AGH University at VIET-POL 2025-- AGH University of Krakow

A large group of peopke in official setting holding an AGH University banner standing in front of a stage at a Polish-Vietnamese conference.

Participants of the 8th International Conference on Scientific-Research Cooperation between Vietnam and Poland. Photograph: AGH University

AGH University at VIET-POL 2025

29-10-2025

cooperation

A delegation of AGH University staff headed by Rector Jerzy Lis and Vice-Rector for Cooperation Professor Rafał Wiśniowski participated in VIET-POL 2025. The conference was of particular importance as it marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Poland and Vietnam as well as the 40th anniversary of cooperation between the AGH University of Krakow and the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology (HUMG).

The AGH University delegation included representatives of a number of faculties and units. During the week-long trip, representatives from our university participated in the VIET-POL international conference and many other events.

The delegation met the HUMG Rector Professor Tran Thanh Hai, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Vietnam Joanna Skoczek, leadership of the Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, former Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources And Environment, as well as AGH University Honorary Consul Nguyen Khoi Pham, among many others.

An important part of the agenda was to meet AGH University alumni in Vietnam. In addition, AGH University employees visited the Geological Museum and the Geophysical Observatory in Sa Pa.

VIET-POL 2025

The 8^th International Conference on Scientific-Research Cooperation Between Vietnam and Poland VIET-POL 2025 took place from 21 to 24 October 2025 in Hanoi. The organisers of the recurring event are two universities, AGH University and HUMG.

The honorary guest at the conference was the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Vietnam, Joanna Skoczek. In her speech, the Ambassador pointed out how reliable and strong the Polish-Vietnamese academic relations are.

“The topics of this year’s discussions, which focus on natural disasters, green growth, and the circular economy, as well as carbon and digital transformation in mining and Earth sciences, are quite pertinent. They reflect the needs and challenges of today and demonstrate strong links between science and the economy. Economic development and success are highly dependent on scientific advances. In mining and geology, the practical and applied dimension of scientific research is crucial in many respects. Firstly, human safety and environmental protection depend on scientific discoveries and their implementation. Secondly, it is a prerequisite for the development of related businesses, which brings measurable benefits. These two dimensions are inextricably linked, as business is an essential element of healthy, safe, and fair development policy that benefits societies, countries, and businesses themselves.”

At the official opening of the ceremony, Professor Jerzy Lis took the floor and addressed all the gathered:

“Each meeting with AGH University alumni in Vietnam is a source of special pride and joy. It is truly inspiring to see how our former students – now professors, directors, entrepreneurs, and even ministers – reminisce about their years in Krakow with gratitude. Many of them say that it was in Poland that they learnt engineering, cooperation, responsibility and how to be open to the world. I am pleased to say that I have personally participated in expanding our cooperation with Vietnam — also as Vice-Rector of AGH University — in developing new educational programmes, signing new agreements and initiating scientific and industrial projects. But, above all, in building bridges of friendship that have stood the test of time and continue to go strong. That is precisely why each meeting we have, each conference, such as this one, has a special dimension to me, apart from academia it is also an emotional one. This is a meeting of friends who implement a joint dream of open cooperation based on respect, trust, and the passion for creating.”

From the left: HUMG Rector Professor Tran Thanh Hai, AGH University Rector Professor Jerzy Lis, and former Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Khoi Pham. Photograph: AGH University

Three older men posing for a photo holding hands in an official setting, at a Polish-Vietnamese conference, standing in front of a stage.

Cooperation between AGH University and Vietnam

The AGH University's cooperation with Vietnam is one of its longest-standing and most intensively developed international links as it dates back to the 1950s. Today, it encompasses joint research and projects, student and staff mobility and exchanges, and an active network of Vietnamese alumni in Poland and in Southeast Asia.

The very first student from Vietnam began his studies at AGH University in 1957. Several years later, in 1963, the first four engineers graduated from a master’s programme in the mining division. By the 1970s, our cooperation was growing intensively, with more students and staff coming to Krakow. A particular example of fruitful academic relations was the habilitation of Professor Mai Thanh Tan, later Vice-Rector of HUMG.

A breakthrough moment came in 1986 with the signing of the first official cooperation agreement between AGH University and HUMG, covering student exchanges and joint research. Since then, HUMG has remained a strategic partner of our university due to the convergence of our academic profiles, especially in the fields of mining, geology, and geoengineering.

Over the decades, AGH University has educated a large group of academics and more than 400 Vietnamese university graduates, representing nearly 10% of all Vietnamese graduates of universities in Poland. Many of them have held and continue to hold important positions in Vietnam's state administration and higher education system – former ministers of science, technology, natural resources and the environment, as well as the Rector of HUMG are all AGH University alumni. Two graduates were awarded the title of Honorary Consul of AGH University, and one of the professors of the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) was honoured with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of AGH University.

Our cooperation with Vietnamese universities includes numerous educational and research projects. These involve a joint project with HUMG on the impact of mining on environmental radiation (2012), an analysis of the stability of the slopes of the Na Duong open-pit mine carried out with VINACOMIN (since 2011), and the establishment of second-cycle studies for engineers of this company (2014–2017). Since 2014, AGH University and HUMG have organised a recurring conference for “Scientific-Research Cooperation Between Vietnam and Poland POL-VIET”, with nearly 500 academics from both countries having participated thus far.

The programmes of the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) have also made a significant contribution to the development of cooperation. From 2019 to 2020, AGH University implemented a project for the activity of AGH University in Vietnam (under a programme of international promotion) and since 2022, it has been running intensive online courses for Vietnamese students as part of NAWA SPINAKER. We also conduct scientific and educational cooperation with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, with AGH University currently being a party to ten active partnership agreements.

Staff exchanges are a constant feature of our scientific and academic relations. Since 2012, there have been more than 160 mobilities to Vietnam and over 110 representatives of Vietnamese institutions have been welcomed in Krakow. During the last decade, 91 student and staff mobility programmes have been carried out under the Erasmus+ KA107/KA171 programme, which represents up to 20% of all international departures and arrivals at AGH University under this programme.

The AGH University’s cooperation with Vietnam is multifaceted and also has a social dimension. In 2008, the AGH University Alumni Association in Vietnam was established. Over time, it has become a relevant platform for academic, business, and diplomatic cooperation. AGH University regularly participates in the European Higher Education Fair in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as NAWA educational missions, promoting Polish technical education and international cooperation.

According to the Scopus database, between 2014 and 2020, as many as 371 joint Polish-Vietnamese scientific papers affiliated with AGH University were published, placing the university in first place among Polish institutions in terms of cooperation with Vietnam.

The history of relations between our university and Vietnam is an example of a consistently developed academic partnership based on mutual trust, shared values, and the need to exchange knowledge. Joint projects, scientific activity, and a strong network of graduates form a solid foundation on which AGH University and its Vietnamese partners will further develop cooperation in the fields of earth sciences, engineering, energy, and sustainable development.