Da Nang wants to expand cooperation in a range of fields with the UK and set up an official relationship with Birmingham City, municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman Tran Chi Cuong said when receiving British Deputy Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Sam Wood on Wednesday.

British Deputy Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Sam Wood (left) presents a souvenir to Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong. Photo: T.PHUONG

Vice Chairman Cuong remarked that Da Nang placed great emphasis on training high-quality human resources in a bid to meet the city's key areas such as tourism and services; seaports and airlines associated with logistics services; high-tech industry associated with creative urban construction and startups; and information technology, electronics and telecommunications industries associated with the digital economy.

As for the education and training field, the Viet Nam-UK Institute for Research and Executive Education (VNUK) under the University of Da Nang which is one of the first international public higher education institutions in the country has been established under the cooperation agreement between Viet Nam and the UK.

The host took the opportunity to ask Deputy Consul General Sam Wood to act as a bridge to expand cooperation with British localities in many spheres which the city has a lot of potential for development.

He voiced his hope that Da Nang and Birmingham will promote the establishment of official cooperation ties in the near future.

For his part, British Deputy Consul General Sam Wood expressed his impression on Da Nang's good and modern education and training environment, and its abundant and talented young human resources.

Mr. Sam Wood informed that, currently, the UK Ministry of Education is implementing the training programme “International Qualified Teachers Status (iQTS)”. He, therefore, expressed his wish to cooperate with Da Nang-based universities on implement the programme in order to improve teaching capacity and skills for teachers in Viet Nam.

The British diplomat was committed to supporting Da Nang in the field of education, especially enhancing the quality of human resources in innovative startups and information technology.

Reporting by THANH PHUONG - Translating by M.DUNG