On November 1, 2024, Foreign Trade University organized the 7th Forum on Internationalization in Higher Education (FIHE 7) with the theme: "International Branch Campuses: New Approach for Multinational Higher Education Institutions in Emerging Countries."

This year's forum was attended by over 300 delegates from 40 international universities and organizations, 50 domestic universities and organizations, and 25 embassies in Vietnam. The two keynote speakers at FIHE 7 were Mr. Rob Stevens – Global Partnerships Director, Massey University (New Zealand), and Professor Julia Gaimster – Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic, Research, and Student Programs, RMIT University Vietnam.

Attending the forum on behalf of Foreign Trade University were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Anh Tuan – Secretary of the Party Committee and President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Thu Thuy – Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thu Huong – Vice President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Thi Hien – Vice President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cao Dinh Kien – Director of the International Affairs; heads and deputies of departments, staff, lecturers, and students of the university.

In the rapidly changing global context, developing countries, including Vietnam, are playing an increasingly important role in the international higher education ecosystem. With strong economic growth, the demand for high-quality education that meets global standards is increasing in developing countries. The establishment of international branch campuses by prestigious universities worldwide has become an effective solution to provide students in developing countries with direct access to advanced expertise and resources. This approach marks a significant step compared to traditional globalization models, facilitating cultural exchange as well as cooperation in research and education. Vietnamese higher education institutions are striving to expand their infrastructure but face resource constraints, while international higher education institutions want to establish branch campuses but face numerous challenges. With the aim of creating a forum to share knowledge and experiences about innovative models in international higher education cooperation, Foreign Trade University organized the 7th Forum on Internationalization in Higher Education (FIHE 7).

In his opening speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Anh Tuan – Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Foreign Trade University affirmed the university's strong belief in the value of internationalization in education and the connections of educational institutions worldwide. Foreign Trade University recognizes that international branch campuses play a crucial role in providing high-quality higher education, but establishing such campuses is not easy. In his remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Anh Tuan emphasized FTU's commitment to creating a collaborative environment where organizations can exchange solutions to promote inclusivity in education. "FIHE is one of the ways we fulfill this mission," the President emphasized the role of the Forum in building a community of organizations and educators committed to global education. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Anh Tuan thanked experts from around the world for attending the Forum and sharing their experiences and insights on establishing and operating successful international branch campuses.

This year's forum featured keynote presentations from Mr. Rob Stevens – Global Partnerships Director, Massey University (New Zealand), who delivered the presentation "One Opportunity, Three Ways to Go - Learnings from Massey's TNE Expansion into Singapore," and Professor Julia Gaimster – Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic, Research, and Student Programs, RMIT University Vietnam, who shared the presentation "RMIT University - Our Experience in Delivering High-Quality International Education in Vietnam."

The first keynote presentation, "One Opportunity, Three Ways to Go - Learnings from Massey's TNE Expansion into Singapore," was delivered by Mr. Rob Stevens – Global Partnerships Director at Massey University, focusing on Massey's transnational education (TNE) model in Singapore. Mr. Stevens shared Massey's journey from a small agricultural college established in 1927 to a leading university with over 27,000 students, including more than 5,000 international students from over 100 countries. Ranked in the top 3% of universities worldwide, Massey has successfully implemented TNE programs, particularly in Singapore, making it a pioneer in TNE in New Zealand. Based on Massey's experience, Mr. Stevens introduced three viable models for expanding TNE in Singapore: extending existing partnerships, creating joint ventures, and establishing independent branch campuses. He explained that Singapore's favorable legal environment, robust regulatory framework, and English proficiency have made it an ideal market for TNE initiatives. Currently, Massey's TNE model in Singapore serves as the foundation for plans to expand into Vietnam, where the university hopes to offer programs in Computer Science, Business, Agriculture, Creative Arts, and Social Sciences. Mr. Stevens emphasized the importance of choosing culturally aligned partners and maintaining high-trust relationships. He shared that successful partnerships require open communication, patience, and mutual understanding. "Partnership is key," he asserted, highlighting the necessity of aligning organizational values and goals to ensure effective international collaboration.

The second keynote presentation, delivered by Professor Julia Gaimster – Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic, Research, and Student Programs at RMIT University Vietnam, focused on "RMIT University - Our Experience in Delivering High-Quality International Education in Vietnam." Established in 1887, RMIT is globally renowned for its strengths in technology, design, and vocational education. With campuses in Australia, Vietnam, and Spain, RMIT Vietnam was established in 2000 and has grown to become a leading international education institution in the region, with over 12,000 students as of 2023. In her presentation, Professor Gaimster emphasized a commitment to quality assurance through compliance with the standards of the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) across all its campuses. This commitment is achieved through key measures: applying a consistent policy framework, managing risks aligned with both global and local contexts, and auditing and adjusting services to suit each country. By maintaining an integrated governance system, RMIT ensures academic and operational quality across all its international locations.

Following the keynote presentations, the forum's plenary discussion was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cao Dinh Kien – Director of the International Affairs, Foreign Trade University. Guests discussed opportunities, challenges, and promising future directions for establishing international branch campuses in developing countries. The plenary discussion featured Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan – Deputy Director General of the Foreign Investment Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment; Ms. Jennifer Bahen – Education and Research Counsellor, Australian Embassy; Mr. Felix Wagenfeld – Director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Vietnam; and Dr. Trinh Viet Dzung – Southeast Asia Campus Director, Kühne Logistics University.

