The Center for Education and Development Vietnam (CED), in partnership with AES Mong Duong Power Company Limited, organized a Plant Tour in the Mong Duong 2 BOT Power Project for 3 CED officers and 11 outstanding students who were awarded the “AES Future Energy Scholarship 2022” with 3 lectures. All of the students and lectures are from 3 domestic universities, including the Hanoi University of Science & Technology, University of Electricity, and University of Science – Vietnam National University Hanoi.

During the two-day Plant Tour, students and teachers obtained valuable knowledge while touring Vietnam’s first and largest BOT thermal power plant. Students and teachers were able to practice the Safety process before entering the workplace, and they were also introduced to the technologies of exhaust gas treatment and environmental protection. Furthermore, the engineers of the Mong Duong 2 BOT Power Project explained in detail to instructors and students the basic running method of the power plant. On the second day of the visit, staff from AES Mong Duong led the team to the Sludge Dump 2 and educated instructors and students on slag removal technology and the factory’s slag discharge procedure. The students also had the chance to speak with the plant director about internship and employment prospects at AES after the visit.

Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ha, lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Science – Vietnam National University Hanoi, shared: “This visit, I believe, will benefit not just pupils but also teachers like me. Because students and teachers do not have many opportunity to experience reality in their daily study and research environments. This is an opportunity for students and instructors to interact with real life situations and compare their own knowledge.” Field visits like this, according to Associate Professor Bui Dang Thanh, instructor at Hanoi University of Science & Technology, will substantially benefit students. Mr. Thanh, who has studied in France for a while, believes that for scientific and technology fields, theory by itself is insufficient; students must also have practical engagement so that theory is put into practice, rather than just dry words. For Mrs. Ngo Thi Nhip, a lecturer at the University of Electricity, the trip to the AES Mong Duong 2 left her with many fond memories, not only of the knowledge gained but also of the two days she spent working with other colleagues and students, which gave her a sense of being back a student at university.

Dang Thai Binh, a student at University of Science – Vietnam National University Hanoi, feels extremely fortunate to have been chosen as one of 11 students to participate in this worthwhile field trip and to have been awarded an AES scholarship. As for Ha Minh Son, a student at the Hanoi University of Science & Technology, also understood that not all students are privileged enough to have this opportunity. He and other 10 student appreciate CED and AES for allowing them to get scholarships and travel opportunities. As a result, they are more driven to try more and put up greater effort, which will enable them to get better day by day at work as well as over the course of future learning and research.