Leipzig University strengthens academic cooperation in the anniversary year of diplomatic relations

Saxon Science Liaison Office opens in Vietnam

News from 07/10/2025

Together with delegations from the City of Leipzig and the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK), Rector Professor Eva Inés Obergfell and Professor Matthias Middell, Vice-Rector for Campus Development: Cooperation and Internationalisation, travelled to Ho Chi Minh City from 1 to 5 October 2025. Their visit included the Saxon Science Liaison Office (SSLO) Vietnam, which is being led by Leipzig University and was officially opened by Saxony’s Minister of Science, Sebastian Gemkow.

Eine Frau steht an einem Rednerpult auf dem die deutsche und vietnamesische Flagge zu sehen sind. Im Hintergrund sieht man einen Bildschirm mit einer Präsentationsfolie. — Rector Professor Eva Inés Obergfell during her welcome address at the formal opening of the SSLO Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Huu Phu

At the SSLO’s second location in Hanoi, Leipzig University’s Global Campus Forum had already begun with lectures and events focusing on Saxon-Vietnamese academic cooperation. Vice-Rector Professor Matthias Middell gave a talk on Leipzig University as a global academic hub and presented the path from the University’s internationalisation strategy to its practical implementation.

The main aim of the SSLO is to attract students – and thus potential skilled workers – to Saxony. In this context, it supports Vietnamese students in finding their way towards studying in Saxony and promotes academic exchange between research institutions and universities in both Saxony and Vietnam.

The Saxon Science Liaison Office is a testament to the close and trusting cooperation between Saxony and Vietnam in science and society.

Rector Professor Eva Inés Obergfell

In her welcome address, Obergfell emphasised the SSLO’s importance as a bridge-builder: “The Saxon Science Liaison Office is a testament to the close and trusting cooperation between Saxony and Vietnam in science and society. Its mission to attract young talent to study and build their future in Saxony also contributes to securing skilled workers and fostering international exchange. We are therefore delighted to award an Agricola scholarship this year to a student from Ho Chi Minh City, who will study veterinary medicine at our university under the state examination programme. At present, 127 students with Vietnamese citizenship are enrolled at Leipzig University – a clear sign of the growing ties between our two countries.

Leipzig University’s long-standing relations with Vietnam form the basis for numerous successful cooperation projects. These include the training programmes of the SEPT Competence Center for Small Enterprise Promotion and Training at the Faculty of Economics and Management Science, which has been training entrepreneurs together with partner universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for almost twenty years.

Around 500 graduates of the SEPT MBA programme now work in Vietnam as specialists and managers, contributing to the strengthening of economic relations between the two regions. Further examples include a dual master’s degree programme in German as a Foreign and Second Language with Vietnam National University in Hanoi, as well as medical collaborations with Military Hospital 175, which promote the exchange of knowledge and practical experience in areas such as trauma surgery and nursing.

Through these initiatives, Leipzig University underlines its role as a globally connected academic institution, provides key impetus for the internationalisation of Saxony as a centre of science and business, and demonstrates how education and research build bridges between our countries – especially in this 50th anniversary year of diplomatic relations between Germany and Vietnam.

Created by: Lina Hörügel