Professor Yang Yu-Chun, Chair of the Department of Chinese Literature at National Chung Cheng University (CCU), visited the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) in late August to strengthen bilateral academic cooperation and promote Chinese language education.
The visit followed an online meeting between the two universities earlier this year, during which IUH expressed its intention to establish a Department of Chinese Studies and sought substantive collaboration with CCU’s Department of Chinese Literature and Language Center.
During the visit, Professor Yang held discussions with IUH’s Chinese faculty members at the College of Foreign Languages and introduced CCU’s Language Center programs and admission information. IUH faculty expressed their students’ strong need to enhance Chinese proficiency in Taiwan and raised proposals regarding short-term summer courses, credit transfer, faculty exchange, and joint research.
Professor Yang conveyed these requests back to CCU and coordinated with the Office of International Affairs and the Language Center to explore feasible initiatives. She further noted that while Vietnam’s official textbooks predominantly used simplified Chinese characters, the presence of numerous Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam created a demand for talent familiar with traditional characters. This discrepancy, she emphasized, provided CCU with an important opportunity for promoting its Chinese language education.
In terms of research collaboration, both parties discussed possible future directions. Professor Yang shared her work in folklore, epigraphy, and university social responsibility initiatives, with the aim of integrating these with Vietnam’s local religious and cultural traditions to foster interdisciplinary cooperation. Such efforts not only expanded teaching resources but also contributed to comparative studies between Taiwan and Vietnam, with the prospect of joint publications.
Beyond formal meetings, Professor Yang examined IUH’s campus facilities and student living environment, and visited several museums and religious sites in Ho Chi Minh City. From folk religious artifacts to Chinese temples, she gained valuable insights into the diverse cultural landscape of Vietnam, which served as a reference for future cultural exchange programs.
The visit yielded fruitful outcomes, laying the foundation for Vietnamese students to pursue Chinese language study in Taiwan while opening new opportunities for Taiwan–Vietnam faculty research collaboration. Moving forward, CCU will continue to strengthen international exchange through language education, cultural experiences, and academic cooperation, embodying its motto of “Proactivity, Innovation, Virtue, and Service.” By extending Taiwan’s achievements in the humanities to Southeast Asia, CCU seeks to fulfill both its social responsibility and international mission.