2 September 2015 at 9:00 am

From forums to fashion shows – building the Viet Nam relationship

Viet Nam is an important education partner for New Zealand and the recent visit by Minister Steven Joyce showed us there are several channels for meaningful engagement.

Viet20Nam20AUT20grad20ceremony — Viet Nam AUT graduation ceremony

With the dust now settled on the ministerial visit, we can look back at three productive days of strategic dialogue with a fashion focus. ENZ’s General Manager, International, Peter Bull, took the opportunity to accompany the Minister on the visit.

“Viet Nam has proved to be a vibrant partner. The visit really re-affirmed the opportunities that exist for New Zealand institutions and for both our governments, to work even more closely together for mutual benefit and to grow the market in both directions,” said Peter.

While the Minister’s presence at the fashion show grabbed headlines, it was the concept of the fashion collaboration that demonstrated true flair and innovation. Ten teams of one Vietnamese and one New Zealand student collaborated online for three months to design fusion concepts. The teams from Otago Polytechnic, Massey University, Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, AUT University, Ho Chi Minh City School of Architecture, and Ha Noi University of Industrial Arts only came together a few days ahead of the fashion show to finalise their designs.

Minister Joyce was the guest of honour at the fashion show which did a great job of showcasing New Zealand’s creative education sector, and highlighting the growing ties between institutions in both countries. The Minister fronted a pre-show press conference alongside New Zealand officials and institutions, attracting substantial coverage on some of Viet Nam’s most popular media channels.

Enjoying the two-hour show, the Minister tweeted: “Excellent fashion, ex. Promotion 4 NZ in Vietnam. Congrats students @AUTuni @OtagoPolytec @MasseyUni @WhitecliffeArt”

Nicola Luey from AUT University and Chu Khanh Vy from Hanoi’s University of Industrial Fine Arts won first prize worth NZ$2,000.

Minister Joyce’s wider education programme sought to strengthen the New Zealand-Viet Nam relationship and profile New Zealand’s education offering. In meetings with the Vietnamese government including with his counterpart, Minister Luan, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, it was clear that education is viewed as a key pillar of the collegial relationship between our two countries. The significant role of Zealand institutions in growing ties and realising opportunities was also very apparent.

The visit included the signing of the renewed New Zealand-Viet Nam Education Cooperation Arrangement and a ceremony celebrating the graduation of students from the Bachelor of Computing and Information Sciences programme jointly delivered by AUT University and the University of Science, Viet Nam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

The visit coincided with the celebration of 40 years of friendship and diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and New Zealand, providing an opportunity to showcase our commitment to the relationship as well as our education expertise.