The leaders of Hyundai Motor Group and Vietnam National University, Hanoi, agreed to establish a new cooperation center to nurture professional talent and advance the competitiveness of the Vietnamese auto industry, the South Korean company said Sunday.

According to the Korean automaker, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Le Quan, the President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, met Friday on the school’s Hoa Lac campus to discuss various ways for cooperation.

“We hope to foster excellent future innovative talent through the industry-academic cooperation with Vietnam National University, Hanoi,” said Chung. “It will enable not only Hyundai Motor Group but also many partner companies to hire talented people and eventually play a big role in strengthening the Vietnamese automobile industry.”

The Hyundai Motor chief’s meeting with the university president came as the Korean automaker continues to expand its business in the Southeast Asian country.

According to Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Motor Company has sold 22,903 vehicles in Vietnam as of May to be the biggest auto seller in the country, followed by Toyota. Kia, Hyundai Motor’s sister automaker, was ranked at the fourth spot with 13,951 units sold during the first five months of this year. Hyundai and Kia were the second and third-biggest auto sellers in the country last year.

With the completion of Hyundai Thanh Cong Manufacturing Vietnam’s second factory in November adding an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles, Hyundai Motor said it will expand the sales to further solidify its leadership in the local market.

According to the Korean automaker, Chung proposed the idea of Hyundai Motor Group inviting well-known scholars from overseas universities to deliver lectures for the students at Vietnam National University, Hanoi to the school’s president.

“Vietnam National University, Hanoi, has a mission to host many international students and send our students overseas,” said Le Quan. “If foreign scholars can deliver lectures at our school with the help from Hyundai Motor Group, it would greatly help.”

On top of highlighting Hyundai Motor Group’s contribution to the enhancement of the Vietnamese economy and society through its automobile business, Chung also mentioned the Korean company's various social contribution activities in Vietnam.

In 2020, Hyundai Motor Group launched H-Jump School Vietnam, a program designed to connect university students in Hanoi with underprivileged adolescents to support education. The company offers scholarships and career-mentoring opportunities to participating university students.

Hyundai Motor Group established a job training center called Hyundai Dream Center at Hanoi Industrial Vocational College in 2016 in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency and Hyundai Engineering and Construction to foster auto engineering and construction experts.