Vice President Truong Thi Khue visits Canada with the DIREG program delegation

During the period from 2001 to mid 2006, with the technical support from Quebec University in Montreal (UQAM), the Canadian International and Development Agency (CIDA) has funded the DIREG Program and VWU is 1 of the 8 Vietnamese partners participating in this Program. The other 7 partners are: National Economic University in Hanoi, Accounting and Finance Institute in Hanoi, Hue University, Economic University in Da nang, Economic University in Ho Chi Minh city, Da lat University and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In Canada, delegates visited and met with the Program Director, leaders of UQAM and presented a Friendship Medal to the University. The delegation also undertook many different activities. These included meetings and talks with different agencies such as: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sport and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Quebec; CIDA; visiting the Parliament of Québec, Québec city and the capital Ottawa. Meetings with Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoi - the Ambassador of Vietnam to Canada as well as Vietnamese students and residents in Montréal and Québec.

One of the important objectives of the visit was to meet and discuss with Canadian partners the sustainability of the DIREG Program after its completion and the direction for the cooperative relations between Canadian and Vietnamese partners in the future.

Ms. Truong Thi Khue also had a meeting with the Women’s Research Institute which belongs to UQAM to discuss cooperation possibilities in the field of education and research in order to implement a project o­n establishing the Women’s Institute o­n Gender and Development. Representatives of VWU also had meetings with leaders and teachers of Rosemont College, a partner of VWU for over 10 years through 2 projects o­n “ Women and Employment” and ”Women and Rural Development”. Preparatory activities for the new program to support women o­n economic development and environmental protection were discussed.

Doctor Guy Goulet, Director of the DIREG Program and Center for Training and Research o­n Vietnam laid the foundations for the close and fruitful cooperation between VWU, UQAM and Rosemont College over the past 15 years. Though in his seventies, he continues his work with the heart and efforts of a Canadian towards Vietnam. To recognize his valuable contribution, last year, VWU presented him with the Medal “For the Cause of Women’s Emancipation”.