Ms. Jennifer Bahen, Education and Research Counsellor at the Australian Embassy, shared the embassy's role in supporting Australian universities to collaborate with Vietnamese educational institutions. She emphasized that the embassy not only facilitates the expansion of Australian universities in Vietnam but also helps them deeply understand the cultural, political, and social context of the country. "We don't want Australian universities to come to Vietnam without understanding this country," Ms. Bahen said, emphasizing that understanding cultural and social factors is crucial for ensuring successful and sustainable partnerships. She also stressed that international branch campuses represent their country's image, so the Australian Embassy ensures that Australian universities operate meticulously and bring the best values of Australian education to Vietnamese students. When asked about building strong partnerships that harmonize cultural, educational, and operational differences between universities of the two nations, Ms. Bahen cited examples like the University of Queensland, which recently launched a new collaboration program with Foreign Trade University. According to her, Australian universities need to bring their distinct identities and characteristics to establish themselves in Vietnam. Ms. Bahen also highlighted that collaborations with Vietnam should benefit both parties and expressed the desire to see more Australian students studying in Vietnam, fostering two-way exchange instead of just having Vietnamese students studying in Australia. She believed this interaction would enrich the learning experience and enhance mutual understanding between the two cultures and education systems.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Investment Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment, and an alumnus of Foreign Trade University, expressed his pride in returning to his "former home." He shared that Vietnam is aiming to become a high-income developed country by 2045, in line with Resolution 45-NQ/TW dated November 24, 2023, of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party, which focuses on building and promoting the role of intellectuals to meet the requirements of fast and sustainable national development in the new phase. He stated that the Ministry of Planning and Investment is also working to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam to support socio-economic development. In the context of education internationalization, Mr. Tuan emphasized that the Ministry of Planning and Investment has been coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training to facilitate international branch campuses in Vietnam. Although there are still many challenges related to legal and procedural issues, he affirmed that the Ministry of Planning and Investment would strive to develop more supportive policies to attract investment in the education sector and promote the internationalization of higher education in Vietnam.

From the perspective of logistics, Dr. Trinh Viet Dzung – Southeast Asia Campus Director of Kühne Logistics University (KLU), shared KLU's expansion strategy in the region. He stated that KLU aims to expand with three international branch campuses in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with Vietnam being identified as the most potential market in Asia due to the rapid growth demand in the logistics industry. However, Dr. Dzung emphasized that, as a small university, KLU does not intend to establish an independent campus in Vietnam but will focus on partnerships with domestic universities. According to him, KLU not only wants to "export" workforce from Germany to Vietnam but also wants to deeply understand the social context, market, and specific needs of the logistics industry in Vietnam. KLU's strategy is to closely collaborate with Vietnamese universities to develop training programs that best meet market demands. Through this collaboration, Dr. Dzung hopes KLU can contribute to improving the quality of human resources for the logistics industry in Vietnam and create long-term value for the local market.

Mr. Felix Wagenfeld – Director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Vietnam, shared DAAD's experience in promoting international education cooperation. He stated that DAAD is the largest organization in the world supporting and promoting international education exchange, not only providing opportunities for Vietnamese students to study in Germany but also supporting German universities in developing cooperation programs with Vietnam. According to him, long-term and close cooperation strategies with Vietnamese universities help create a solid foundation for internationalization programs in education, offering Vietnamese students excellent learning opportunities. Mr. Wagenfeld also emphasized that although Germany places less emphasis on establishing independent international branch campuses, the country is particularly interested in transnational education models. Instead of building independent facilities abroad, German universities often choose to collaborate with local educational institutions to implement international study programs directly in partner countries. According to him, this strategy not only saves resources but also helps cooperation programs better adapt to the local cultural and social context, bringing mutual benefits.

In her closing remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thu Huong – Vice President of Foreign Trade University affirmed, "Throughout today's discussions, the speakers and delegates have unanimously agreed that promoting international cooperation, seizing opportunities, addressing challenges, and ensuring quality standards are the core elements for developing international branch campuses (IBCs) in emerging countries, especially Vietnam." Based on this, the forum has reached consensus on key principles, including: the role of IBCs in expanding access to quality education; addressing challenges; quality assurance and innovation in higher education. Although establishing IBCs may face difficulties due to regulatory and cultural differences, these challenges can be addressed through early engagement with stakeholders and building strong partnerships with local institutions.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thu Huong emphasized the importance of enhancing education quality and encouraging innovation while continuously improving teaching methods and practices to meet the increasing demands of students and the global education landscape. She also affirmed that maintaining collaborative partnerships creates a closely linked educational ecosystem between universities, governments, and businesses, promoting higher education development and meeting globalization demands while supporting local development.

"These principles reflect our shared vision for the future of higher education in Vietnam and other countries around the world, and we are committed to translating these principles into concrete actions." On this occasion, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thu Huong expressed her heartfelt thanks and extended a formal invitation for delegates to continue participating in future FIHE events, expressing optimism about the relationships and cooperation opportunities that will expand following this event. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thu Huong emphasized that FIHE is not only a place for educators and international experts to meet but also a platform for fostering innovation and sharing knowledge among nations. She also expressed hope that FIHE would continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation for future global education initiatives.