As part of a brief visit to Vietnam at the invitation from the Government of Vietnam, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), graced the Foreign Trade University on the afternoon of May 18, 2023, for an enlightening session on trade and an exchange with the university's teachers and students.

In attendance from the government side were key figures including Ms. Dinh Thu Hang, Deputy Chief of International Cooperation Department at the Government Office, and Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Permanent Representative Delegation of Vietnam in Geneva.

On the Foreign Trade University front, participants included Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Anh Tuan, the Party Committee Secretary and President, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Le Thi Thu Thuy, the Party Committee Deputy Secretary and Chairwoman of University Council, and Assoc.Prof.Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Huong, Vice Dean of the Schoolof Economics and International Business, and Director of the WTO Chair Program at Foreign Trade University; Members of the Management Board of the WTO Chair Program at FTU, along with heads and deputies of university units, and more than 300 students.

Expressing his gratitude to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her delegation, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Anh Tuan emphasized that the visit by the Director-General of the WTO underscores the WTO's profound interest, as well as that of Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala personally, in the specific implementation of the WTO Chair program and in enhancing the training and quality improvement of human resources in international trade at the school.

Addressing the audience, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the WTO Director-General, expressed her delight at the opportunity to engage with the teachers and students of Foreign Trade University - Vietnam's premier institution of higher learning. She saw this as a valuable chance to interact with leading scholars and the future leaders of Vietnam. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also expressed her pride in the fact that Foreign Trade University has been part of the WTO's WTO Chair Program since 2021.

Within the program's framework, a discussion took place with the intriguing theme of "Re-globalization and Global Supply Chains." The conversation featured insights from Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the WTO Director-General, and Assoc.Prof.Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Huong, Vice Dean of the Schoolof Economics and International Business who also serves as the Director of the WTO Chair Program at Foreign Trade University. The topic of the discussion holds particular relevance in a world transitioning from globalization to re-globalization, as it grapples with challenges like inequality, climate change, and health crises. During this transition, companies are increasingly decentralizing production to safeguard against supply chain disruptions.