Vietnam Benchmarking Jeonju’s Urban Administration
Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Vietnam National University (VNU) is introducing Jeonju as a success model of urban administration to students enrolled in its architecture department.
The city office said that the university plans to include programs introducing Jeonju, the capital of North Jeolla Province, as a textbook reference in expediting administrative procedures for urban remodeling
The school will illustrate some of Jeonju's trademark projects, aimed at reviving the virtues of ``hanok,'' Korea's traditional housing, and constructing villages comprised of such traditional residential buildings.
``This is a significant step in informing the world about Jeonju's model examples in urban administration,'' a city official said.
A Vietnamese delegation led by Prof. Pham Trong Quat, VNU's vice president, visited Jeonju earlier this week and discussed details of the new program, which will be incorporated into the its curriculum starting this September.
Established in 1906 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, VNU is one of the most prestigious universities in the country.
In recent years, the school has paid particular attention to cultivating partnerships with Korean schools and local administrations. The VNU, Kangwon National University and Gangwon Province have been conducting exchange training and scholarship programs since 2003.
Jeonju has been noted for its initiatives toward combining Korea's traditional virtues with modernity in urban construction. A tourist spot, Jeonju is well known at home and abroad for its cultural and historic heritage, marked by extensive Korean-style villages found in its downtown area.
While known for upholding Korean tradition, Jeonju is also one of the most internationally active cities in Korea, having established sisterhood relations with San Diego in the U.S., Suzhou in China and Kanazawa in Japan.