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Tran Cong ThangDirector of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
"I am most proud of the tremendous knowledge I gained. Working with excellent professors, and having access to training programmes, data resources and seminars, as well as the opportunities to network with professionals, all helped me develop the IPSARD later on.”
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Dr. Tran Cong Thang thinks of his pursuing a PhD in Australia in 2000 as "fate." He was working at the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development where among the foreign funding projects for the ministry at that time were those by ACIAR. It was his time working on ACIAR projects that provided him the opportunity to earn a scholarship and study agricultural economics in Australia.
"The experts who visited Vietnam became my supervisors. Studying there was very different from what I had imagined. The professors were very stern and I learned about being proactive, handling pressure, and working methodically..." - he recalled.
From the professors to the Australian people, everyone was friendly and wonderful. "I am most proud of the tremendous knowledge I gained. Working with excellent professors, and having access to training programmes, data resources and seminars, as well as the opportunities to network with professionals all helped me develop the IPSARD later on. The ACIAR network of offices (in Vietnam and at the university where I studied) offered me great support throughout my PhD. After years, we remain great friends and colleagues!”
Dr. Tran gives high regard to the various projects funded by Australia for IPSARD over the years. Under the project Aus4Reform on institutional transformation, Australia has supported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in developing various policies, including those on restructuring the rice sector. More recently is the joint development of projects related to coffee protection.
He has particular appreciation for Australia’s scholarships for IPSARD staff, with a new and flexible option of being able to study either in Vietnam or in Australia. "We recently signed cooperation agreements with the University of New SouthWale, the University of Queensland and others. Our institute’s staff receive significant training support from Australia..
"Vietnam is one of the priority countries for Australia, they have connected and formed long-term partnerships. The way they offer support is beneficial for both Vietnam and Australia” - he said.
Thang believes there is still significant room for developing the relations between two sides, especially in emerging issues such as sustainable agricultural development, environmental evaluation in agricultural development, digitalisation in agriculture and more.