On a state visit to Vietnam in January Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stopped by the Vietnamese-German-University (VGU). This visit was of great importance as it emphasised the close cooperation between Germany and Vietnam in the field of education. The Federal President praised the innovative work of the university and underlined the importance of intercultural exchange and connectivity for a better future. The students and lecturers were enthusiastic about the recognition and support from the Federal President, which led to an emotional and inspiring atmosphere.

Sustainable development of the energy system, international economic cooperation, and Germany's need for highly qualified labour - three central themes of the speech given by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Binh Dung, north of Ho Chi Minh City. Following these guiding principles, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering set up a Master's degree programme “Computational Engineering” at VGU in 2009 based on the Bochum model, which has been successfully training engineers for almost 15 years now. 
Of the 60 or so graduates, nine are currently pursuing a doctorate while eleven have already successfully completed their doctorates and embarked on an academic career. At the same time, the programme at VGU gives Bochum students the opportunity to complete modules with identical content as a block course in Vietnam without much effort and thus gain initial experience of Vietnam, which can also be very helpful for the German labour market.