Engagements among pharmacy schools, colleges, institutions, and universities are expanding worldwide. Such expansion is particularly prominent in Africa, Asia, the Arab world, the Caribbean, and the Americas [1]; it involves pharmacy practitioners, educators, researchers, students, and other healthcare professionals in global pharmacy education, worldwide academia, and international practices. Global collaboration is essential for pharmacy education, practice, and research. Healthcare professionals, pharmacy practitioners, educators, researchers, and students from pharmacy schools, colleges, institutions, and universities in different countries can visit each other; these visits facilitate academic collaboration, offer information about differences among healthcare systems, expand future educational opportunities and postgraduate training, support cooperation in research and treatment, and provide care to underserved patient populations. For instance, during a meeting in Brussels, the expert from many European countries panel extensively discussed the difficulties encountered by underserved patients (UPP) suffering from advanced/metastatic breast cancer (ABC/mBC) due to lack of access to appropriate healthcare. The panel explored potential solutions to improve healthcare measures for this patient group. A survey of 11 pharmacy schools in the Arab world revealed the need for collaboration with an institution in the United States (US) to train their clinical faculties and facilitate education in therapeutics and other areas [2]. Global pharmacy engagement establishes an environment where experienced preceptors can provide appropriate education, insert global content in the curriculum, and offer valuable advice concerning skills and practice while supporting research collaboration that strengthens health systems and improves health outcomes [2,3]. A well-known example of global pharmacy engagement is the US-Thailand Association, established in May 1994. In this Association, nine pharmacy schools from the US, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and eight pharmacy schools in Thailand signed a Memorandum of Agreement. This collaboration has resulted in the exchange of many pharmacy students and faculties between universities in Thailand and partner schools in the US, enabling the Ministry of University Affairs in Thailand to meet its long-term development goals of enhancing Thailand’s pharmacy education and practice [4]. Another example of cooperation in clinical pharmacology is the University of North Carolina–Duke T32 Postdoctoral Training Program. This collaboration between two pharmacy schools in the US offers specialized training in medicine through a 2-year program that includes clinical pharmacology coursework and clinical activities.

In 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Korean Minister of Health and Welfare and the Vietnamese Minister of Health to facilitate support and technology transfer for organizing practice certificate exams in the medical. In accordance with this MOU, Korea committed to assisting Vietnam in developing standardized examination programs for healthcare professions such as doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and nurses [5]. Even though the relationship is getting stronger between the two countries, there is a limitation to assess the detailed procedure for collaboration in each field, because it has been done based on fit-for-purpose. As a reference, collaboration in pharmacy research and education between Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HPMU) and Chungnam National University (CNU) is an excellent example of this cooperation between the two countries. This study provides an overview of the international collaboration between HPMU and CNU, as well as a plan for developing a master’s dual degree that involves both pharmacy schools. This program can serve as an example for pharmacy schools and colleges considering global engagement opportunities.

CNU is one of the 10 flagship Korean National Universities, the top regional universities in South Korea. It offers degrees in many fields through 17 CNU colleges and departments, including basic sciences, natural sciences, liberal arts, and military studies. The College of Pharmacy at CNU was established in 1979. Since then, this College has demonstrated outstanding pharmacy education and research, particularly in terms of training numerous pharmacy students annually to meet the demand for a qualified health workforce in Korea. In the “2022 QS World University Rankings,” CNU was ranked 201–250th worldwide in the field of pharmacy and pharmacology; it was ranked 8th in this field in Korea [6].

The College of Pharmacy at CNU offers two levels of academic training: an undergraduate program (Pharm.D. program) and a graduate program (M.S. and Ph.D. programs). Specifically, the Pharm.D. program combines two years of undergraduate coursework in a related fields (e.g., biological sciences, mathematics, or chemistry) with four years of graduate study in pharmacy after a student has passed the Pharmacy Education Eligibility Test. This reform of the pharmacy educational program from a 4-year to a 6-year (2+4) course is intended to ensure that students have sufficient life experience and aptitude before entry into professional pharmacy education [7]. Students must earn 168 credits, including 30 credits for pharmacy practice (introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experience in pharmacy schools and internship or practical training at a local pharmacy under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist) to obtain their Pharm.D. degree at CNU. Pharm.D. graduates can work with community and hospital pharmacies, pharmaceutical industries, or academic institutions. In the postgraduate program, students must complete ≥2 years (24 credits) or ≥3 years (36 credits) of study to gain their M.S. or Ph.D. degrees, respectively.

