QNU Connects Knowledge with the Community through a Twinning Partnership with Bôn Sô Mlơng Village (Gia Lai)

On the afternoon of 29 January, at the Community Cultural House of Bôn Sô Mlơng Village (Phú Thiện Commune, Gia Lai Province), Quy Nhon University (QNU) held a twinning (sister-unit) partnership activity with local residents. The event marked the beginning of a strong and long-term bond between the University and an ethnic minority community, helping to spread the values of sharing, social responsibility, and human compassion as QNU accompanied the locality on its development journey.

As part of fulfilling the social responsibility of a higher education institution, QNU has continuously expanded community-engagement activities, with a particular focus on disadvantaged ethnic minority areas. The partnership with Bôn Sô Mlơng Village stands as a clear demonstration of the University’s commitment to community service, the promotion of humane values, and the fulfillment of social responsibility in support of sustainable local development.

Dr. Hà Thanh Hải, Vice Rector of Quy Nhon University, delivered remarks at the twinning ceremony with Bôn Sô Mlơng Village.

The twinning program was implemented in the spirit of strengthening the great national solidarity bloc and building a lasting relationship between the University and the people of Bôn Sô Mlơng Village. Beyond symbolic meaning, the program aims to deliver practical, needs-based initiatives that respond to local realities—supporting socio-economic development, improving residents’ material and spiritual well-being, and laying the groundwork for sustained cooperation in the time ahead.
A key highlight of the activity series was the twinning ceremony held at the village cultural house, attended by representatives of QNU’s leadership, relevant functional units, and a large number of local officials and residents. The ceremony not only formalized the partnership between the University and the village, but also provided a forum for both sides to exchange views and agree on directions for coordination in communication, education, and community development support. Through the signing ceremony and speeches delivered at the event, the spirit of companionship, sharing, and social responsibility was clearly expressed, strengthening local consensus and trust.

The Vice Rector and Mr. R'Ô Nghĩa, Head of Bôn Sô Mlơng Village, signed the twinning memorandum of understanding between the two parties.

 At the ceremony, the University also presented gifts to villagers and students in Bôn Sô Mlơng with a total value of approximately VND 50 million. The support included clothing and essential household items for local families; school supplies, books, and bicycles for disadvantaged students; as well as desks and chairs and additional cash gifts.

The ceremony was honored to welcome delegates representing the leadership of Phú Thiện Commune.

Alongside the ceremony, the partnership’s practical components focus on communication and awareness-raising for residents regarding the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, linked with building new rural areas, maintaining public order and security, environmental protection, and developing a healthy cultural life in residential communities. With strengths in education and research, QNU serves as a bridge for knowledge—helping local people access information, practical know-how, and development models that suit local conditions.

The University presented gifts to local residents and students in the village.

In addition, socio-economic support activities are designed in a practical and humane manner, with particular attention to the lives of residents and disadvantaged students in Bôn Sô Mlơng. The gifts and learning tools provided carry not only material value but also reflect the care, solidarity, and sense of responsibility shown by QNU’s staff and students toward the local community.

Many villagers attended and witnessed the ceremony.

Notably, the twinning partnership also creates opportunities for the University’s specialized units—especially the Faculty of Natural Sciences—to provide consultation and share production experience, supporting residents in improving labor efficiency and developing household-based livelihoods. The participation of academic staff and lecturers highlights that a university’s role is not limited to teaching and research, but also includes disseminating knowledge for community service, in line with the principle of education closely connected to real life.

University staff took a commemorative photo with children in the village.

Through this partnership with Bôn Sô Mlơng Village (Phú Thiện Commune, Gia Lai Province), QNU continues to affirm its mission of accompanying localities, contributing to national unity, and spreading sustainable humanistic values. This is not only a meaningful social activity, but also a foundation for the University and the locality to nurture a close, long-term relationship—toward harmonious development that links education, community, and society.

Bôn Sô Mlơng Village, Phú Thiện Commune, remains socio-economically disadvantaged, with 93 households—mostly Jrai people—earning their livelihoods primarily from agriculture such as rice cultivation, cassava growing, and animal husbandry. The rates of poor and near-poor households remain high, and local livelihoods are heavily affected by limited production capacity, slow adoption of science and technology, unstable agricultural commodity prices, and complex disease developments in crops and livestock. The village also faces challenges related to infrastructure and the environment, including shortages of residential and production land for some households, deteriorating irrigation canals, incomplete rural transport infrastructure, ineffective waste collection, and difficulties in building toilets and relocating livestock pens.
Given this situation, the village’s leadership proposed that partner units provide support to enhance residents’ knowledge and production capacity through training and guidance on restructuring crops and livestock, applying science and technology, and meeting essential needs related to education, community life, and rural lighting—so as to gradually improve living standards and achieve sustainable poverty reduction.

Bao Thuan

Vo Thien An