The 2nd Japan-Vietnam University Presidents' Conference was held at Kyoto University on March 12 to 13, 2012. The event was jointly organized by Kyoto University and Vietnam National University, Hanoi in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam (MOET) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), with support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. The event was attended by seventy-three Vietnamese delegates, including delegates from MOET and executive staff from thirty-six Vietnamese higher education institutions, and ninety Japanese delegates, including representatives from forty-two Japanese universities.
The conference began with opening addresses by co-hosts President Hiroshi Matsumoto of Kyoto University and President Mai Trong Nhuan of Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Welcome addresses were then delivered by H.E. Mr. Doan Xuan Hung, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Japan; Mr. Yasutaka Moriguchi, administrative vice-minister of MEXT; Prof. Dr. Bui Van Ga, vice-minister of MOET and Mr. Hayashi Towatari, executive director of the JSPS. Following the welcome addresses, keynote speeches on various aspects of academic exchange and university operation in Vietnam and Japan were delivered by Mr. Hitoshi Nara, deputy director-general of the Higher Education Bureau of MEXT; Mr. Pham Chi Cuong, deputy director general of the Department of International Cooperation of MOET; President Mai Trong Nhuan of Vietnam National University, Hanoi and President Hiroshi Matsumoto of Kyoto University.
The afternoon's program included three concurrently held parallel sessions on different topics relating to education and research, university administration, and international human resources development. The sessions served as a platform for the participants to share information and experiences, and provided an opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and enhance relations between institutions in the two countries.
The discussions of the parallel sessions served as the basis for the plenary discussion session, which was held the following morning under the chairpersonship of Vice-President Vu Minh Giang of Vietnam National University, Hanoi and President Matsumoto. During the session President Matsumoto gave an overview of the conference's achievements and discussed his hopes for future collaborative endeavors.
The plenary session was followed by a signing ceremony for academic cooperation and exchange agreements in which eight new agreements between six Japanese and five Vietnamese universities were concluded. The conference ended with a session for individual bilateral meetings between universities seeking to establish cooperation, which gave the delegates a chance to discuss and establish concrete plans for future cooperative ventures.
The next Japan-Vietnam University Presidents' Conference is scheduled to be held in Vietnam in 2013. It is hoped that conference series will continue to make a significant contribution to the enhancement of academic exchange and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.
 From left, H.E. Mr. Doan Xuan Hung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Japan, Mr. Yasutaka Moriguchi, Administrative Vice-Minister, MEXT and Prof. Dr. Bui Van Ga, Vice-Minister, MOET. | |
 From left, Mr. Hayashi Towatari, Executive Director, JSPS, President Mai Trong Nhuan, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and President Hiroshi Matsumoto, Kyoto University. | |
 Conference Participants |  Signing Ceremony for Academic Cooperation and Exchange Agreements |
 Parallel Session |  |