20 May 2011
Governor-General praises RMIT Vietnam
The Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce AC, has praised RMIT International University Vietnam for creating opportunities for improved education.
The Governor-General chats with an RMIT Vietnam student.
RMIT Vietnam President, Professor Merilyn Liddell AM, shows the Governor-General a photo of the last time the two leaders had met, at a conference in Australia.
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Her comments came as she visited RMIT Vietnam's Saigon South campus in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ms Bryce said that, as a woman who had grown up in an isolated rural area, she had "stood on the shoulders" of people who had worked to create new opportunities for better education and better lives for others less privileged.
She described her own education as a "gift of love" from her parents to help her achieve her dreams, engage with the world and understand her responsibilities.
Ms Bryce said RMIT Vietnam and other Australian universities were together making a "proud contribution" to helping build the skills of youth in Vietnam and support the Vietnam Government's education reform agenda.
During her visit, Ms Bryce met students in an informal Question and Answer session, in which she answered student questions on a wide range of topics - including the role of the Governor-General in the Australian political system.
The President of RMIT Vietnam, Professor Merilyn Liddell AM, told the Governor-General she was meeting some of the "future leaders of Vietnam" at RMIT.
"I hope, like you, they will become true leaders in their fields."
RMIT Vietnam has more than 6,000 students in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with more than 2,500 graduates in its first 10 years of operation.
It provides undergraduate programs in commerce, IT, business information systems, accountancy, multimedia design, professional communication, and marketing. It also offers MBA and Master of Engineering programs.
More programs are planned, all aiming to meet important workforce development needs in Vietnam and the region.
The Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia, Hoang Vinh Thanh; Michael Bryce, the Governor-General's husband; Professor Liddell; the Governor-General; the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Allister Cox; the Australian Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City, Graeme Swift; and RMIT Vietnam Executive Director, Operations and Planning, Dr Matthew Sukumaran. They are flanked by RMIT students wearing traditional "ao dai".
