Hanoi (VNA) 🦂–Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang held a working session with Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner on September 5, seeking to promote comprehensive cooperation and explore possibilities for twinning relations between localities of the two countries.

The meeting was also attended by Dr. Heinz Boyer, Chairman of the Board of IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, a typical model of educational cooperation between Vietnam and Austria. IMC Krems maintains close ties with Hue University, Hanoi University, and the University of Commerce in training nurses, caregivers, tourism and hotel management professionals. Notably, the university has granted 150 full scholarships worth 6 million EUR (around 6.6 million USD) to Vietnamese students, with a commitment of 100% long-term employment opportunities and high income. Ambassador Hoang highlighted Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and its development aspiration based on science-technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green growth. He praised the cooperation of Lower Austria and IMC Krems, and proposed to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, local partnerships, and explore the establishment of twinning ties with Vietnamese cities and provinces. Governor Mikl-Leitner congratulated Vietnam on the 80th anniversary of National Day, expressing admiration for the country’s comprehensive achievements. She spoke highly of the adaptability, discipline, and diligence of Vietnamese students at IMC Krems, describing them as a testament to Vietnam’s high-quality human resources and the prospects for long-term cooperation in skilled labour, particularly in nursing and caregiving, amid Austria’s rapidly ageing population. The Governor endorsed the Vietnamese Embassy’s initiative, in coordination with the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and Lower Austria, to hold a Vietnam–Austria forum on skilled labour and vocational training. Stressing that Lower Austria attaches importance to effective twinning ties, she suggested considering partnerships with Vietnamese provinces or cities with similar strengths in sustainable tourism, heritage preservation, smart urban management, hotel and restaurant management, and nursing and caregiving, paving the way for practical and long-term cooperation. Bordering the capital Vienna, Lower Austria is the largest and second most populous state of Austria with 1.7 million residents. The state boasts strong development potential in tourism, renewable energy, high technology, education and training, healthcare, urban management, smart agriculture, and its renowned wine industry./.