On the afternoon of April 14, as Tsinghua University approaches the 115th anniversary of its founding, To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and president of Vietnam, visited Tsinghua and attended the China – Vietnam Forum on Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation, jointly organized by Tsinghua University and Vietnam National University, Hanoi, where he delivered a policy speech. Yin Li, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and Qiu Yong, secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, attended the forum and delivered remarks. Ren Youqun, vice minister of education, Hoang Minh Son, Vietnam’s acting minister of education and training, and Bui The Duy, president of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, delivered keynote speeches on the development of higher education and educational cooperation between the two countries. Chen Zhou, vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, and He Wei, Chinese ambassador to Vietnam, also attended the forum. The forum was chaired by Yang Bin, vice chancellor of Tsinghua University Council.
To Lam delivers a policy speech （Source: Beijing Daily）
In his policy speech, To Lam expressed the hope that Vietnam-China cooperation will grow stronger in trade and investment as well as knowledge, technology, innovation and the capacity to shape the future. He said that Vietnam and China are neighboring countries sharing many cultural similarities and longstanding ties nurtured over thousands of years of exchanges and strengthened by the peoples’ shared aspirations for peace, stability and development.
“I believe that every Vietnamese student studying in China, including those at Tsinghua University, serves as a bridge of friendship, a cultural ambassador and a representative of the Vietnamese youth’s spirit of learning, openness and aspiration to rise," To Lam said. "I also believe that each Chinese student coming to Vietnam to study, conduct research and gain practical experience will contribute to deepening mutual understanding between the two peoples."
Alongside high-level exchanges and cooperation among ministries, sectors and localities, greater attention should be given to people-to-people exchanges, youth exchanges, academic exchanges and cooperation in culture, education and tourism, so that every citizen and every young person in both countries feels a responsibility to preserve and further strengthen the Vietnam–China friendship, he said. He stressed the importance of strengthening youth exchanges so that younger generations become both inheritors of the traditional friendship and pioneers in shaping the future, working together to address major development challenges in areas such as education, health care, environment, energy, smart cities, green agriculture and the digital economy.
To Lam also expressed his confidence that by building on the legacy of friendship, mutual trust, substantive cooperation and breakthroughs in science, technology and innovation with youth serving as a bridge to the future, Vietnam -China relations would continue to develop in a stable, healthy and sustainable manner, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples and contributing to regional and global peace and development.
Yin Li delivers remarks（Source: Beijing Daily）
In his remarks, Yin Li extended a warm welcome to To Lam. He said that China and Vietnam are neighboring countries linked by mountains and rivers, with a long history of friendly exchanges. In recent years, under the joint guidance of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President To Lam, cooperation between the two countries in education, science, and technology has grown ever closer, giving fresh momentum and vitality to relations between the two parties and the two countries. Today, scientific and technological innovation is advancing rapidly worldwide, and a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation is reshaping the global economy. China is fully implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan and making coordinated efforts to build China into a leading country in education, science and technology.
Following the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries, he said, the two sides will deepen cooperation in education, expand partnerships between their universities, and promote exchanges among younger generations. They will strengthen collaborative innovation in science and technology, jointly undertake key technological research, enhance cooperation across industrial and supply chains, and foster new, quality productive forces to drive high-quality development. As China’s capital, Beijing serves as the nation’s political center, cultural center, center for international exchange, and center for scientific and technological innovation. With abundant resources in education, science, and talent, and a vibrant spirit of innovation and creativity, the city is well-positioned to deepen exchanges with its sister city, Hanoi, and more cities in Vietnam in education, science, and technology, and to work together in advancing the building of a China - Vietnam community with a shared future.
Qiu Yong, on behalf of the entire Tsinghua community, extended a warm welcome to To Lam on his visit to the University. Qiu said that during his two visits to Vietnam in 2024 and 2025, he had deeply felt the profound friendship between the two sides as “comrades and brothers.” As relations between nations are built on friendship between their peoples, universities, he said, have both the responsibility and the capacity to play a distinctive role in promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges. In the face of the challenges of the times, universities should remain open and inclusive, take on global responsibilities, and uphold the core values of civilization.
As a new wave of technological change reshapes higher education, universities should embrace it actively while carefully addressing potential risks. They should also ensure that humanistic values remain central to education, so as to fulfill their mission of supporting students’ overall development and advancing social progress. He said that universities in China and Vietnam are connected by shared cultural traditions, common values, and similar aspirations, and should work to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries, deepen exchanges in education, science and technology, and the humanities, and contribute to building a China - Vietnam community with a shared future of strategic significance.
During the forum at Tsinghua University
Following the forum’s opening ceremony and keynote speeches, four parallel sessions were held on coordinated development of China-Vietnam higher education and the building of a regional talent community, international cooperation in executive education and China-Vietnam industrial chain coordination, environment and sustainable development, and artificial intelligence and digital education. The event also facilitated the signing of 34 cooperation agreements or memorandums of understanding between 18 Chinese universities and 17 Vietnamese universities, covering a wide range of areas including talent cultivation, research collaboration, and faculty and student exchanges.
To Lam enters the forum venue （Photo by Zhao Wenyu, China News Service）
Group photo of leaders and guests （Source: China News Service）
Attendees included members of Vietnam's Political Bureau and Vietnamese officials; Chinese officials from the International Department of the Central Committee of CPC, the Ministry of Education, the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and the Chinese Embassy; as well as representatives from universities and enterprises in both countries, including faculty and students from Tsinghua University.
Writer: Gillian Tang
Editors: Li Han, John Paul Grima
