Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei in collaboration with th♛e University Brunei Darussalam (UBD) organised a Vietnamese language and culture day in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam on October 2, drawing crowds of UBD lecturers and students, international friends, Brunei visitors, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the country.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador in Brunei Tran Anh Vu said the areas of education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges are priorities in an action programme for implementing the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Brunei in the 2023-2027 period, and they are also areas that attract the active interest and participation of the youth and students of the two countries. The dipmomat said educational cooperation between the two countries has recorded significant progress with the effective implementation of a Vietnamese language teaching programme at UBD, training collaboration and the exchange of lecturers and students. He expressed his hope that Brunei students studying Vietnamese will serve as a bridge to spread Vietnamese culture and language to Brunei people, thus further enhancing the cooperation and friendship between the two countries. Dr. Juliana Shak, Director of the UBD Language Centre, said since the Vietnamese language programme was implemented at UBD in 2022, the number of Brunei students studying Vietnamese has rapidly increased from an initial registration of 12 students to an average of 60 to 90 students in subsequent semesters. Shak and representatives of the UBD management board showed their desire to further strengthen cooperation activities, student and lecturer exchanges, and training and research cooperation with Vietnamese universities. Within the framework of the event, a video introducing the Hoi An Ancient Town, which is recognised as a World Cultural Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1999; and the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hoi An, was screened. An exhibition featuring traditional cultural items related to Mid-Autumn fectival such as star lanterns, paper folding lanterns, Mid-Autumn masks, was also organised. In recent years, UBD has implemented several cooperation programmes with Vietnamese universities in the fields of teaching Vietnamese and English, providing master's and doctoral scholarships for Vietnamese students, and facilitating lecturer and student exchanges. During his official visit to Brunei in February 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited UBD and interacted with Brunei students studying Vietnamese at the university./.