The delegation of Turkmenistan Universities hopes to soon cooperate with Hanoi University of Science and Technology in the fields of oil and gas, new materials, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, telecommunications, and innovation.

On the afternoon of June 30, Hanoi University of Science and Technology warmly welcomed the delegation from the 3 largest universities of Turkmenistan. Leading the group, there are Mr. Gurbanmyrat Mezilov, former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan and current rector of Oguz Han University of Technology and Engineering.

“This meeting lays the foundation for a good relationship between the two sides to promote international training, scientific research, technology transfer and cultural exchange,” said Mr. Gurbanmyrat Mezilov. For this visit to HUST, the Central Asian country nominated three largest universities namely Oguz Han University, International University of Oil and Gas and National Academy of Construction and Architecture for partnership with HUST.

“Hanoi University of Science and Technology has a good reputation in the Vietnam industrial system” emphasized Vice President Huynh Dang Chinh. “We have teams of researchers, core experts joining us today from HUST School: Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, and Electrical - Electronic Engineering”.

Unlocking the potential areas of cooperation

Commenting that Turkmenistan and Vietnam are both developing rapidly and bearing certain similarities, Mr. Gurbanmyrat Mezilov is particularly interested in the fields that HUST currently offers training programs.

Firstly, Turkmenistan ranks 4th in the world in terms of natural gas reserves, accounting for 9.8% of global reserves, however, the domestic production output only stood at 1.6% compared to the global production in 2019, according to NS Energy. "Petroleum is the strength that two sides can put an emphasis on" said Vice President Huynh Dang Chinh.

The second area of interest is artificial paving materials as an alternative to white marble. Although only 22km2 wide, the capital Ashgabat has 543 buildings built from 4.5 million m3 of imported white marble. In 2013, the Guinness Book of Records awarded Ashgabat the record for the highest density of white marble-clad buildings.

"The world's marble reserves are running out," said the leader of the Turkmenistan delegation. “We are very eager to find alternative man-made materials.”

Mr. Mezilov Gurbanmyrat (second from left), Rector of Oguz Han University of Technology and Engineering, former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan and Mr. Atamanov Bayrammyrat, Rector of International University of Oil and Gas, introduced the training program and facilities of the three largest universities in Turkmenistan. Photo by: Ngoc Kien.

Besides oil and gas and materials, Vice President Huynh Dang Chinh suggested that the two sides should focus on training and research areas such as artificial intelligence, processing and refining materials for EV, solar energy, telecommunications technology 5G and 6G, etc.

“The power of Hanoi University of Science and Technology also lies in the network of alumni who are holding key positions in the industrial and scientific enterprises of Vietnam,” said the Vice President that the cooperation will bring benefits excelled by the connection in the network of engineering schools & business connections.

In terms of training, HUST proposed to increase the exchange of students and lecturers with Turkmenistan universities through advanced programs taught in English. Currently, there are about 500 international students studying at the University. Post Covid-19 pandemic, this number is expected to increase rapidly. HUST also aims to raise the number of visiting scholars in an attempt to boost the quality of training as well as the university's international ranking.

After nearly three hours of discussion, Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the delegation of Turkmenistan universities agreed to quickly promote cooperation in training, research and innovation as the 30th anniversary of relations between the two countries is approaching.

"We are very grateful for the warm welcome and hospitality" Mr. Gurbanmyrat Mezilov agreed with all proposals of the University.

EAO - HUST