The University of Gdańsk is intensively developing cooperation in the Southeast Asian region thanks to the support of the National Academic Exchange Agency funding for scientific development and academic exchange for 2024 - 2026. The further development of scientific cooperation and foreign exchange with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi (USSH VNU) and the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) was the leading topic of discussions held by a delegation from the University of Gdańsk on a visit to Vietnam.
Undertaking these activities is possible thanks to the funding obtained under the NAWA ASPIC strategic partnership - ‘Applied social psychology in a cross-cultural context: synergies between UG and Vietnam’.
Meetings with Vietnamese academic partners focused on enhancing cooperation within existing areas such as mental health, cultural and identity studies, and cross-cultural psychology. Discussions were also undertaken on cooperation between our universities in the fields of archaeology, Asian linguistics, and cultural studies, as well as joint ‘International and European Studies’.
Several joint academic events have been planned, including a conference in 2025 in Hanoi on psychology and human development in a changing world or a thematic workshop on the sociological aspects of the Vietnamese minority in Poland.
'Discussions with Vietnamese partners confirmed the potential for mutual benefits from the strategic exchange of knowledge and academic experience. The Vice-Rector of USSH VNU, prof. Hoang Anh Tuan, emphasised the importance of cooperation with our university, pointing to its role as a pillar in developing new competencies among students and supporting innovative social research,’ reports Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Internationalisation dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG.
In turn, a joint debate with representatives of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, with the participation of VASS President prof. Tạ Minh Tuấn, led to the identification of several strategic areas of cooperation where the potential of the University of Gdańsk can be brilliantly used for research ordered by the Vietnamese side.
The strategicity of the NAWA ASPIC project, led by dr hab. Joanna Różycka-Tran, prof. UG, lies in the synergy of the experiences of both academic cultures as communities responsible for innovation in the mental health sphere, based on the creation of new knowledge through research, and the social impact in bringing this knowledge into systemic well-being and sustainability. NAWA has been actively involved in funding Polish-Vietnamese academic exchanges for years, and in 2019 dr hab. Joanna Różycka-Tran, prof. UG and prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska from the Institute of Psychology carried out study visits and research in Vietnam.
As part of the project, the University of Gdańsk and two Vietnamese universities - the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi (USSH VNU) and the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) - plan further academic exchanges and joint scholarship and research programmes to support young researchers and develop the scientific potential of both countries. The long-term collaboration envisages the establishment of interdisciplinary research teams to advance knowledge on family psychology, mental health, gender equality and cross-cultural diagnostic standards, as well as the implementation of ‘service learning’ methods in didactics that support the active role of science in solving global social and economic challenges.
The University of Gdańsk delegation's visit to Vietnam coincides with the intensification of economic relations between Poland and Vietnam, which may soon become a strategic Asian partner for our country. According to UG Rector prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, this was confirmed by talks held by a UG delegation at the Polish Embassy in Hanoi, which stressed the importance of diplomatic support for developing academic cooperation between Poland and Vietnam: ‘The meeting at the embassy resulted in talks on challenges in the face of the visa crisis, possible measures to speed up consular proceedings for scientists and students from Vietnam, and the prospects for government support for Polish-Vietnamese exchange,’ the Rector stressed.
Discussions with Polish Ambassador Joanna Skoczek focused on measures to facilitate the mobility of Vietnamese students and scientists, an important step in the face of challenges related to visa procedures.
The Polish delegation included: from UG, Rector prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Internationalisation dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences prof. dr hab . Michał Harciarek, NAWA ASPIC project leader dr hab. Joanna Różycka-Tran, prof. UG, Director of the Institute of Psychology prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska, dr hab. Paweł Jurek, prof. UG, Head of the Department of Intercultural and Genre Psychology dr hab. Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka, prof. UG, dr Aleksandra Lewandowska-Walter from the Department of Family Psychology, MA Klaudia Bochniarz from the Department of Social Psychology UG and two external experts, prof. dr hab. Bernadetta Izydorczyk from Jagiellonian University, national consultant for clinical psychology, and dr Adam Jagiełło-Rusiłowski (INNOCAMP PL within the ASHOKA network).
