Since 2007, the Ministry of Education of Vietnam and Vietnamese key universities have been contacting NTU on a regular basis, hoping to develop a cooperation relationship, and sending outstanding students to pursue degrees at NTU. After thorough evaluation and preparation, President Si-chen Lee embarked on an academic cooperation and student recruitment trip to Hanoi on the 20th of January, accompanied by Director of the Office for International Affairs

One of the main purposes of the trip was to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the Civil Engineering University of Hanoi. In the Agreement, both sides agreed to have NTU's Department of Civil Engineering establish an all-English speaking special master degree program to train future Vietnamese teachers. The Ministry of Education of Vietnam attached great importance to this Joint Degree Program, and the Memorandum was sighed by President Si-chen Lee and President Nguyen Van Hung of the Civil Engineering University of Hanoi.

During a two day itinerary, President Lee and his entourage paid visits to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education, the Vietnamese Institute of Science and Technology, and five key universities including The Civil Engineering University of Hanoi. In addition to expressing his welcome for academic exchange and cooperation, President Lee promised to provide a number of scholarships to young Vietnamese teachers who will be sent to NTU to pursue their doctoral degrees, thus establishing a good foundation for future cooperation.