Department of Communication and Media at Ewha Womans University Expands Academic Collaboration Network with Vietnamese Universities
The Department of Communication and Media at Ewha Womans University (Chair: Seung Chul Yoo) conducted events to establish global partnerships with two leading Vietnamese universities, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University, Ho Chi Minh) and Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), on December 19 and 20.
A large delegation participated in this event, including 10 faculty members from the Department of Communication and Media, two Ph.D. researchers from the Communication and Media Research Institute, and three Vietnamese graduate students. The delegation engaged in various research presentations and discussed sustainable collaboration strategies for joint research initiatives.
On December 19, the delegation visited RMIT University’s Ho Chi Minh campus, a research-centered university established in 1887 and based in Melbourne, Australia. Recognized as one of Vietnam’s top international universities, RMIT excels in fields such as technology, design, business, and the arts. Collaboration between RMIT and Ewha began in September 2024, when Professors Justin Battin and Long Nguyen from RMIT participated in the EWHA Communication & Media International Conference. This initial engagement led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), deepening their relationship to include academic exchanges, student exchanges, and joint research initiatives. Through this partnership, the universities plan to expand sustainable and practical joint research in the field of communication and media studies while solidifying an international academic network.
Professor Justin Battin praised Ewha’s “Asian Kids Online” project, highlighting its potential to help develop strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of media use among children and adolescents. Discussions included sharing data on Vietnamese youth media usage and exploring long-term joint research opportunities. Additionally, Professor Catherine from RMIT emphasized the influence of Korean cultural content, such as K-pop and K-dramas, on shaping the gender identities and values of Vietnamese youth, proposing a new research initiative on the Korean Wave (Hallyu).
On December 20, the delegation visited Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, established in 1995 and recognized as Vietnam’s premier national university. VNU-HCM aims to cultivate globally competitive talent and strengthen its international network. Professor Lê expressed great interest in the EEG and fNIRS systems recently developed by Ewha’s Department of Communication and Media, exploring opportunities to share experimental research data using neuroscientific approaches. Through the newly signed MOU, the two universities agreed to actively pursue joint research on media users in both countries.
The Department of Communication and Media at Ewha has maintained active academic exchanges with major universities across Asia, including Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and Rikkyo University in Japan. Department Chair Seung Chul Yoo stated, “This exchange event has been a significant step in building a network for Asian media user research and promoting long-term collaborative studies.” He added that Ewha plans to further expand its partnerships to strengthen its role as a central hub for academic exchange in Asia.
This collaboration with Vietnamese universities is expected to create synergies in media research within the region and serve as a foundation for establishing Ewha Womans University as a global research hub
