VBMP/Vietnam – Belgium Master programmes: 20 years of excellence

The Vietnam - Belgium Master Programs (VBMP) were founded in 1995 by the Solvay Brussels Business School (under the Université libre de Bruxelles), in partnership with the Vietnam National Economics University and Ho Chi Minh City Open University.

The programme was initiated by an agreement between the Vietnamese and the Wallonia - Brussels government of the Kingdom of Belgium, with an aim to nurture business leaders in Vietnam after the start of the doi moi policy in 1986.

The five masters programmes offered at VBMP focus on diverse business fields, including business administration, marketing and advertising, banking and finance and public management. All courses are conducted in English by international professors.

"After 20 years in Vietnam, VBMP has granted master's degrees of global standards to 2,200 students. The majority of our graduates have become CEOs, managers, directors and lecturers in Vietnam. We're incredibly proud of this achievement as it displays our contribution to a high-quality Vietnamese work force," said Professor Anne Drumaux, co-director of Solvay Vietnam.

For the programme's strategy past the 20th anniversary milestone, Drumaux asserted that VBMP would continue providing the highest level of tertiary education for Vietnamese students.

At the commemoration ceremony, Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Bruno Angelet also praised the VBMP's success during its 20 years in Vietnam.

"It is exciting to see Ernest Solvay's core values of technical knowledge and managerial skills being implemented so successfully in Vietnam. The Solvay Brussels School is a well-renowned business school in Belgium thanks to its academic excellence and historical legacy, thus we are fully supportive of its involvement with the VBMP," said Angelet.

Angelet added that Belgium and Vietnam would continue their strong partnership in higher education.

The ceremony also included a conference on green growth and corporate social responsibility in Vietnam, presented by professors from the VBMP.