TEHRAN — Ehsan Qaboul, head of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology’s Center for International Scientific Cooperation, and Nguyen Luong Ngoc, Vietnam’s ambassador to Iran, have discussed opportunities to strengthen and expand scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.

During a meeting on Monday, the two sides stressed the importance of expanding academic relations through exchanging students and establishing a Persian language chair in Vietnam.

Praising Iran’s technological capabilities, Luong Ngoc said that despite decades of sanctions, Iran has made significant advances in the technology sector, describing the country’s achievements as an inspiration for Vietnam, IRNA reported.

Underlining the high capabilities of both parties in biomedicine, nanotechnology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and advanced agriculture, he suggested fostering ties in these sectors.

“Vietnam is the world’s second-largest rice exporter, shipping between six and seven million tons of rice annually,” the ambassador said, adding that Vietnam is ready to share its expertise and experience in advanced agricultural practices with Iran.

He also called for renewing and expanding a previously signed memorandum of understanding between the University of Tehran and Hanoi National University of Education, noting that a delegation from the Vietnamese university is planning to visit Tehran.

“Hanoi National University has a Persian language teaching department, which can lay the basis for the exchange of students and professors,” he further noted.

The Persian official, for his part, noted that a draft of a memorandum of understanding between the science ministries of the two countries has been developed and sent to Vietnam to be signed in the near future.

He proposed that Iranian and Vietnamese academic advisors jointly supervise the dissertations of 20 Iranian Ph.D. students, with their research focusing on shared ecosystems.

He also announced Iran’s readiness to establish a Persian language chair in one of the top universities of Vietnam, noting that Vietnam is welcome to launch a language chair in Iran.

To facilitate Vietnam's students majoring in Iran, Qaboul said that the country would grant 10 scholarships in all majors to post-graduate Vietnamese students to study in Iran.  

Referring to the high capacities of 58 science and technology parks operating in the country, the official went on to propose holding online B2B meetings between the technology parks of the two nations, highlighting that Vietnam can benefit from Iran’s experience in water management, smart agriculture, and food security.

Expanding ties in AI, IT

In June, Iranian and Vietnamese officials discussed ways to expand collaborative efforts in AI and information technology (IT).

During a meeting held between the head of the Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) Institute, Mohammad-Hossein Sheikhi, and  Luong Ngoc, the two sides highlighted the importance of developing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate sharing expertise, and boosting ties among research centers of the two countries.

For his part, Luong Ngoc said that the two sides need to get familiar with the capacities and capabilities of each other, noting that sharing experiences and knowledge in AI sector, available products, and technological capabilities will lay the ground for the expansion of collaborations.

Referring to ICT sector in Vietnam, the official said three main groups including specialized centers, universities, and IT companies are operating in the sector. He also voiced the readiness of Vietnamese Embassy to provide the Institute with information about relevant research centers.

For his part, Sheikhi highlighted the capacities of ICT Institute, and announced the Institute’s willingness to develop scientific and research cooperation with counterpart centers and institutes in Vietnam.

Vietnamese official proposed to introduce an ICT expert to serve as a liaison between the two countries to expedite interactions between research institutes.

MT/MG