Hospitals and schools finding the right partners

At the end of September 2025, at the first Viet Nam-Russia People’s Forum in Ha Noi, Friendship Hospital (Viet Nam) and the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology (Russian Federation) signed a cooperation agreement on research and treatment. The two sides agreed to increase professional exchanges, organize scientific conferences, conduct consultations on cancer patients’ cases, and facilitate exchanges between young doctors.

The signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Friendship Hospital (Viet Nam) and the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology (Russian Federation), September 2025. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Following the Forum, Friendship Hospital organized two international scientific conferences in October 2025 and March 2026, with the participation of Russian experts. Experts from the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology took part in case consultations and held direct exchanges with Vietnamese doctors on diagnosis, treatment and patient care. On March 27, 2026, the leaders of the two institutions continued discussions on human resource training, new methods in chemotherapy and radiotherapy, professional knowledge sharing, and the possibility of transferring radiotherapy technology.

Experts from the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology worked with doctors from Friendship Hospital on specific cases, October 2025. (Photo: Friendship Hospital)

The Viet Nam-Russia People’s Forum was organized by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations in coordination with the Saint Petersburg Committee for External Relations (Russian Federation) and its partners, bringing together hospitals, universities, businesses, researchers, localities and people’s organizations from the two countries. One of the objectives outlined by President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son at the Forum was to establish cooperation among organizations, businesses and associations and discuss areas with cooperation potential, facilitated by people-to-people diplomacy.

In Can Tho, on June 26, 2024, at a conference reviewing the city’s people-to-people diplomacy activities, ASSIST/Philippines signed an agreement to implement the “Center of excellence” project with the Can Tho Union of Friendship Organizations and three educational institutions: the College of Engineering and Technology - Can Tho University, Can Tho University of Technology and Can Tho Vocational College.

The project is being implemented with support from Schneider Electric Viet Nam through ASSIST, with the aim of equipping green electricity or automation practice laboratories and providing training for lecturers and students in green electricity and Industry 4.0. The program has carried out the delivery and installation of equipment at the educational institutions. At Can Tho University of Technology alone, as of February 2026, the university and ASSIST continued to work on plans for bidding, handover, receipt and installation of the equipment.

Representatives of the parties sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation to implement the “Center of excellence” project in Can Tho, June 26, 2024. (Photo: Thoi Dai)

Scholarships, clean water and jobs after meetings

On November 25, 2025, the Da Nang Union of Friendship Organizations (Da Nang Union), in coordination with Children of Viet Nam (COV/United States) and the People’s Committee of Que Son Trung Commune, awarded 200 scholarships to students facing difficult circumstances. The total funding of VND 200 million was mobilized by the Da Nang Union from COV.

In May 2026, COV’s support continued to reach schools. The Da Nang Union and relevant agencies handed over, inspected and put into use clean drinking water filtration systems funded by COV at Vo Thi Sau Secondary School and Binh Minh Kindergarten in Tien Phuoc Commune. Using reverse osmosis (RO) technology, the systems have a capacity of 180 liters per hour and provide drinking water for students, teachers and school staff.

Students and representatives of relevant agencies next to a clean drinking water filtration system funded by Children of Viet Nam in Tien Phuoc Commune (Da Nang), May 2026. (Photo: Tien Phuoc Commune’s Electronic Information Portal)

In 2019, the Viet Nam-Republic of Korea Friendship Association helped connect Ha Giang province (now part of Tuyen Quang province) with Boeun County, Chungcheongbuk-do (Republic of Korea). The two localities subsequently established cooperative relations. On November 24, 2022, the People’s Committee of Ha Giang province and the Boeun County government signed an agreement on sending workers to the Republic of Korea for seasonal employment. Ha Giang’s specialized agencies subsequently organized the selection of workers, language training, orientation programs and completion of employment documentation. In 2023, 49 workers from the province were sent to Boeun for seasonal employment under the agreement.

Leaders of Ha Giang province (now part of Tuyen Quang province) and representatives of its departments and agencies present gifts to workers before they depart for seasonal employment in Boeun County (Republic of Korea), May 2023. (Photo: Tuyen Quang Online Newspaper)

At the March 2026 discussion titled “Global trends in the development of people-to-people diplomacy and their impacts on Viet Nam,” Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, former President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, called for promoting the role of bridge-builders and expanding relations with research institutes, scholars, associations, professional associations and businesses; and for linking friendship activities with specific cooperation objectives to mobilize resources in terms of capital, knowledge and technology.

For the 2026-2031 term, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations has set a target of successfully connecting at least 2-3 pairs of localities and 20-30 foreign partners with domestic stakeholders each year.

Expectations and Recommendations - Part 3 Drawing on their dedication and expertise, scholars, veterans, businesspeople, tourists, artists, young people, overseas Vietnamese, as well as Vietnamese and foreign diplomats, have shared their views and aspirations for the upcoming Congress of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations.

For Impact That Lasts Beyond the Project According to Karolina Rutkowska, Country Programme Director of VVOB in Viet Nam, a cooperation programme only truly creates value when its results extend beyond the implementation period, while also building the capacity, working methods and commitment needed to sustain the changes after the project ends.