On November 16, 2024, National Economics University (NEU) held a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam–Netherlands Master’s Program in Development Economics (1994–2024) and the opening ceremony for the 31st cohort of the MDE Program.

A view of the ceremony

External guests attending the ceremony included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training; and Dinh Thi Huyen, Vice President of the Vietnam–Netherlands Friendship and Cooperation Association.

Representing NEU were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU; Prof. Dr. Tran Tho Dat, Chairman of the Science and Training Council; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham The Anh, Dean of the Faculty of Economics. Also attending were representatives of the leadership of schools, departments, faculties, institutes, and centers; representatives of agencies, committees, and sectors; successive generations of leaders, faculty and staff, alumni, current master’s students, and new master’s students of the MDE Program; and the faculty and staff of the Faculty of Economics.

The Vietnam–Netherlands Master’s Program in Development Economics (the MDE Program) was established in November 1994, when very few institutions in the country offered master’s programs taught entirely in English. NEU and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, two leading institutions in economics education in northern and southern Vietnam, were selected by the Government and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to undertake the responsibility of implementing the MDE Program with funding from the Government of the Netherlands. On October 1, 2019, the MDE Program officially came under the management of the Faculty of Economics at NEU. This marked a historic turning point for both the Program and NEU.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, delivers remarks.

Speaking at the ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, recognized and praised the achievements and standing that the MDE Program had built over the past 30 years. The Program has also helped NEU gain experience in managing educational quality and facilitated exchanges of experience with the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in the Netherlands and other partners.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu also praised the effectiveness of the Program’s education, noting that many alumni now hold positions of significant responsibility in government and state agencies, ministries, and sectors, or own businesses and major corporations.

To build on the success of many alumni today, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thanh Hieu affirmed that the University would always support and assist the MDE Program in maintaining its image and original direction: upholding educational quality and remaining committed to teaching approaches that develop thinking and mathematical logic, which are both a strength and a distinctive feature of the Program. Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, expressed his hope that faculty and staff, master’s students, and alumni would continue striving for even greater achievements, contributing to the development of younger generations and the MDE Program, as well as to other activities in society, while continuing to build the MDE Program’s reputation and brand as one of the country’s foremost programs in economics.

Prof. Dr. Sc. Vu Thieu, Meritorious Teacher and former Director of the MDE Program, delivers remarks.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, delivers remarks.

Speaking in his capacity as Deputy Minister and as an alumnus of the second cohort at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, said: “The Vietnam–Netherlands Master’s Program was not merely a conventional education project, but also a program supporting the training of policymakers and policy implementers at a time when Vietnam’s economy was transitioning from a centrally planned system to a market economy.”

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc expressed his hope that NEU would give special attention to the Program and provide the best possible conditions for its continued operation and development. He also affirmed that MOET would always give the Program its attention and support to help it continue and develop. “Given the clear results achieved over the past 30 years, I believe that, with NEU’s current conditions, we are fully capable of sustaining and developing the Program to a new level and a new stage, and renewing it in a new context.”

On the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers’ Day on November 20, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc also expressed his gratitude and extended congratulations to all the teachers who had contributed to the MDE Program, wishing them happiness and much joy, and wishing the master’s students good health and success.

Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, presents congratulatory flowers.

Nguyen Tu Anh, an alumnus of the fourth cohort of the MDE Program, Director of the Center for Economic Information, Analysis and Forecasting, and Director-General at the Central Economic Commission, delivers remarks.

Over its 30 years of development, the MDE Program has trained a high-quality workforce for the country. As of November 2024, the MDE Program had admitted 30 cohorts, with 756 master’s students awarded degrees. The MDE Program has consistently led the way in training policymakers, researchers, leaders, and outstanding specialists for the country. The MDE Program also takes pride in being one of the first programs to lay the foundations for international cooperation and build NEU’s reputation and recognition in development economics education. In addition to improving the quality of education for master’s students, the MDE Program has helped strengthen the capabilities of lecturers at NEU and other universities and research institutes.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, presents flowers in appreciation of successive generations of MDE Program leaders.

The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam–Netherlands Master’s Program in Development Economics concluded, marking a moment to reflect on the journey so far before embarking on new challenges. It is hoped that this event was not only meaningful to the Program’s founding teachers and leaders, but also a memorable occasion for its lecturers, master’s students, and alumni.

The enthusiastic participation of a large number of alumni, who came to connect and share with one another and with current cohorts of MDE Program master’s students, was a meaningful way to mark further achievements in education and research at NEU in general and in the MDE Program in particular.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham The Anh, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, delivers remarks of thanks at the event.

Tran Khanh Huyen, a master’s student representing the 31st cohort of the MDE Program, speaks at the opening ceremony and receives a congratulatory bouquet from a representative of the unit’s leadership.

Some photos from the ceremony:

Article and photos: Faculty of Economics & Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.