For the postgraduate degrees at CNU, alongside coursework to earn the required credits, students engage in pharmacy research projects in three major fields (e.g., drug targets, drug resources, and drug evaluation). These research projects enable the students to understand drug mechanisms, target discoveries, new chemicals and natural products, biopharmaceuticals, pharmacology, and toxicology.

HPMU was established in 1979 and was initially considered the Second Branch of Hanoi Medical University—one of Vietnam’s most well-known medical universities. Since 1999, HPMU has been considered an independent university; it is one of eight public medical and health sciences universities in Vietnam. The Pharmacy faculty was founded in 2011 with a mission of educating at least 100 Pharm.D. students annually. In 2022, the enrollment quota for regular students (Pharm.D. degree) was increased to 150 students per year. In contrast to the program at CNU, the HPMU pharmacy program for a Pharm.D. degree lasts 5 years. However, the number of required credits to gain a Pharm.D. degree is nearly identical at both pharmacy schools. After graduation from the Pharm.D. program at HPMU, pharmacists can work in local community or hospital pharmacies, pharmaceutical industries, academic institutions, or in medical marketing/manufacturing. The Pharmacy faculty at HPMU also has an inter-system graduate program for students who transfer from college to the university level, as well as a postgraduate program that offers an M.S. degree (Table 1) [8,9]. The HPMU M.S. degree program has 60 credits divided into four sections to meet the master’s training regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam. These 60 credits include 12 credits for in-hospital practice, which provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice the duties and skills of a clinical pharmacist (e.g., providing drug information, reporting adverse drug reactions, and effectively communicating and cooperating with healthcare staff).

Table 1 . Data from pharmacy education programs at HPMU and CNU.

	HPMUa	CNUb
Common lengths of pharmacy school
B.S degree	5 years	6 years (Pharm.D. course)
MS degree	2 years	2 years
Ph.D degree	-	-
Credit requirement
B.S degree	167 credits	168 credits including 30 credits for pharmacy practice
MS degree	60 credits including 50 mandatory credits and 10 optional credits	24 credits
Ph.D degree	-	36 credits
Entrance capacity
B.S degree	150 students/2022	55 students/2015
MS degree	20 students/2021	70 students/2017
Ph.D degree	-	40 students/2017
Language used in pharmacy school	Vietnamese	Korean
Workplace examples for graduated students	Community local pharmacy	Community pharmacy
	Hospitals and other institutions	Hospital pharmacy
	Pharmaceutical industries	Pharmaceutical industries
	Pharmaceutical affairs and policy	Academy
	Marketers/manufacturers
	Academy

^a,bInformation on pharmacy education of HPMU and CNU is based on the brochure of pharmacy schools [8,9]..

Both pharmacy schools have collaborated with several top-tier international pharmacy schools and institutes worldwide such as the Pharmacy faculty at HPMU has partnered with schools such as Iowa University (US), Samford University (US), Sookmyung Women’s University (Republic of Korea), CNU (Republic of Korea), Okayama University (Japan), Taipei Medical University (Taiwan), and Chulalongkorn University (Thailand). These collaborations have included faculty exchanges for training students, healthcare professionals, pharmacy practitioners, educators, and researchers. The College of Pharmacy at CNU has also collaborated with other pharmacy colleges and universities worldwide, such as Yanbian University (China), Martin Luther University (Germany), Luleå University of Sweden (Sweden), Nottingham University (United Kingdom), University of Queensland (Australia), and Hokkaido University (Japan).

Development Process and International Collaboration between HPMU and CNU

The collaboration between HPMU and CNU began in 2013 after professors from two pharmacy schools met each other at the Asian Clinical Pharmacy Conference held in September 2013. This is an annual conference held in one of 12 member countries in Asia to promote clinical pharmacy practice by exchanging new knowledge and experiences in education and research, resulting in enhanced healthcare for the population. Notably, professors from HPMU and CNU have served as conference board members. In 2016, a MOU agreement about international collaboration was signed. Since then, there have been student exchange programs (Fig. 1) and research projects in the healthcare field.

Figure 1. Process for development of international collaboration between HPMU and CNU.

In June 2018, four pharmacy students from the final year of the pharmacy curriculum at HPMU and two HPMU lecturers participated in the first exchange program at CNU. In June 2019, the second exchange program between the two pharmacy universities was conducted. The specifics of the exchange program for students from CNU and HPMU are outlined in Table 2. During this program, HPMU students learned about the Korean healthcare system and pharmacy education in this program. They experienced pharmacy practice in several Korean hospitals and local drug stores while engaging in extracurricular activities such as coursework to gain exposure to Korean culture. Similarly, students and lecturers from CNU visited HPMU to explore the differences between the two pharmacy education systems; they trained in HPMU teaching hospitals, such as Hai Phong International Hospital.

