Le Thi Thuy DUONG

Abstract: Vietnam has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic transnational education (TNE) markets, with rising demand, an increasingly sophisticated regulatory environment, and growing competition among international providers. For Curtin University, this growth has been built on long-term, trust-based partnerships — most notably a twenty-year relationship with SEAMEO RETRAC and a strategic alliance with Foreign Trade University (FTU). This panel brings together Curtin’s DVC Global with senior leaders from both partner institutions to examine how these relationships have evolved, what has sustained them through two decades of change, and how they inform Curtin’s broader market strategy in Vietnam. Panellists will discuss partnership governance, articulation and pathway design, responsiveness to Vietnam’s evolving higher education policy landscape, and the role of mobility programs in deepening institutional ties. Delegates will gain practical insight into what long-term TNE success looks like in one of the region’s fastest-growing markets, and how partnership longevity itself becomes a strategic asset — not just an operational outcome — in a competitive international education sector. Learning objectives: By attending this session, delegates will be able to: - Understand the key factors that have sustained a 20-year TNE partnership between Curtin University and SEAMEO RETRAC in Vietnam - Identify how Curtin’s partnership strategy with Foreign Trade University complements and diversifies its Vietnam market presence - Recognise how Vietnam’s evolving regulatory and policy environment shapes TNE partnership design and governance - Compare perspectives from both the Australian provider side and Vietnamese partner institutions on what makes cross-border partnerships durable - Apply lessons on long-term relationship management and trust-building to their own institution’s TNE strategy in Vietnam or comparable emerging markets - Engage directly with panellists in a Q&A format on practical partnership and market-entry questions Target audience: International educators working in TNE, partnerships, or Southeast Asia market strategy; institutional leaders developing long-term partnership models; and those with an interest in Vietnam’s higher education landscape or sustaining crossborder relationships over time.