University of Arkansas Hosts Vietnamese Students and Dignitaries

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Vietnam Education Foundation will hold its eighth annual conference at the University of Arkansas on Monday, Jan. 3, through Wednesday, Jan. 5. Speakers at the conference include H.E. Le Cong Phung, the Vietnamese ambassador to the United States; retired Admiral Jack E. Buffington, former chief engineer of the U.S. Navy; Ngo Bao Chau, professor at the University of Chicago and recent recipient of the Fields Medal; Chu Ngoc Anh, vice minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, and a representative from the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.

The idea for the Vietnam Education Foundation originated with Vietnam veterans in the U.S. Senate, including John McCain and John Kerry, and the organization was established by Congress in 2000 with the purpose of strengthening the relationship between the United States and Vietnam through educational exchanges. The foundation’s board includes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner. 

The Vietnam Education Foundation, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, brings Vietnamese graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study and pursue professional development at universities and research institutes across the United States. In addition, the foundation offers U.S. professors the opportunity to teach at Vietnamese universities either on-site or via videoconferencing.

Findlay Edwards, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Arkansas, spent a year teaching water resources in Hanoi through the foundation’s U.S. Faculty Scholar Program. “The Vietnam Education Foundation gave me the opportunity to make friends, build research potential, find prospective graduate students, and establish relationships with universities in Vietnam,” he explained.

Lynne McNamara, executive director of the Vietnam Education Foundation, explained that "VEF provides the link in creating professional and academic collaboration between Vietnam and the United States. Hosting the VEF Annual Conference at top U.S. universities, like the University of Arkansas, gives our fellows and scholars a chance to get to know the excellence of different U.S. academic institutions."

Other features of the conference include presentations by participating U.S. faculty, Vietnamese graduate students and post-doctoral scholars, leadership workshops presented by Walmart Corporate Leadership and the University of Arkansas Faculty Support Center, and team-building activities for the visiting Vietnamese students.