuong receives the souvenir gift from KU delegation |
|
 |
| KU Vice President with KU alumni who are currently working at VNUA |
Hopefully, in the coming time, the two universities will continue strengthening cooperation activities such as students and staff exchanges to obtain new achievements in training and research in the field of agriculture.
|
 |
| KU delegation with VNUA’s staff |