Published:  00:00 Wednesday - February 03, 2010

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan was elected Chairman of Vietnam-Germany University (VGU)’s Council with Germany’s Hessen State Minister of Science and the Arts, Eva Kuhne-Hormann, as his deputy in Ho Chi Minh City on February 2.

The Council comprises 18 members from ministries, agencies and businesses of both Vietnam and Germany.

Deputy PM Nhan, who is also Minister of Education and Training, said that the VGU hopes to become a leading research university in Vietnam and rank among the world’s top 200 universities by the end of 2010. The university will foster advanced management skills and promote reform in Vietnam’s tertiary education sector.

The university’s new campus will be built in Binh Duong province at a total cost of about US$230-250 million in line with German standards. In addition to funding from the Vietnamese and German governments, the university will also receive sponsorship from many businesses in both countries.

The university is expected to enroll 5,000 students in 2020 and 12,000 students by 2030.