NUGAN Vietnam Chapter Launching Reception

From September 21 to 22, President Kohno Shigeru and Trustee Ito Masako(Student Affairs and International Affairs) visited Hanoi, Vietnam.

  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam, and President Kohno was invited to Hanoi for the world premiere of the commemorative new opera “Princess Anio” in the presence of Crown Prince and Princess Akishino.

  On September 21, the day before the premiere, the Vietnam Chapter of the Nagasaki University Global Alumni Network (NUGAN) was established. A reception was held where guests gathered to reconnect with old friends among faculty and alumni. Invitees included Professor Dang Duc Anh, former Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), an important local partner, and 36 Nagasaki University alumni and alumnae, including Associate Professor Do Duy Cuong of Bach Mai Hospital. The participants agreed to maintain and develop the alumni network in the future.

  On September 22, the delegation from Nagasaki University paid a courtesy visit to Professor Tran Nhu Duong, Deputy Director of NIHE. Nagasaki University has had a research center within NIHE for the past 17 years and has been conducting research on infectious diseases and other issues in Vietnam with its support. Those in attendance reminisced on various joint projects and discussed how they could continue to work together to address various health issues in the future.

  In the afternoon, the delegation from Nagasaki University visited Bach Mai Hospital, where Associate Professor Dao Xuan Co, Director of the hospital, and President Kohno signed an academic cooperation agreement to extend their partnership. In addition to joint research on infectious diseases, Bach Mai Hospital has also helped train students Nagasaki University’s School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health of Nagasaki University. Director of the Infectious Disease Research Center, Professor Do Duy Cuong and Nagasaki University professors talked about creating more opportunities for doctors of Bach Mai Hospital to study at Nagasaki University and forming a network of institutions engaged in infectious disease research and control.

  The two-day visit to Hanoi was a great opportunity to review the history of cooperation between our partners in Vietnam and to discuss prospects for future collaboration.