Bangkok, June 16 -- In the halls of Thailand's Khon Kaen University, a plan is taking shape to open a Vietnam Studies Centre, a venture designed to deepen educational ties, cultural exchange and friendship between the two neighbours.

Consul General Dinh Hoang Linh recently held a working session with leaders of Khon Kaen University and its Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' representatives to hammer out a roadmap.

Linh welcomed the university's willingness to fund facilities for the centre at one of Thailand's top higher education establishments. The centre, he said, will support in-depth academic research and spread multidisciplinary knowledge about Vietnam, giving a boost to people-to-people diplomacy.

The Consulate General, ...