Yogyakarta, June 15th 2026 – The Higher Education Management (MMPT) Master Program, Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), conducted an academic visit to Van Lang University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This visit reflected a strong commitment to develop international academic partnerships. The delegation was led by the Chief of the MMPT Program, Prof. Ir. Paulus Insap Santosa, M.Sc., Ph.D., IPU., accompanied by MMPT Lecturer, Dr. phil. Vissia Ita Yulianto. The delegation was warmly welcomed by the Chief of the East Asian Studies Department at Van Lang University, Dr. Dinh Thi Ly Van, alongside Van Lang University Lecturer, Dr. Nguyen Dang Khoa.
epresentatives from both institutions, during the meeting, explored opportunities for collaboration in joint research, joint supervision, short courses, scholarly publications, academic exchanges, and other initiatives that support the internationalization of higher education. Discussions also focused on building a sustainable partnership that would facilitate long-term academic engagement of Indonesia and Vietnam. “Home to over 6,000 students, Van Lang University, which is dedicated to provide high-quality education, has established strong industry linkages that provide students with internship opportunities and pathways to future employment,” said Dr. Dinh Thi Ly Van. The dialogue also focused on the evolving higher education landscape in both countries, with participants sharing insights on research, capacity building, internationalization efforts, academic governance, and the changing expectations placed on universities by society and the labor market.
Prof. Ir. Paulus Insap Santosa highlighted the strategic value of closer collaboration of Indonesian and Vietnamese universities, emphasizing its potential to advance knowledge creation, strengthen regional academic networks, and expand opportunities for researchers and students alike. He also discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence in higher education and its implications for teaching, learning, and research. Furthermore, Dr. phil. Vissia Ita Yulianto shared MMPT’s recent achievement of obtaining unconditional accreditation from ACQUIN (Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute), an internationally recognized quality assurance agency based in Germany. She noted that this achievement reflects MMPT’s commitment to maintaining international quality standards and reinforces its readiness to expand collaborative initiatives with leading universities across the region.
The visit represents an important step toward establishing a formal partnership between MMPT SPs UGM and Van Lang University. In addition to promoting academic excellence and cross-cultural understanding, this activity is a concrete step by the UGM Graduate School in supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is fully established with the provision of quality education (SDG 4), fostering innovation and technological adaptation in research (SDG 9), and strengthening global synergy and partnerships in Southeast Asia (SDG 17). Both parties expressed their commitment to continuing discussions and identifying concrete initiatives for future implementation.
Author: Berlian Belasuni