I am in the historic city of Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). It feels quite special to be here for the first time.

I find it amazing to witness how the entrepreneurial people here continue to overcome the impact of war in their country.

I am here to attend the 3rd ACCC-VACC (Vietnam Association of Community
Colleges) Partnership Forum.  The Forum seeks to stimulate two-way institutional partnerships.

A special relationship exists between Canadian and Vietnamese colleges.  The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) obtained Canadian Government funding to help MOET (Ministry of Higher Education) set up the very first college in Vietnam, Tra Vinh Community College.

ACCC also helped set up the Vietnam Association of Community Colleges (VACC) with over 40 members now, mostly funded by MOET.

More recently ACCC received Asian Development Bank and MOLISSA (Ministry of Vocational Training) funding to help design the expansion of a vocational college system throughout Vietnam.

Now the challenge is continuing this productive relationship without any government funding.

Meeting this challenge is the inimitable Dr Khanh, President of that original Tra Vinh College and founder of the VACC. Dr Khanh is well known in Vietnam and abroad.  At the mention of his all salute him knowingly and with admiration.

I am attending the Study in Canada Fair in Ho Chi Minh. Also attending are 20 Canadian colleges and even more Canadian school boards, language schools and universities. When our Consul General hears that Dr Khanh is present in the hall, he introduces him to the entire crowd as a long and true friend of Canada.

Dr Khanh promises to come with a delegation of VACC members to Halifax for the World Congress.

Our last two days are spent in Hanoi, where we discover that there is a second association of colleges and training centres, all funded by MOLISSA. The Executive Director of the Vietnamese Vocational Training Association (VVTA) commits to joining the WFCP and attending the World Congress with his president.

Having more than one association of colleges and polytechnics and whatever other names have been given to post-secondary institutions of Advanced Skills for Employment, as members of the World Federation, is not a problem at all. In Canada we have three associations that are members of the WFCP, with overlapping memberships, but each wanting to collaborate much more with sister associations and institutions around the world. This is the power of the WFCP global network.

We look forward to hosting even more Vietnamese colleagues in Halifax!

Paul Brennan, VP – International Partnerships ACCC