TOYOTA VIETNAM SUPPORTS THE SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING WITH A VEHICLE FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The ceremony was attended by Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung, Vice dean of School of Mechanical Engineering; Assoc. Prof. Tran Dang Quoc, Head of Office of the School of Mechanical Engineering; Assoc. Prof. Pham Huu Tuyen, Director of the Center for Research on Powertrains and Autonomous Vehicles; Assoc. Prof. Nguyen The Luong, Deputy Director of the Center, along with lecturers from the Automotive Powertrain Systems group.

Representing Toyota Motor Vietnam were Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Chi, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility; Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Tam, Head of Human Resources; Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Head of External Affairs, and representatives of the company.

Strengthening a long-standing partnership in education and research

   Speaking at the ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung, Vice President of HUST, expressed his appreciation to Toyota Vietnam for its long-standing partnership with the former Faculty of Automotive Engineering and the School of Mechanical Engineering, particularly in education and research activities.

   He highlighted that the partnership between Toyota Vietnam and HUST has been developed through a number of practical initiatives. In 2023, Toyota Vietnam, the School of Mechanical Engineering and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company collaborated on a research project on the use of biofuels in next-generation vehicles in Vietnam. The project represented a meaningful effort to explore practical solutions for more sustainable transportation.

  According to Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung, Toyota Vietnam's continued support through the donation of a vehicle for education and research is a practical contribution to the partnership between the two sides. The vehicle will provide lecturers and students with direct access to a real-world automotive platform, helping connect theoretical knowledge with technological developments and industrial practice.

  The ceremony also took place at a particularly meaningful time as HUST approaches its 70th anniversary (1956–2026), the 70th anniversary of mechanical engineering education, and the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the School of Mechanical Engineering.

   Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung expressed his hope that Toyota Vietnam would continue to work closely with HUST in education, research and technology development, particularly in areas related to green mobility, green transition and next-generation automotive technologies.

Bringing real-world vehicles closer to students

   Representing Toyota Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Chi, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, thanked HUST for welcoming the delegation and shared Toyota Vietnam's commitment to supporting education and the wider community.

   Since establishing its operations in Vietnam in 1995, Toyota Vietnam has implemented various initiatives to support educational institutions and society, including scholarship programs and donations of used equipment and vehicles for teaching and research purposes.

   Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Chi noted that Toyota Vietnam's cooperation with universities focuses on several areas, particularly education and scholarships. The vehicle donated to the School of Mechanical Engineering will serve as a practical learning resource, enabling students to observe, study and gain hands-on experience with automotive systems during their studies.

Connecting education with industry demand for high-quality human resources

   Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Tam, Head of Human Resources at Toyota Vietnam, expressed her impression of the School of Mechanical Engineering's development and transformation in recent years.

   She shared that Toyota Vietnam is entering a new stage of development, with the company investing in new technologies, expanding production capacity and developing new products to meet evolving market demands. This development is creating a growing need for high-quality human resources, particularly engineers with strong technical knowledge, practical skills and the ability to adapt to emerging technologies.

   Toyota Vietnam looks forward to working more closely with the School of Mechanical Engineering to provide students with opportunities for internships and employment, while developing more collaborative activities in the future.

Expanding cooperation between the university and industry

   During the discussion, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung introduced the new developments in the School of Mechanical Engineering's 15 undergraduate and graduate programs, highlighting potential areas for collaboration with Toyota Vietnam, including internships, curriculum development and closer connections between students and industry from the early stages of their university education.

   He also proposed that Toyota Vietnam and the School consider developing shared laboratories (Joint Labs), creating opportunities for lecturers and students to access new technologies and modern equipment for both research and education.

    In response, Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Tam expressed Toyota Vietnam's interest in further discussions between the company's human resources and technical production teams and the School. Such exchanges could help identify common areas between industry requirements and academic training, contributing to the development of high-quality technical human resources.

Continuing to build a stronger university–industry partnership

   At the ceremony, representatives of Toyota Vietnam presented a symbolic representation of the donation to the School of Mechanical Engineering – Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

   The donated vehicle not only adds a valuable practical learning resource to the training and research activities of the Center for Research on Powertrains and Autonomous Vehicles, but also opens up further opportunities for cooperation between the two sides in education, research and human resource development.

   Building on their long-standing partnership, the School of Mechanical Engineering and Toyota Vietnam look forward to expanding practical cooperation that connects education, research, technology and industry needs, contributing to the development of high-quality engineering talent and promoting technology solutions for greener mobility in Vietnam.