IHE Delft and Hanoi Architectural University sign cooperation agreement

In a Memorandum of Understanding, IHE Delft and HAU have agreed to cooperate on the provision of water-related training opportunities in connection with health and flooding. The joint activities will support Vietnam as it seeks to boost investment in its water infrastructure by expanding its capacity in planning, design, engineering, financing and asset management.

Collaborative partnership

“HAU is pleased to establish a collaborative partnership with IHE Delft,” said Associate Professor Le Quan, Rector of Hanoi Architectural University, who signed the memorandum along with IHE Delft Business Director Johan van Dijk in a ceremony held at HAU on 11 October.

“We believe that this cooperation not only enhances the infrastructure engineering field but also positively impacts the architectural science domain. This represents an auspicious initial step toward fostering closer ties between the two disciplines - water science and architecture," Le Quan said.  

Tackling climate change

Van Dijk added: “This cooperation is crucial as cities play an increasingly important role in tackling climate change and their exposure to disaster risk increases as they grow. Exposure is especially high in the densely populated and rapidly urbanizing river plains and coastlines in developing countries, home to 90% of the world’s flood-exposed people.”

With support from the Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam, IHE Delft and HAU will jointly develop training courses for staff of several Vietnamese government ministries and service providers. At a later date, the partners hope to expand the cooperation to include research, including at PhD level.