Published: 21-06-2018 11:18 | Updated: 29-06-2018 13:22

KI launches global alumni chapter in Vietnam

Một hai ba uống! (One two three, cheers!) filled the room as joyful KI alumni raised glasses to sing a celebratory song in unison. Gathered in the village of Ninh Bình, KI's alumni in Vietnam united to celebrate the launch of the KI Alumni Vietnam global chapter on Saturday 16 June 2018.

”The official launch of the KI Alumni chapter is important for everyone in Vietnam. The establishment of the chapter confirms that we are important to the university, and provides greater opportunity to maintain our connection with KI”, says Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương, ambassador of the Vietnam chapter.

KI has had collaborations with Vietnam for several decades, and today has several ongoing projects including the collaborative Stint-funded Trac (Training and Research Academic Collaboration) project coordinated by KI, and Edushare, an EU-funded capacity-building project.

Consistent networking

Professor Marianne Schultzberg, Dean of Doctoral Education, is the chair of the Trac owner group.

”The establishment of the KI Alumni Vietnam global chapter will add great value to Trac and similar projects by facilitating a consistent network through which further collaboration can arise – both with KI and between our alumni”, says Professor Schultzberg, underlining the importance of the alumni chapter for supporting and fostering collaborations in the young generations of students.

A progress of twenty years

Ingeborg van der Ploeg has been a key facilitator between KI and Vietnam as a coordinator for a Sida-funded sandwich model PhD-program, which first brought Dr. Hương to KI. Ingeborg van der Ploeg has followed the progress of more than twenty alumni including exchange students since 2000.

“I am impressed by how much our alumni appreciate and value their KI education. Their KI experience has meant so much for their professional development and career, and they continue to inspire and energize others about the possibility to study at KI,” says Ingeborg van der Ploeg following the event.

The KI alumni in Vietnam hope that the establishment of the chapter will foster the KI spirit in Vietnam, bring about better contact between KI and the alumni, and increase opportunities regarding teaching, and clinical and research exchange in both directions.