Table 2 . Schedule for exchange program of CNU and HPMU students.

	CNU student		HPMU student
Number of students	2018	2019	2018	2019
	4 students	7 students	4 students	3 students
Time	4th to 15th, June (11 days)	10th to 21st, June (11 days)	23th June to 21th July (1 month)	27th June to 25th July (1 month)
Schedule	• Hospital practice (Haiphong International Hospital, Haiphong Medical University Hospital) • Local pharmacy practice		• Hospital practice • Local pharmacy practice • Laboratory research practice
	Extracurricular activities

Moreover, workshops have been held by both pharmacy schools. The lastest conference organized between the two universities was the “International Workshop on Natural Marine Resources for New Drug Development” at HPMU in November 2019. In 2018, Professor Kwon Kwang-il, former Vice-President and Dean of Pharmacy at CNU, was named as the first Honorary Professor at HPMU. In 2019, Professors Yong Ho Kim, former Director of the Institute of Drug Research and Development, and Jong Seong Kang, former Director of the BK21 program at the College of Pharmacy at CNU, were named Honorary Professors at HPMU. This year, a research collaboration meeting was conducted between two pharmacy universites to encourage an international cooperation in the field of research.

Pharmacy Research Collaboration between HPMU and CNU

To promote research collaboration, HPMU and CNU held international symposiums in 2018 and 2019. Professors from both schools presented their latest research and ideas about the research collaboration (Table 3). Since then, many pharmacy research projects have been conducted as part of the collaboration between HPMU and CNU, and the resulting publications have substantially increased over time (Table 4). Among 15 published articles, 3 were published in journals with impact factors >3, one article was published in a journal with an impact factor <2, and the remaining articles were published in native journals. The most prominent collaboration was a joint international research project implemented from 2019 to 2021 (grant number: HNQT/SPĐP/11.19). The research theme was “Screening marine-derived fungi from the Northern Vietnam Sea to extract biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory, anti-microorganism, and cytotoxic effects” under the Vietnam Bilateral-Multilateral International Joint Research Program in Science and Technology in 2020. The Government of Vietnam funded the grant (approximately 300,000 USD) in conjunction with CNU (approximately 160,000 USD); >30 faculty members from both universities were involved. This project’s results continue to be published in various scientific journals. During the research period, HPMU faculty members traveled to CNU for research and technical training. From November to December 2019, one HPMU lecturer trained at the Pharmaceutical Analysis Laboratory to learn chemical screening and the isolation of Vietnam marine-derived fungi extracts. Another lecturer trained at the Drug Analysis Laboratory to learn tests of anti-inflammatory properties of Vietnam marine-derived fungi extracts. During a second exchange from January to March 2021, one HPMU lecturer trained at the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Lab to learn the isolation of chemical compounds from Vietnam marine-derived fungi extracts.

Table 3 . The joint international symposium between CNU and HPMU.

Topic	Presenter
Joint international symposium in 2018
PK/PD modeling and cancer supportive care in cancer patients	Prof. Jung-woo CHAE
How to make a good collaboration? In the field of natural product research	Prof. Min-Kyun NA
Anti-allergic effects of the ethanol extract of Syzygium-formosum (Wall.) Masam leaves	Prof. Inkyu HWANG
Marine Algae for Skin care products	Prof. Phuong Thien Thuong Prof. Dam Duc Tien
Marine Microorganisms of Isolation and Culture	Dr. Minh
Joint international symposium in 2019
Immunology & Immunopharmacology laboratory	Prof. Inkyu HWANG
Discovery of drug targets for inhibiting atherosclerosis development	Prof. Kyung-Sun HEO
Discovery of natural product-derived bioactive compounds based on NMR spectroscopic approach	Prof. Min-Kyun NA
Pharmacokinetic characteristics consideration for the selection of a drug candidate	Prof. Jung-woo CHAE
Clinical application of pharmacometrics for successful clinical trial design	Prof. Hwi-yeol YUN
Researches on marine-derived products for new drug candidate	Prof. Cao Duc Tuan

Table 4 . Number and range of articles published by HPMU and CNU.

