FACULTY OF ORIENTAL STUDIES STRENGTHENS ACADEMIC NETWORKING AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

On November 11, 2026, at the Linh Xuan campus, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City held a working session with a delegation of professors from the University of Innsbruck (Austria), continuing previous academic exchange activities on sustainable tourism.

The delegation from the University of Innsbruck included Prof. Mike Peters, responsible for education, Professor of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Tourism; Prof. Birgit Pikkemaat, Professor of the Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Management. Representing the University of Social Sciences and Humanities were Assoc. Prof. PhD. Phan Thi Hong Xuan, Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies; PhD. Pham Thi Thuy Nguyet, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism; and MA. Phan Hieu Nghia, visiting lecturer in Australian Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, who provided interpretation support. PhD. Tran Dinh Lam - former Director of the Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies - acted as the bridge connecting the professor delegation with the Vietnam-ASEAN cultural exchange program of the Faculty of Oriental Studies.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the potential for research and training cooperation in the fields of tourism, hospitality, destination management, and sustainable development. In particular, the possibility of implementing cooperation activities through the ASEA-UNINET network (ASEAN-European Academic University Network) was highlighted as a way to connect scientists and develop interdisciplinary research projects.

Previously, on November 7, 2026, the Faculty of Oriental Studies participated in the international seminar “Sustainable Tourism Development – Perspectives from Research, Management, and Business”, within the framework of the ASEA-UNINET project “Exploring Social Conflicts in Tourism Destinations”.

The seminar featured experts from Vietnam and Austria, focusing on discussing contemporary tourism research trends, challenges in destination management, and requirements for ensuring social sustainability.

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Phan Thi Hong Xuan served as the moderator for the session titled “Tourism Research, Management, and Social Sustainable Development”. Prof. Mike Peters’ papers addressed tourism research trends in Austria and the challenges and experiences of balanced tourism development in the Alpine region; while Prof. Birgit Pikkemaat focused on social sustainability at tourism destinations.

Through these exchanges, the seminar contributed to expanding the approach to tourism from an interdisciplinary perspective, in which economic development must be placed in a harmonious relationship with cultural conservation, community benefits, and social responsibility. Assoc. Prof. PhD. Phan Thi Hong Xuan also summarized the session, connecting research issues with cooperation orientations and practical applications.

Continuing the exchanges from the seminar with the working session with the University of Innsbruck on November 11 shows the potential for developing academic cooperation between the units, especially in tourism research from the perspectives of culture, society, community, and sustainable development.

For the Faculty of Oriental Studies, this is also an opportunity to leverage its strengths in area studies, cultural research, and cross-cultural exchange in interdisciplinary international cooperation programs, while expanding opportunities to connect research, exchange faculty and students, and develop joint projects in the coming time.