Exhibitions, VIP visits and new Education UK service

Showing the vibrancy and creativity of British youth has always been high on our agenda in order to help break outdated stereotypes of the UK and 1999 was no exception.  The British Youth Culture exhibitions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City proved to be extremely popular with thousands of young Vietnamese hungry for information and ideas. Books, magazines, videos and CD Roms filled the crowded displays and were quickly devoured by excited eyes and ears.

1999 was also a year of high profile visits to Vietnam by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Baroness Helena Kennedy the Chair of the British Council. Prince Andrew attended our Designing Tomorrow exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City which gave an opportunity for young UK and Vietnamese designers to exchange ideas.  Helena Kennedy had a full visit which included speaking at a reception we gave for leading Vietnamese women and womens’ organisations in Vietnam.

This was also the year that we set up the UK education promotion service which aims to give Vietnamese students access to the best information about UK education and advice to help them make the right choice when choosing to study in the UK.  Our staff running this service has increased from one in 1999 to five in 2003.

Did you know?

From 1999 to 2003, the number of Vietnamese people go to the UK to study has increased by 600%.

The beginning of an exciting and ground breaking project led by the University of London and the Vietnam National Institute of Educational Science looking into improving multigrade teaching (teaching more than one age group in the same classroom) in poor and mountainous areas. This project continues to this day with Ms Vu Thi Son, researcher at the Institute, working on her PhD on multigrade teaching at the University of London.