On April 22, 2026, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu - President of the University of Danang (UD) and Prof. Dr. Pedro Lages Dos Santos - President of the University of Le Havre Normandie (ULHN), Chair of the Polytechnic Campus for Maritime Territories and Ports (France) co-chaired a working meeting at UD.

On this occasion, the leaders of the two universities signed a cooperation agreement focusing on the development of joint training programs, including dual-degree programs. The partnership also promotes co-supervision of theses and dissertations, joint research activities, and scientific publications.

Both institutions will strengthen exchanges of academic staff, lecturers, students, and postgraduate researchers, while also coordinating proposals for joint research projects and organizing international academic events and conferences.

Attending the meeting and signing ceremony were Prof. Dr. Dimitri Lefebvre - Vice President in charge of International Relations and The European University of islands, ports and coastal territories (EUNICoast); Mr. Matis Moisson - Special Advisor to the President; representatives of leadership from UD’s member universities; Prof. Dr. Lê Thành Nhân - Director of the Danang International Institute of Technology (DNIIT); representatives from relevant departments, as well as international cooperation offices of member universities and the French Department, UD - University of Foreign Language Studies (UFLS).

Speaking at the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu warmly welcomed the delegation from ULHN for their visit, working session, and the signing of the cooperation agreement with UD. Introducing key highlights of UD,  President of UD noted that UD is a key regional university in Vietnam, offering multidisciplinary and multi-field education through six member universities and several affiliated units.

Over more than 50 years of development from its member institutions, UD has trained hundreds of thousands of engineers, economic managers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and scientists who have contributed significantly to the country.

UD takes pride in its many successful alumni who hold key positions in central government agencies, local authorities, enterprises, and educational institutions, contributing actively to major national projects and developments.

With its tradition, position, and role as a leading center for human resource training and scientific research, UD has been honored to be selected as one of the four universities in Vietnam designated for strategic investment to serve as a model for the national higher education system. This opportunity also comes with great responsibility. To fulfill this mission, the Vietnamese Government has invested in a 300-hectare centralized university urban area for UD, creating an important foundation for sustainable development in the new context.

President Nguyen Ngoc Vu shared that UD focuses on three key missions: Improving the quality of education as a consistent goal; Making breakthroughs in science, technology, and digital transformation as an urgent task; Strengthening student affairs to support and accompany learners with a “student-centered” approach.

To achieve these missions, UD has identified five fundamental orientations: 1- Strengthening connections with high schools to improve the quality of incoming students; 2- Promoting stronger enterprise partnerships and fostering the Triple Helix linkage (Government – University – Industry) to enhance the quality of education and scientific research in alignment with practical needs; 3 - Expanding international cooperation to mobilize resources for development; 4 - Strengthening relations with ministries, sectors, and localities so that universities can engage more closely with society and contribute policy consultation and socio-economic development; 5- Innovating university governance in connection with digital transformation to achieve effective, sustainable outcomes.

UD places strong emphasis on expanding international cooperation with universities worldwide, particularly with French institutions that have long-standing traditions and strong reputations in education, research, and cultural exchange. Many UD staff members and lecturers previously studied and conducted research in France and currently hold key positions within the university and its member institutions.

President Nguyen Ngoc Vu expressed his hope that this visit and the newly signed cooperation agreement will help both sides leverage their respective strengths and open further opportunities for collaboration, especially in developing 3+1 and 2+2 joint training programs, strengthening faculty and student exchanges (including short-term study and internships), and conducting joint research aligned with emerging needs and trends.

Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Dr. Pedro Lages Dos Santos - President of LHNU expressed his pleasure and honor to visit, work with, and sign the cooperation agreement with UD. President of LHNU sincerely thanked the UD leadership and representatives of its member institutions for the warm reception extended to the delegation.

Congratulating UD on its recent achievements, particularly its recognition as one of the four leading universities in Vietnam selected for strategic investment, President Pedro Lages Dos Santos highly appreciated UD’s development vision and orientations, noting that they share many strategic similarities with those of LHNU, including a strong focus on innovation, university governance, digital transformation, and collaboration with local authorities and businesses to contribute to regional and national development.

President Pedro Lages Dos Santos  also noted that with a development history of 40 years, LHNU currently enrolls around 7,000 students and is a dynamic institution that is pioneering the establishment of EUNICoast. This alliance connects major corporations and enterprises through public–private partnerships to create a comprehensive network aimed at developing maritime and port economies in the Normandy region and across Europe.

President Pedro Lages Dos Santos shared that EUNICoast plans to expand its alliance to include universities outside Europe that share common interests, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and advanced technologies to address global challenges in maritime, port, and logistics sectors. In this context, UD and the city of Da Nang are considered strategic partners of particular interest and importance to the university.

In a spirit of openness and mutual understanding, participants discussed and reached a strong consensus on the promising directions and potential for cooperation between the two institutions.

President Pedro Lages Dos Santos also noted that the EUNICoast Alliance has recently opened a representative office in Da Nang and expressed his hope that the cooperation agreement signed today with UD will further promote opportunities for sustainable development for both sides.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the President of UD assigned the Department of Science and International Cooperation, along with representatives of member universities, to serve as focal points for coordinating closely with the partner institution to implement the cooperation activities agreed upon by the leaders of both universities.

UD Media