Van Lang University is an active AUF - Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie member
The Francophonie University Organization (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, AUF) was established in 1961 with the mission of connecting universities that use French in training around the world to form a French community language in the field of higher education for sustainable development and solidarity. In May 1997, Van Lang University officially joined AUF.
In Vietnam, AUF has a representative office in the Asia-Pacific region since 1992, and now has more than 60 Vietnamese higher education institutions as members. AUF and Vietnamese universities in general and Van Lang University in particular have coordinated and implemented training activities, research projects, exchanging lecturers and students, sharing experiences in university management and development.
Diverse, outstanding activities and meaningful projects that Van Lang University and AUF have implemented in cooperation for many years are as follows:
The period before 2015
In 2004, AUF selected Van Lang University, representing the Asia-Pacific region, to provide graduate training in tourism and in-service training within the framework of the organization's high-quality training support program. Also selected in this decision are 15 other universities in different regions of the world, such as Central Africa, West Africa, Central-Eastern Europe, Middle East... training in life science fields , materials, engineering, and human and social sciences.
The purpose of this program is to prioritize the promotion of science in developing countries based on scientific, human and financial resources... on the basis of capital from AUF with sponsorship from the Organization of French and Canadian Speaking Countries. The selection of training units attracted the participation of 187 universities applying for admission.
Since 2009, the Faculty of Tourism of Van Lang University signed a joint program with Perpignan Via Domita University (France) to train the French-Vietnamese double degree program. The program has affirmed its reputation over the years, is of interest to young people and has a gradually increasing number of students registering to study. Van Lang University continues to expand the number of students studying French until now.
The period 2015 - 2017
Overcoming 21 projects in many fields in many countries, in October 2015, the Cultural Tourism Product Design project of the Faculty of Tourism of Van Lang University was selected to participate in the Online Course Development project (Massive Open Online Course - MOOC) sponsored by AUF.
The training program on MOOC is within the framework of cooperation between the Online Course System (FUN) under the French Ministry of Education and Training, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), and university members, to develop massive open online course for the community. Participating in the MOOC project is an opportunity for the Faculty of Tourism to bring its subject to French-speaking students around the world, demonstrating more deeply the role of Van Lang University in the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).
The period 2018 - 2020
In May 2019, Van Lang University attended the 13th plenary session of the Conference of Presidents of member schools of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in Asia - Pacific (CONFRAISIE). The event took place at the University of Economics - Law - National University of Ho Chi Minh City.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu - President of Van Lang University and lecturers of the Faculty of Tourism representing Van Lang University attended the Conference with nearly 100 delegates from 88 universities, educational and research organizations under 11 countries, ministers and deputy ministers in charge of higher education from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Vanuatu attended AUF's major event.
The conference is an opportunity for university leaders in the Asia-Pacific region to exchange and share information, experiences and solutions to develop universities in the context of the economic and political environment having many social changes.
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As a member and receiving support from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), from August 10, 2018 to December 31, 2019, Van Lang University completed the project "Strengthening professional multi-dimensional interaction through dialogue between Van Lang University and businesses". The project has made in-depth assessments of human resources, training occupations, education, labor market needs from businesses and proposed solutions to improve training employment skills for student.
During more than 1 year of project implementation, Van Lang University received the attention of nearly 150 businesses and social organizations in Vietnam and France, along with guidance and funding of up to 10,000 Euro from AUF. With a total project value of 17,976 Euro, Van Lang University organized 03 major activities within the project framework, according to 03 development stages:
1. Workshop "France - Vietnam Business Dialogue" on August 27, 2019
2. Career counseling and self-positioning for students (November 19-29, 2019)
3. Job fair (December 21, 2019), attracting 33 businesses and nearly 4,000 students
The period 2021– 2023
From July 8 to August 12, 2021, the Faculty of Tourism of Van Lang University organized a series of online seminars with the sponsorship of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the support of Images Travel. A series of 6 seminars was held on the online meeting platform - Zoom. Each seminar is a different topic and was led by experts with extensive experience in the field of tourism and market insight in France and Vietnam.
Topics of the seminars include:
- July 8, 2021: Bringing cultural appeal to French-speaking tourists: Traditional medicine on tour.
- July 15, 2021: How to convey culture and history into the presentations of new tour guides.
- July 22, 2021: Organize and operate group tourism in France/ Career prospects: Design and sell tours in a Réceptif, selling to Francophone travel agencies.
- July 29, 2021: Understanding the psychology of French tourists: The success story of tourism in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam.
- August 5, 2021: Online tour business/ Career prospects: Design and consult on separate tours.
- August 12, 2021: Free and open exchange "French tourism market: Understanding to succeed"
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Since April 2020, AUF has funded 92 projects belonging to 87 member organizations in 44 countries. The program supports innovative initiatives to help respond to epidemics from students, lecturers, and researchers throughout the AUF member network.
In 2021, AUF continued to call for proposals for international projects for the second time with the scope expanding to many specialized fields. The program especially encouraged action research projects and solutions with rapid technological and social impact, contributing to overcoming difficulties caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. .
Responding to AUF's special action plan, as the project lead, Van Lang University and member units proposed and implemented the project: Building a legal framework and foundation for resources of open education to serve higher education institutions in Vietnam.
The project has the companionship of member partners: Department of Higher Education - Ministry of Education and Training, Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Thai Nguyen University, Hanoi Open University. The project received funding of 50,000 Euro from AUF.
After 18 months of implementation, with a sponsorship of 50,000 Euro from AUF, the Department of Higher Education - Ministry of Education and Training, Van Lang University and member units have organized many practical activities, bringing in results:
In particular, the Ministry of Education and Training has submitted a Report to the Prime Minister No. 1420/TTr-BGDDT dated October 7, 2022 regarding approval for the project to build a model of open educational resources in higher education attached to the Prime Minister's draft of Decision approving the project.
On June 30, 2023, Van Lang University coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hanoi Open University and Thai Nguyen University to organize a workshop "Research and proposal for a legal framework on building open learning resources in higher education in Vietnam" to summarize the project journey.
This is an important legal framework that includes the following main contents: regulations on standards of digital learning materials; quality assurance process; copyright and ownership issues; the rights of developers and responsibilities of users of learning resources; regulations for use in teaching and learning; mechanism for managing and sharing digital learning resources.
With this project, Van Lang University wishes to develop a digital platform for open educational resources, allowing researchers, lecturers, students and the public to share and use common resources, from one university to another legally, without limitations in time and space. The project will have a direct impact on all higher education institutions in Vietnam.
News and photos: Gia Han (compiled from different sources)
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