VinUni officially takes on the position of the first UNESCO Chair in Vietnam

This is the first UNESCO Chair established in Vietnam, marking an important milestone in developing research capacity and training experts and leaders on environment, cultural heritage and biodiversity in Vietnam.

The event took place during the official visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to UNESCO headquarters.

VinUni chính thức đảm nhận vị trí UNESCO Chair đầu tiên tại Việt Nam - Ảnh 1. — Secretary and President To Lam witnessed the cooperation event between VinUni University and UNESCO at UNESCO headquarters.

UNESCO Chair is a model of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme (UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme) established by UNESCO in 1992 to promote cooperation between universities and research centers around the world, contributing to strengthening global cooperation and intellectual exchange, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in education, science, culture and information and communication.

Accordingly, during the 2024-2028 term, VinUni will focus on research on the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, including intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO. At the same time, research and cataloguing of Vietnam's biodiversity, especially the indigenous flora and fauna in world heritage sites such as Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, is also a top priority. Biodiversity will be supported by cultural diversity, especially the knowledge encoded in more than 100 ethnic languages of Vietnam.

VinUni chính thức đảm nhận vị trí UNESCO Chair đầu tiên tại Việt Nam - Ảnh 2. — Vice President of VinUni University, Professor David Harrison is an expert in the field of cultural preservation and has been researching ethnic communities to exploit local knowledge in Vietnam, taking a photo with the Former Village Elder - A Ben of the Ba Na community.

VinUni will apply an integrated approach between research, teaching and community engagement. The school will work closely with ethnic communities to exploit local knowledge, while promoting proactive leadership in management and conservation activities. VinUni will also pioneer in digitizing this knowledge through digital archives and the Metaverse (virtual reality) platform, turning them into online learning resources that can be widely shared with the community, in Vietnam and internationally.

Dr. Le Mai Lan, Vice President of Vingroup and President of VinUni University, shared: "Establishing the UNESCO Chair is both an honor and a responsibility for VinUni. We are committed to dedicating resources to carry out the mission in the most effective way, and especially wish to promote activities connecting science and life, as well as spreading the uniqueness of Vietnamese culture and biodiversity to the international community."

VinUni chính thức đảm nhận vị trí UNESCO Chair đầu tiên tại Việt Nam - Ảnh 3.

VinUni chính thức đảm nhận vị trí UNESCO Chair đầu tiên tại Việt Nam - Ảnh 4.

Dr. Sobhi Tawil, Head of the Future of Learning and Innovation Unit, UNESCO Education Division, received Dr. Le Mai Lan (President of VinUni University) and Prof. David Harrison (Vice-Rector of VinUni University) at UNESCO headquarters.

Professor David Harrison, Vice President of VinUni University and project leader, shared: "Our UNESCO Chair not only represents VinUni but also serves as an important bridge between the Vietnamese and international academic communities. Our success is also the result of joint efforts between VinUni and partner universities. The event will create positive impacts and contribute to the sustainable development of the global community."

VinUni's establishment of the UNESCO Chair opens up many opportunities for research cooperation and academic exchange to form a network of domestic and foreign scientists, contributing to making Vietnam a leading center for research and innovation in the environment, culture and biology in the region.