On the morning of June 24, 2025, the Faculty of Food Science and Technology (FST), Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), welcomed Prof. Maria Cecilia Mancini, Vice Rector in charge of international cooperation and exchange from the University of Parma (Università di Parma – UDP). The meeting aimed to lay a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation in education and scientific research.
Since the 10th century, UDP has established itself on the global academic map. The university currently educates approximately 33,000 students, led by 1,900 lecturers and researchers across 9 multidisciplinary faculties, including Arts and Humanities, Economics and Management, Law and Politics, Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Science, Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Engineering and Architecture, Food and Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Systems and Technology Engineering, and Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences. Its campuses are located in the city center, with an 80-hectare facility in the southern part of Parma. UDP is renowned for its expertise in Food Science and Food Safety. In 2025, it ranked in the top 601–800 universities worldwide, demonstrating its high-quality teaching and research.
With more than six decades of knowledge building, VNUA – Vietnam’s leading agricultural education and research center – owns a system of key laboratories and an innovation center that supports student entrepreneurship. VNUA has made significant contributions to Vietnam's sustainable agricultural development. The Faculty of Food Science and Technology at VNUA offers a Food Technology training program that meets AUN-QA standards, manages key labs in biotechnology and microbiology, and maintains a strong network of enterprises in the agri-food value chain.
Attending the meeting were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Anh, Dean of the Faculty of Food Science and Technology (VNUA), along with the other faculty leaders and members. During the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Anh provided an overview of VNUA’s and the faculty’s history, education capacity, scientific research, and technology transfer achievements. Prof. Mancini also gave a detailed introduction to UDP – a university located in Parma, a cultural, artistic, and culinary hub of Italy. She presented the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs, especially highlighting two master’s programs, “Food Science for Innovation and Authenticity” and “Food Safety and Risk Management”. The two sides spent most of the time discussing the potential for staff and student exchange programs, credit transfers, and the development of new projects funded by the European Union and University of Parma. After the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Anh and faculty members gave Prof. Mancini a tour of the university’s facilities, including the central building, the Center for Excellence in Research and Innovation, faculty workspaces, the library, and the dormitories.
This visit opened up cooperation opportunities between VNUA and UDP, promising to enhance the internationalization of FST’s academic programs, expand learning and research opportunities for students of both universities, and promote academic exchange and knowledge transfer in areas such as Food Safety, Agricultural Value Chain Management, and Sustainable Agricultural Economics.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Anh gives a gift from VNUA to Prof. Maria Cecilia Mancini, UDP.
Prof. Maria Cecilia Mancini, UDP, take a commemorative photo with the university’s leadership and faculty members.