No.	Title of publication articles	Journal name (journal impact factor)	Article field	Year
1	Chemical constituents of the marine derived fungi strain Penicillium raistrickii sp. MF06 isolated from sediment of Haiphong sea	Vietnam Journal of Practical Medicine	Natural product sciences	2018
2	Clinical Evaluation of Acetaminophen-Galgeuntang Interaction Based on Population Approaches	Pharmaceutics (6.734)	Pharmacology	2020
3	Alkaloids and cyclopeptides from the marine-derived fungus aspergillus sp. M512	Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology	Natural product sciences	2020
4	Secondary metabolites from a sea-cucumber-derived fungus of Co To – Thanh Lan island’s sea	Vietnam Journal of Marine Science and Technology	Natural product sciences	2020
5	Co To - Thanh Lan marine organisms: Potentials for marine-derived fungi isolation	Vietnam Journal of Agriculture and Rural development	Biotechnology	2020
6	Cyclodipeptides Isolated from a Marine-Derived Fungus Penicillium chrysogenum M612 of Bai Tu Long Sea, Quang Ninh, Vietnam	International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE) (0.35)	Natural product sciences	2021
7	Molecular design of anticancer drugs from marine fungi derivatives	RSC advances (3.73)	Medicinal Chemistry	2021
8	Anti-microbial diketopiperazines from the sea Urichin-derived Penecilium sp. M408	Vietnam Journal of Medicinal Materials	Natural product sciences	2021
9	Antimicrobial metabolites from marine derived fungus isolated from Cat Ba sea, Hai Phong, Vietnam	Vietnam Medical Journal	Natural product sciences	2021
10	Screening and identification of fungi having antimicrobial activity isolated from marine organisms and sediment samples taken in the Bai Tu Long, Vietnam	Vietnam Journal of Biotechnology	Molecular biology	2021
11	Preliminary chemical screening of marine fungi by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)	Vietnam Medical Journal	Natural product sciences	2021
12	Anti-inflammatory marine derived fungi from Bai Tu Long bay	Vietnam Journal of Agriculture and Rural development	Biotechnology	2021
13	Antimicrobial metabolites from marine derived fungus isolated from Cat Ba sea, Hai Phong, Vietnam	Vietnam Medical Journal	Natural product sciences	2021
14	A New Indole Glucoside and Other Constituents from the Sea Cucumber-Derived Aspergillus fumigatus M580 and Their Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and Inhibitory α-Glucosidase Activities	Records of Natural Products (1.95)	Natural product sciences	2022
15	Application of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model approach to predict pharmacokinetics and drug-drug interaction of rivaroxaban: A case study of rivaroxaban and carbamazepine	CPT Pharmacometrics Syst Pharmacol (4.339)	Pharmacology	2022

Since the early 1980s, Miller [10], has emphasized the importance of drug information specialists who can optimize the effectiveness of medicine for patients, leading to the current definition and roles of clinical pharmacy worldwide. In December 2012, the first legal regulation of the Vietnam Ministry of Health regarding clinical pharmacy in hospitals (“Circular 31 for Clinical Pharmacy in Hospitals” [Regulation 31]) officially defined the roles and duties of clinical pharmacists in hospitals. However, the two major barriers to hospital clinical pharmacy services in Vietnam are a lack of qualified clinical pharmacists and a shortage of general pharmacy workforce members. Furthermore, the number of medicines in use has increased with population aging, increasing incidences of multiple and chronic diseases, and the emergence of new infectious diseases [11]. Since 2000, the Korean government has required that medication prescribing and dispensing roles are separated between physicians and pharmacists. Except for injections, all therapeutic prescription drugs must be prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacist; over-the-counter medicines are mainly dispensed by pharmacists at pharmacies [12]. This reform was introduced to improve the quality of prescription medicine consumption in Korea [13]. Clinical pharmacists in hospitals and community pharmacies have essential roles in monitoring the safe and effective use of drugs. Accordingly, pharmacy education and practice provide training that prepares students to work as pharmacists. Clinical pharmacology studies the effect of drugs on humans and includes fields such as pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics (PGx) which can be applied in direct patient care by personalizing medicine for patients. Tools such as therapeutic drug monitoring, PGx, and model informed precision dosing can be used to optimize dosing for patients at an individual level. In addition, clinical pharmacists also participate in clinical trials which closely relate to pharmacology [14]. Therefore, HPMU and CNU have adopted a common strategy for collaborative education. The long-term plan for collaboration between the two universities is a dual M.S. degree in pharmacology and clinical pharmacy, which is intended to produce qualified clinical pharmacists.

