Under the new plan, students reading for undergraduate TESOL degrees are expected to spend their first year at HCMUE, and then continue their studies in Wellington. The students will then return to Vietnam for their teaching practicum and will be awarded Victoria University of Wellington degrees.

The partnership seeks to expand the relationship that started in 2014 when they signed an agreement to offer Vietnamese students a pathway into Victoria University of Wellington’s master of TESOL.

It is also to support Victoria University of Wellington’s strategic goals in the Asia-Pacific area, according to the institution.

“The introduction of this new undergraduate program is an exciting new development for both the school and for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Asia-Pacific,” said Sarah Leggott, acting pro-vice-chancellor of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education at Victoria University of Wellington.

Vietnam is the fifth-largest market for students overseas, and one in which Victoria University of Wellington has invested significantly in its strategic partnerships and recruitment activities.

Victoria University of Wellington also has TESOL collaborations in the centre of the country in Danang, and in the north in Hanoi.

“More new high-quality graduates will make significant contributions to our communities”

Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies is consistently rated in the top 100 institutions in the world and as such, Victoria University of Wellington is also well known in Vietnam.

“This initiative has truly extended our meaningful collaborations and promises more new high-quality graduates will make significant contributions to our communities,” HCMUE vice president Bui Tran Quynh Ngoc added.