Between March 17 and March 23, 2025, the Faculty of International Education, in collaboration with the Department of International Cooperation, and relevant faculties, departments, and units of Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, successfully organised a short course on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, in partnership with the German Energy Agency (Dena).

This course is a key component of the Vietnam-University Cooperation on Energy Efficiency in Buildings (VUCE) program. Hanoi University of Civil Engineering was the only university among all Vietnamese institutions that was selected by the German partner for this initiative.

With the course, students gained and sharpened their knowledge on: 1. Analysing building energy demands based on local climate conditions and both traditional and modern construction techniques; 2. Local and international best practices on enhancement of energy efficiency and reduction of resources use by circular construction.

The 2025 course was structured around three key parts: (1) a three-day block seminar (March 17-19, 2025); (2) a group project on the refurbishment proposal of an existing building to improve its energy efficiency; and (3) a series of site visits on March 20, 22, and 23, 2025 to successful energy-efficient buildings including the College of Urban Works Construction (Ha Noi), Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (Ha Noi), Forest in the Sky hotel (Vinh Phuc), Bac Ninh exhibition center of planning (Bac Ninh) and TESA factory (Hai Phong)). All expenses were fully covered by the VUCE program.

This course offered students valuable knowledge and practical experience in energy-efficient building design and construction, facilitated by German and Vietnamese experts. It was also an opportunity for participants to further develop their knowledge of foreign languages and essential skills including communication, presentation, teamwork and problem-solving through group projects and site visits. Upon successful completion, students were awarded academic credits transferable to: Vocational Skills (2 ETCs), English/French (2 ETCs), Industry Site Visits (1 ETC), Practical Site Visits (1 ETC), and Technical Drawing (1 ETC).

This course promotes sustained collaboration for the next training courses on energy-efficient / green buildings in Vietnamese universities. Knowledge through the course will empower the students’ careers and significantly drive the development of sustainable, eco-friendly and energy-efficient buildings in Vietnam.

Some other images of the program: