At a reception for AUF President Prof. Slim Khalbous on March 8, Mai expressed his pride that Ho Chi Minh City’s universities have contribute to the common development of the Francophone community and AUF in particular.

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Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai (right) and AUF President Prof. Slim Khalbous

He said Ho Chi Minh City is the second biggest hub of universities in Vietnam, just behind Hanoi. They have connected closely with the local authorities so that it is easy for them to join AUF’s programs.

The official agreed with the idea of building a career orientation and human resource training center for the city, and establishing a joint task force with AUF’s experts to set goals of building a smart city, thus making significant contributions to the city’s development.

Khalbous, for his part, hoped that more local universities will become AUF’s members. He wished to hold more cooperation activities with the city this year on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of the AUF office in Vietnam.

He said AUF currently has three Francophone employment support centers in Vietnam, including those in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. They are among the nine centers established in seven countries in Asia-Pacific, with the aim of providing career guidance for high school students to choose appropriate university majors and helping Vietnamese university students easily integrate into the job market.

Founded in 1962, AUF brings together Francophone higher education and research associations with headquarters in Montreal, Canada. It is now the world’s largest association of universities and research institutes with 1,007 members from 119 countries.

Source: VNA