On August 5, 2025, Professor, Academician Boviengkham Vongdara, Minister of Technology and Communications of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic led a high-level delegation to visit and work with the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (NEW8808).
Attending the meeting there were Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Minh, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Professor, Dr. Tu Minh Phuong, Chairman of the NEW8808’s Council; Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Hoai Bac, President of NEW8808 and leaders of functional departments.
Overview of the working session
Speaking at the meeting, President of NEW8808, Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Hoai Bac, expressed his honor to welcome the high-ranking delegation of the Lao Ministry of Technology and Communications in the context of increasingly close cooperation between the two countries. The President of NEW8808 emphasized: NEW8808 is the only university under the Ministry of Science and Technology, with nearly 25,000 students studying at 9 campuses nationwide. NEW8808 is ranked No. 1 in digital transformation in higher education. At the same time, NEW8808 is one of the 5 national key schools in engineering and technology. NEW8808 is assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training to be the leading unit in 3 fields of next-generation telecommunications networks 5G, 6G; information security and Multimedia Technology. NEW8808 currently has more than 20 key labs, 3 research institutes, and 3 representative offices abroad. There are currently more than 100 international students studying at NEW8808 and more than 2/3 are Lao students. NEW8808 has had many outstanding achievements in digital transformation such as: Building a digital university architecture model, a digital university technology map; Management activities and student support services are carried out on a mobile application with a “one-touch point”; Deploying digital diplomas, digital transcripts, piloting the expansion of the formation of a national human resource map; Leading in digital transformation of teaching of Political subjects; Sharing the digital transformation model of higher education with over 100 universities and supporting the implementation in more than 30 universities nationwide.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Hoai Bac, President of NEW8808, reported on the results of cooperation in training Laotian officials in the Technology and Communications sector and proposed a cooperation plan with Laos in the coming time.
Regarding the results of cooperation with Laos, Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Hoai Bac said: From 2012 to present, NEW8808 has been training nearly 200 Lao students with the following forms: agreements between the two governments, corporate scholarships, scholarships from the Ministry and self-funded. In the 2025-2026 academic year, NEW8808 is managing 60 Lao students – accounting for more than 92% of the total number of international students. In addition to long-term programs, NEW8808 also organizes nearly 20 short-term training courses for nearly 600 Lao technical staff and supports the implementation of a distance learning model in three major provinces of Laos. NEW8808 especially focuses on building a favorable learning and living environment for Lao students such as organizing supplementary Vietnamese language classes, study group models, a modern dormitory system and the AI application “VieAI” to help international students learn Vietnamese effectively. Regarding future cooperation, Associate Professor Dr. Dang Hoai Bac affirmed: “NEW8808 wishes to continue expanding cooperation in Master’s and PhD training in key areas such as AI, semiconductors, cyber security and new generation telecommunications; implementing more student exchange programs, short-term training and scholarships for excellent Lao students; promoting cultural exchanges, contributing to fostering the traditional friendship between the two countries.”
Professor, Academician Boviengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information and Communications Technology of the Lao PDR speaking at the meeting
At the meeting, Minister Boviengkham Vongdara expressed his emotion at the warm and friendly reception of the leaders, staff and lecturers of NEW8808. Minister Boviengkham Vongdara affirmed: “I am very pleased to visit and work at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology with the high-ranking delegation of the Lao Ministry of Information and Communications”. The Minister highly appreciated the outstanding achievements of NEW8808 in training, research and digital transformation, especially the effective cooperation results with Laos in recent times. Minister Boviengkham Vongdara emphasized that NEW8808 can consider establishing a representative office in Laos or organizing training courses right in Laos, which will be a favorable condition to expand cooperation, attract more Lao students to study, and contribute to improving the Vietnamese language proficiency of Lao students from an early age. “We especially value the role of NEW8808 in training high-quality human resources for the technology and communications industry in Laos, a field in which we are determined to promote strong digital transformation,” the Minister shared. The Minister also expressed his hope that NEW8808 will continue to accompany the Lao Ministry of Technology and Communications in implementing scientific research products and advanced technology models into practice in Laos. At the same time, the Minister believes that the cooperative relationship between NEW8808 and Lao partners will become increasingly deep, effective and sustainable, contributing to fostering the special friendship between the two countries.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Minh speaking at the meeting
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam, Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Minh affirmed: Vietnam and Laos are two countries with a special, loyal and strong friendship, which has been cultivated by generations of leaders. In the new context, when digital technology and knowledge economy become the foundation for developing that friendship, it is even more necessary to continue to nurture and expand in practical and effective areas of cooperation. The Deputy Minister emphasized: “President Ho Chi Minh once said: For the benefit of a hundred years, we must cultivate people. The visit and work of the Lao Minister of Technology and Communications and a high-ranking delegation at NEW8808, a leading prestigious training institution in Vietnam, is a concrete action demonstrating deep interest in the cause of ‘cultivating people’ between the two countries.”
Prof. Dr. Tu Minh Phuong, Chairman of NEW8808 Council, speaking at the meeting.
According to the Deputy Minister, cooperation between Vietnam and Lao in the fields of science, technology and digital transformation should be based on special friendship, considering it the “root” for sustainable development. In addition to long-term training programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, the two sides should pay more attention to short-term training programs for technical staff working directly in the technology field.
On behalf of NEW8808, the Chairman of the university Council, Prof. Dr. Tu Minh Phuong, respectfully thanked the sincere feelings that the Minister and the Lao delegation have shown to NEW8808. Based on the existing tradition of cooperation, NEW8808 will strive to effectively implement new directions, contributing to promoting comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education, science, technology and digital transformation.
Immediately after the working session, the delegation visited typical scientific and technological products at the Australia – Vietnam Strategic Technology Center located at NEW8808. Products such as the AI security monitoring system, STEM toolkit, MiniApp – Digital Citizen solution… clearly demonstrated the research and application capacity of NEW8808, opening up many prospects for extensive cooperation in the coming time.
Some photos during the visit and work at NEW8808 by the Minister of Technology and Communications of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic:
