KOICA Establishes First ICT Specialized University in Central Vietnam

Korea-Vietnam ICT University Establishment Ceremony Held in Da Nang, Vietnam
The Only ICT University in Central Vietnam... Training Advanced Talent for the 4th Industrial Revolution

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) held a commemorative ceremony for the establishment of the 'Han-Viet ICT University' on the 16th in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Han-Viet ICT University is a case where an IT college, established in 2007 with KOICA's support, was upgraded to a four-year ICT university. KOICA supported the establishment of the IT college to train IT professionals in central Vietnam by providing $10 million from 2004 to 2007.

Vietnam's IT industry is rapidly growing, with employment demand in the IT sector increasing fourfold from 2010 to 2020. The Vietnamese government aims to raise the share of the digital economy in the gross domestic product (GDP) to 20% by 2025.

Accordingly, KOICA invested $5.2 million from 2013 to foster high-level talent in the IT field in line with the rapid development of Vietnam's information and communication technology, promoting the 'Han-Viet Friendship IT College Four-Year Upgrade Support Project' to upgrade the IT college to a four-year institution.

As part of this project, KOICA established a foundation for the upgrade by △formulating a mid- to long-term master plan for the university △developing curricula and textbooks for 50 subjects △strengthening faculty capabilities through training and doctoral programs △expanding educational equipment such as servers and PCs.

As a result, in January, the Vietnamese government approved the establishment of Han-Viet ICT University, the only ICT-specialized university in central Vietnam, by merging the 'Han-Viet Friendship IT College' and ICT-related departments within Da Nang University.

The commemorative ceremony was attended by Park No-wan, Korean Ambassador to Vietnam; Cho Han-duk, Director of KOICA Vietnam Office; Phan Tam, Vice Minister of the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications; and Nguyen Van Phuc, Vice Minister of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.

Phan Tam, Vice Minister of the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications, said, "We express our gratitude to the Korean government and KOICA for their unwavering support in establishing Han-Viet ICT University, a symbol of friendly cooperation between the two countries."

Nguyen Van Phuc, Vice Minister of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, stated, "We will spare no effort to support Han-Viet ICT University in becoming a core ICT educational institution in the central region."

Park No-wan, Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, said, "I consider it meaningful that cooperation between the two countries has borne fruit with the establishment of the ICT university, and I hope that this university will stand tall as a leading higher education institution in ICT in Vietnam, nurturing key talents to lead Vietnam's Fourth Industrial Revolution."