Vietnam National University of Agriculture and agribusinesses are moving to strengthen cooperation on training, applied research and technology transfer to meet modern production demands and improve competitiveness, delegates told a conference on Friday.
At the “70 Years: Vietnam National University of Agriculture and enterprises co creating the future” conference, speakers outlined ways to connect classrooms with factories and fields.
“Businesses should engage throughout the training pipeline,” said Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, director of Vietnam National University of Agriculture.
She urged employers to forecast labour demand, define role based competencies, co design curricula, supervise internships and bring real world problems into coursework.
Speakers said agriculture must improve efficiency, cut emissions, adapt to climate change and ensure traceability. That requires workers who can use technology and solve practical problems, rather than only holding technical knowledge.
Cooperation should include commissioned research and technology transfer, with companies identifying production and market challenges and universities testing solutions.
“Students have solid technical foundations but often lack hands on experience,” said Vu Anh Tuan, deputy general director of C.P. Vietnam Corporation.
He cited rising demand for skills in data analytics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and automation, as well as food technology, agricultural engineering and agricultural economics.
More than 200 scientific and technological outputs over the past decade have gained intellectual property protection, circulation approval or recognition as technical advances. Delegates said that defining enterprise needs early and precisely helps target research and speed up adoption.
Dinh Cao Khue, chairman and general director of Dong Giao Food Export JSC, or DOVECO, said the company cultivates tens of thousands of hectares of pineapple. Cutting costs by VND10 million (US$386) per hectare would bring major gains for growers and improve competitiveness.
DOVECO wants deeper cooperation in mechanisation, automation, breeding and cultivation protocols. For pineapple, research must match processing and export requirements, the local climate and crop resilience in raw material regions. He said cooperation so far had supported processed products, including natural fruit juices popular in export markets.
In seed breeding, Tran Manh Bao, chairman of ThaiBinh Seed, urged greater national self sufficiency in seeds, technological renewal and stronger research and development. New varieties should produce good yields, resist pests, lodge less and adapt to local conditions.
“Research must start from the real needs of fields and producers,” he said.
Former agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong, now a senior advisor to the university, said engagement should be continuous rather than limited to matchmaking events. Businesses can define hiring needs, provide curriculum feedback, host interns and commission studies. Universities should choose problems with strong application potential, run trials and measure the effectiveness of technology transfer.
The university says it partners with more than 200 enterprises, allocates nearly VND60 billion a year to merit scholarships and has mobilised close to VND3 billion in sponsored scholarships for talented students and students from disadvantaged families. Scholarships for the 2026 to 2027 academic year were also announced at the event.
As agriculture becomes greener and more digital, competitiveness will depend on a skilled workforce that can use technology. Delegates said linking business needs with curricula, research agendas and technology transfer could raise university standards and speed up change across the sector.
Sources: Viet Nam News
