In mid-March 2025, as part of an official visit to Europe, a delegation from Ho Chi Minh University of Banking (HUB) visited and worked with Masaryk University (MUNI) in the Czech Republic. This visit was conducted within the framework of the Erasmus + MICRO4ASIA project, which aims to foster international collaboration and enhance the quality of higher education between European and Southeast Asian institutions.

Assoc. Dr. Nguyễn Đức Trung and Assoc. Dr. Hoàng Thị Thanh Hằng at the meeting

MICRO4ASIA is an international collaborative project involving ten partners from six countries, including the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Belgium, Vietnam and Laos. The project is dedicated to developing and gaining wider recognition for micro-credentials to bridge the gap between academic training and labor market demands. Participating partners work on designing short-term training programs and piloting the application of micro-credentials in key fields such as economics, finance, banking and information technology. In addition, the project aims to establish a common recognition system to enhance connectivity between education systems.

HUB representatives and partner institutions representatives taking a commemorative photo

Founded in 1919, Masaryk University is one of the most prestigious institutions in economics, administration and social sciences in the Czech Republic. During the visit, HUB representatives engaged in extensive discussions with their MUNI counterparts, focusing on key areas such as scientific research, innovation, faculty and student exchanges, and strategies for the development of micro-credentials to meet the evolving demands of education in the digital era. 

Overview of the Kick-off Meeting

On March 13-14, 2025, working sessions were conducted to deliberate on the project's core activities. These discussions encompassed enhancing faculty capacity in designing and implementing micro-credentials, developing a toolkit to support their application in finance, banking, and information technology, and establishing a common recognition mechanism for micro-credentials to facilitate student mobility across borders.

Participants in a commemorative photo in Brno, Czech Republic

Representatives from HUB and partner institutions engaged in in-depth discussions, sharing experiences and strategies to effectively implement project activities. The sessions focused on developing a flexible education system that closely connects academic training with labor market demands while promoting international learning opportunities for students. The cooperation within MICRO4ASIA is expected to contribute significantly to improving higher education quality in Vietnam and the region, while also fostering academic exchange and scientific research among participating institutions.

Saigon International School of Business - Ho Chi Minh University of Banking