Vietnamese, Singaporean prime ministers meet local university students
Tuesday, August 29, 2023, 16:09 GMT+7
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, together with their spouses, visited the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, discussed numerous topics, and had lunch with some students there on Tuesday.
As part of the top Singaporean official’s ongoing Vietnam visit, his trip to the university was meant to strengthen the two nations’ cooperation in education and training.
During the meeting with the two prime ministers, many students at the university showed their interest in Singapore’s education, technology, and innovation.
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| Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (C) and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh (R) are pictured while meeting with students at the Vietnam National University-Hanoi on August 29, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
Responding to a question about Singapore’s measures to keep the environment clean, PM Lee said that the nation has tried to let residents use public means of transport, helping reduce private vehicles.
This is an effective way to minimize environmental pollution, he said.
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| A student at the Vietnam National University-Hanoi puts a question to the prime ministers of Vietnam and Singapore, August 29, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
He also said that Singapore has launched various awareness campaigns to encourage residents to join hands to protect the living environment. The responsibility for environmental protection has been taken into account at schools.
Some acts of protecting the environment are growing trees, taking care of plants each day, and making the living environment clean and green.
Thu Hong, a student at the university, asked which knowledge and skills students should be equipped with to meet manpower requirements amid the booming use of artificial intelligence.
PM Lee said that young people should study hard and grasp knowledge about their majors. They should never quit studying and always upskill to suit the fast-changing world.
PM Chinh told the meeting with the university students that Vietnam is focusing on digitalization and green transition in an attempt to minimize damage from climate change which is a headache for the world.
As such, the country will deepen its cooperation with other nations, including Singapore, which has a lot of experience in these fields.
The Vietnam-Singapore partnership will smooth the path for the two nations’ young people to study and join the digital and green economy development journey, said PM Lee.
The two prime ministers also witnessed the signing of cooperative agreements between the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University to exchange lecturers and students, while boosting scientific research.
After the meeting with the university students, the top Vietnamese and Singaporean officials had lunch with some students at the canteen of the University of Languages and International Studies under the Vietnam National University-Hanoi.
The two prime ministers savored a few famous traditional dishes such as banh cuon (steamed rice rolls with savory fillings), bun thang (Vietnamese chicken soup), and nem (fried fermented pork rolls).
PM Lee and his entourage touched down at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi late on Sunday afternoon, beginning his three-day visit at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Chinh.
This is PM Lee's fifth visit to Vietnam since he took office in 2004.
PM Lee’s trip marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Singapore diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of a strategic partnership between the two countries.
His trip is also meant to reciprocate PM Chinh's visit to the city-state in February.
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