Concordia and Vietnam president hold historic discussion on partnerships
Concordia is helping usher in the next chapter of Canada-Vietnam relations.
On September 25, President Graham Carr sat down for a historic meeting with the president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Tô Lâm, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
The previous day, Tô Lâm became the first Vietnamese president to visit Canada since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1973. To underscore the importance of the occasion, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada-Vietnam relations would be elevated to the level of a “strategic partnership,” which will bolster cooperation in eight key areas, including infrastructure, security, education, and the digital transformation.
Concordia was the only university to meet bilaterally with the Vietnamese delegation during the two-day state visit in Ottawa.
“It was an honour to help welcome His Excellency Tô Lâm to Canada,” says Carr. “Vietnam has emerged as a hub for innovation and sustainability research, which makes institutions across the country natural partners for Concordia.”
The delegations discussed the university’s past and present collaborations with Vietnamese researchers and institutions. For example, since 2023 a dedicated seed funding program has launched eight partnership initiatives between Concordia researchers and colleagues in Vietnam. The projects range in focus from water resilience and solar power to environmental remediation techniques and engineering biochar-based products.
According to Vietnamese state media, Tô Lâm and Carr expressed a shared interest in increasing and augmenting collaborations in “strategic areas that align with the university’s strengths and Vietnam’s needs.”
Specific areas that may be explored going forward include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data governance, clean energy, smart cities, sustainable infrastructure, and climate change adaptation.
Mourad Debbabi, dean of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, and William Cheaib, chief of staff and associate vice-president, International, also participated in the meeting for Concordia.
“Growing international relationships based on mutual respect and common values is the very definition of knowledge diplomacy,” notes Carr. “I look forward to working with the president, his team and colleagues across Vietnam to create substantive and meaningful opportunities for students, faculty and communities that result in real-world benefits for everyone involved.”
The Concordia team will not have to wait long to continue its partnership-building efforts in Vietnam. Carr will take part in the International Conference on Education Cooperation, hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, on October 7 and 8 in Hanoi.
While at the conference, Concordia is expected to sign an agreement with the education ministry to join Project89, a government initiative that provides funding for Vietnamese PhD students to study at select international universities.
Learn more about Concordia’s collaborations in Vietnam.