During its working visit to Portugal, on March 20, 2025, the delegation from the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG), led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President, attended a meeting with the Porto Accounting and Business School (ISCAP), a member of the Polytechnic University of Porto.
Welcoming and working with the delegation were Prof. Manuel Moreira Da Silva, Rector of ISCAP, and Ms. Alexandra Albuquerque, International Coordinator in charge of international projects, faculty and student exchange programs, and credit recognition agreements.
During the meeting, Prof. Manuel Moreira Da Silva expressed his pleasure in welcoming the APAG President and his delegation to Porto. He introduced ISCAP as one of the eight member schools of the Polytechnic University of Porto, with a student body of over 5,000, 300 faculty members, and 75 administrative staff. Currently, ISCAP offers eight undergraduate programs and five postgraduate programs, focusing on Finance and Management, Human Resource Management, Public Governance, International Trade, Information Technology, and Innovation Science. The undergraduate programs are designed flexibly, with students studying at ISCAP for the first two years and then participating in internships at businesses and organizations before completing their final two years of study. This model aims to enhance both professional skills and career prospects, ensuring that students gain practical experience and better job opportunities in their respective fields.
In addition to collaborative training programs, ISCAP is keen to expand cooperation through international projects, funding opportunities, and scholarship programs.
Meeting overview.
In his part, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien introduced the functions and responsibilities of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG), a public higher education institution under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. With its headquarters in Ha Noi and two campuses in Central and Southern Viet Nam, APAG focuses on training human resources in public administration, state management, public governance, and legal studies. Currently, APAG has nearly 10,000 students enrolled in 24 undergraduate programs and approximately 4,000 learners pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees across 10 disciplines. In its efforts to foster and expand cooperation, APAG aims to implement various programs funded by partner universities, scholarship funds from international organizations, and cooperation support funds from the European Union.
During the meeting, both sides agreed on key areas of collaboration, including (i) Enhancing cooperation in undergraduate and postgraduate education in the fields of Human Resource Management and Public Management; (ii) Promoting efforts to secure funding for faculty and student exchange programs; (iii) Creating opportunities for students to participate in exchange programs with credit recognition.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien , APAG President (L) and Prof. Manuel Moreira Da Silva, Rector of ISCAP.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both parties expressed their desire to actively implement and strengthen their cooperation. They agreed to assign their respective liaison units to further discuss the details of training program frameworks and the feasibility of faculty and student exchange initiatives. The aim is to move towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Cooperation Agreements to realize these initiatives, thereby enhancing the capacity of both faculty and students.
Meeting participants.