In 2016, HPMU and CNU signed an MOU regarding cooperation in training, scientific research, and exchanges of lecturers and students. Since then, students at both pharmacy schools have been able to study and practice in another country. Based on the close collaboration between the schools, HPMU has created a dual M.S. degree program for HPMU students as the next phase after the completion of student and teacher exchanges in June 2018 and June 2019. In 2019, HPMU and CNU officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement on a dual master/Ph.D.’s degree program.

Students who register for an M.S. degree in pharmacology and clinical pharmacy at HPMU will be recruited for the dual degree program if they meet the specific criteria, including sufficient English language ability and desire to study abroad. The course duration will be 2 years; students will spend the first year in Vietnam to complete 39 of the 60 credits needed for an M.S. degree, in accordance with the requirements of the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training and HPMU. They will complete studies in general education, basic medical and pharmaceutical sciences, advanced medical and pharmaceutical sciences and a specialization of their choice. In the second year, students will attend CNU to complete 12 of 24 credits needed for a Korean M.S. degree. Finally, the students will complete their final ten credits during preparation of a thesis to gain a dual M.S. degree from HPMU and CNU. The subjects proposed for the HPMU - CNU dual master’s degree program in clinical pharmacy and pharmacology were listed in Table 5.

Table 5 . Proposed subjects matching for the HPMU – CNU dual master’s degree program in clinical pharmacy and pharmacology.

No.	Components	HPMU		CNU
		Subjects	Credits	Subjects	Credits
1	General Education	- Philosophy - English for health professions - Scientific research methodology	3 2 2	- Research methods in Biochemistry	3
2	Basic Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences	- Biochemistry - Microbiology - Biostatistics	2 2 2	- Introduction to Molecular Modelling - Pathophysiology - Statistics for Pharmacy	3 3 3
3	Advanced Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences	- Clinical Pharmacokinetics - Pharmacotherapy (NCDs) - Pharmacotherapy (Infections, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Oncology) - Drug information and Pharmacovigilance	2 3 3 2	- Advanced Biochemistry - Advanced Molecular Biology - Lab. in Advance Biochemistry - Advanced Pharmacology - Biochemical Mechanisms - Pharmacotherapy (Transplantation) - Pharmacotherapy (Infectious Diseases) - Pharmacotherapy (Pediatrics and Geriatrics) - Pharmacotherapy (Endocrine disorder) - Pharmacotherapy based on big data analysis	3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
4	In-hospital practice	- Clinical pharmacy practice 1 (Hospital Pharmacy) - Clinical pharmacy practice 2 (Pediatric) - Clinical pharmacy practice 3 (Internal Medicine)	4 4 4
5	Specialization (For HPMU: Select 10 out of 30 credits)	- Drug interactions: Evaluation and Management - PK and PD principles in antibiotic usages - Pharmacogenomics - Data analysis in Clinical pharmacology studies - Clinical Nutrition - Clinical practice (Pediatrics) - Clinical practice (Geriatrics) - Clinical practice (ICUs) - Clinical practice (Oncology) - Clinical practice (Out-patient) - Clinical Trial management - Hospital Pharmacy management - Social medicine and pharmaceutical jurisprudence - Ethics in Pharmacy Practice - Communication skills and Drug-use Counseling	2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2	- Nutrition and Drug Interaction - Clinical Pharmacokinetics - Clinical care therapeutics - Pharmacometrics practice - Pharmaco-epidemiology and big data analysis - Biomarker and Clinical Trial - Research methodology in Pharmacotherapy research - Practice for methodology in Pharmacotherapy research - Research Ethic 1 - Research Ethic 2 - Social Pharmacy	3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - - 3
6	Thesis	Graduation thesis	10		-

NCDs=noncommunicable diseases, PK=pharmacokinetic, PD=pharmacodynamics, ICUs=intensive care units..

Based on the background and expectations of students, their thesis will be conducted either at CNU in Labs or at HPMU to collect data at the hospitals, pharmacies or health system, mentored by both HPMU and CNU professors. For those who would like to complete their thesis at CNU (Lab based work), they need to spend the whole second year in Korea, while HPMU will facilitate the clinical tasks for those who choose this option.

The dual M.S. degree is an innovative strategy established by CNU, in which graduate programs promote global education and joint research by establishing and supporting an overseas joint degree program. This program also strengthens global practical training in Korean clinical pharmacy. By collaborating with HPMU professionals, CNU experts are able to exchange knowledge and ideas about teaching curricula, resulting in the optimization of the best pharmacy education training program for students. In addition, the dual M.S. degree program encourages the exchange of students and faculty members between universities, which fosters cross-cultural understanding and promotes the sharing of best practices in clinical pharmacy. Through these collaborations, CNU is able to expand its global network of pharmacy professionals and contribute to the development of new knowledge and practices in the clinical pharmacy field.

