Tamkang University’s Department of Chemistry continues to expand its international academic partnerships, achieving another milestone in global engagement. Yau-Hung Chen, Dean of the College of Science; Chih-Hsin Chen, Chair of the Department of Chemistry; Distinguished Professor San-Lang Wang; and Associate Professor Chia-Chi Huang traveled to Dong A University in Vietnam from August 7 to 8 to attend the 2026 National Biotechnology Conference, where they delivered oral presentations. On August 8, the Department of Chemistry signed an MOU with Dong A University’s Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development. Future collaboration will focus on student exchange, graduate student training, joint publications, and sustainable development in central Vietnam, further strengthening academic ties between the two institutions.

Witnessed by Yau-Hung Chen and Dong A University Vice President Dinh Thanh Viet, the MOU was signed by Chih-Hsin Chen and Tran Ngoc Thanh, Director of the Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development, on behalf of their respective institutions. Chih-Hsin Chen explained that the two sides will combine their expertise to pursue substantive cooperation on selected research topics. In particular, central Vietnam is rich in agricultural resources and is one of the world’s major coffee-producing regions. The partnership will therefore focus on local agricultural resources and sustainable development in coastal areas, gradually developing joint research themes and expanding collaboration in green and sustainability-related fields.

On the afternoon of August 8, the Tamkang delegation also met with scholars from Tay Nguyen University in Vietnam, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto University, and Sojo University in Japan. The participants discussed future trilateral research cooperation and student exchange among Taiwan, Vietnam, and Japan, laying the groundwork for further cross-border collaboration.

Chih-Hsin Chen expressed particular appreciation to Wang for helping make the partnership possible. Wang has been actively engaged in Vietnam for more than a decade and has built long-term cooperative relationships with several universities in central Vietnam. He has also generously shared his academic and professional networks. Many of the Vietnamese students he has supervised now teach at local universities, serving as important bridges for academic exchange between Taiwan and Vietnam and providing substantial support for Tamkang University’s efforts to expand its international partnerships.

The conference featured four plenary lectures, along with 183 oral and poster presentations, and brought together nearly 400 experts and scholars from around the world. Yao-Hung Chen noted that the visit produced immediate results. After presenting his interdisciplinary research on environmental sensing and introducing Tamkang University’s academic programs, he received an email the following day from a Vietnamese student who had attended the conference and expressed strong interest in studying at Tamkang University. Chen further emphasized that, in recent years, the Department of Chemistry has participated in the Ministry of Education’s Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP), offering outstanding international students short-term internship opportunities ranging from three to six months. He noted that international students can bring positive stimulation to both research laboratories and local students, while broadening students’ global perspectives and strengthening the academic vitality.