On August 22, 2024, during the Mega Us Expo 2024, a trade promotion event connecting South Korea and Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City Open University (HCMCOU) signed a cooperation agreement with 11 South Korean universities. These universities include Kangwon National University, Gyeongsang National University, Pusan National University, Sung Kyun Kwan University, Jeonbuk National University Start-up Education Center, Jeonbuk National University Start-up Support Center, Chonnam National University, Hoseo University, Sunchon National University, Kunsan National University, and Wonkwang University.
Representatives from HCMCOU attending the event included: Dr. Le Xuan Truong – Vice President, MSc. Nguyen Tran Cam Linh, MSc. Dang Vu Thang, and MSc. Le Thi Mai Huong – lecturers from the Business Administration Faculty.
In her opening speech at the ceremony, MSc. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy – Vice Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, stated that Mega Us Expo 2024 aimed to connect the city’s startup ecosystem with innovative products, technologies, and services from South Korean startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. This event provided an opportunity for Vietnamese startups to seek venture capital from funds and angel investors in South Korea and neighboring countries through the Venture.star 2024 program. Additionally, it created an innovative playground for learners from both countries to interact, learn, and develop solutions to practical problems through the KNST Uni.star 2024 incubation program.
Highlighting the importance of international integration in the current context, Dr. Le Xuan Truong – Vice President of HCMCOU, emphasized that nearly 35 years of development, the university has always focused on accessing and applying new scientific and technological knowledge to teaching, research, and management. With a learner-centered approach and a strong emphasis on practical learning, the university has always created conditions and encouraged learners to develop creative thinking and a spirit of innovation.
“In 2024, learners from HCMCOU have achieved outstanding results in national startup competitions. Moreover, the university has actively organized extracurricular activities to support learner startups, contributing to creating a dynamic and creative learning environment,” said Dr. Le Xuan Truong.
At the signing ceremony, HCMCOU established a comprehensive cooperation relationship with the South Korean Universities in various fields, including education, research, cultural exchange, and academic activities. The two sides will focus on close cooperation in the field of startups, promoting the innovative spirit of learners, especially those from the Business Administration Faculty, through startup projects and competitions. This will contribute to training high-quality human resources to meet the development needs of both countries.
Mega Us Expo 2024 is one of the activities under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on supporting startup innovation and promoting market expansion for Korean-Vietnamese businesses, signed between VCCI and the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City on June 5, 2023.