The long-term goal of HPMU’s dual M.S. degree program is to expand the opportunities for pharmacy students to study and practice clinical pharmacy in Korea, while enhancing their laboratory skills. By studying in Korea, Vietnamese pharmacy students are able to gain valuable exposure to the clinical pharmacy system through visits to hospital pharmacy departments and pharmacies. As a result, the collaboration program not only strengthens global practical training in Korean clinical pharmacy but also benefits pharmacy students in Vietnam, who are able to apply the knowledge and skills they acquire during their studies in Korea to their own clinical pharmacy practice. In addition, this is the first dual program established by the Pharmacy Faculty at HPMU; it serves as a stepping-stone and foundation for future development of international collaborations with other schools and universities. However, barriers for students include the challenges of learning a foreign language, as well as cultural differences. Financial aspects may also limit the ability of some students to apply for the dual M.S. degree. The construction of a joint educational program is in progress, with the intention of achieving curriculum equivalence between the two pharmacy schools. HPMU and CNU will work collaboratively to assign subjects taught by either HPMU or CNU.

Both HPMU and CNU are currently investigating the topics of therapeutic drug monitoring and population pharmacokinetics to identify common techniques that can optimize drug effectiveness while decreasing side effects and toxicity. Therefore, another goal of this collaboration is the development of a therapeutic drug monitoring and population pharmacokinetics service at HPMU.

Pharmacy schools are increasingly expanding into international education and practice. These educational collaborations provide robust benefits for both partners. Pharmacy education, practice, and research have benefited through international collaboration in many countries. Opportunities for pharmacy students are expanding, leading to improved health systems and better health outcomes for populations worldwide. Opportunities for pharmacy students to gain expertise in all aspects of clinical pharmacology are increasing for Vietnamese pharmacy students through engagement with the Faculty of Pharmacy at CNU and with other pharmacy programs worldwide. HPMU students enrolled in the dual M.S. degree pharmacy program can potentially gain qualifications from two pharmacy schools. Worldwide, pharmacists with enriched experiences can meet the demand for a knowledgeable workforce. Collaborative research, innovative ideas, scientific advances, and research funding are facilitated by interactions among teams of researchers from different backgrounds. These are some of the additional benefits of cooperative efforts between HPMU and CNU.

The governments’ international cooperation strategy has established conditions for Korean and Vietnamese universities to cooperate with each other and other universities worldwide. On December 22, 1992, Vietnam and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations, and they have since engaged in bilateral cooperation across many fields, including education. The educational cooperation between Vietnam and South Korea has achieved many goals, such as enhancing the quality of education, providing scholarships for students, promoting quality improvement efforts, and providing materials and technical facilities for Vietnam through funding from Korea. The most important strategies of this educational cooperation include strengthening joint education, enhancing training, and promoting exchanges [15]. These strategies will provide a strong foundation for collaboration between HPMU and CNU, particularly in developing dual degree programs.

Notably, differences between countries with respect to languages, schedules, culture, politics, and economy must be considered at the beginning of any international cooperation. Language barriers can lead to poor information exchange. Therefore, successful global collaboration requires patience in communication and an understanding of each other’s culture, politics, and economy. Finally, cooperative partners in different time zones should strive to avoid project delays because of incompatible schedules.

This research was funded by grants from the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2020-0-01441 to J.C. and H.Y.), the Artificial Intelligence Convergence Research Center (Chungnam National University) (No. RS-2022-00155857 to J.C. and H.Y).

None.

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Designing of work, N.A.T.V., B.T.T., Q.T.T, W-j.W., S-y.Y., L.T.N, D.T.C., P.N.T.T., H.V.N., J.C., H.Y. and K-i.K., investigation and result, N.A.T.V., B.T.T., D.T.C, H.V.N., J.C., H.Y. and K-i.K., writing—original draft preparation, N.A.T.V., B.T.T., D.T.C., H.V.N., J.C. and H.Y., writing—review and editing, N.A.T.V., B.T.T., D.T.C., H.V.N., J.C. and H.Y., supervision, D.T.C., H.V.N., J.C., H.Y. and K-i.K., project administration, D.T.C., H.V.N., J.C., H.Y. and K-i.K, funding acquisition, H.Y. and J.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.