Abstract:
This research was conducted with the following objectives: 1) To analyze current conditions, problems and characteristics of bilateral educational cooperation between Thailand and Vietnam and 2) To propose guidelines for Thailand-Vietnam bilateral educational cooperation for ASEAN community development by using qualitative research in which documents were studied and interviews were conducted. The researcher collected data by participatory observation, unofficial interviews, in-depth interviews and group discussions by going into the field in Thailand and Vietnam with similar ratios and focal points. According to the research findings, currently existing Thailand-Vietnam bilateral educational cooperation is cooperation with joint goals and benefits focused on exchange or joint activities for one objective. The aforementioned are of the formal type with a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU). The cooperative educational projects are as follows: 1) work observation; 2) scholarship support; 3) student-teacher and university study-professor exchanges; 4) personnel development training; 5) teaching equipment and building support; 6) sending experts; 7) organization of courses and curriculum development; 8) seminars for the presentation of work performance/academic articles and 9) joint research and development.The following two types of problems and barriers were encountered in the cooperation: 1) Policy for the promotion of cooperation in the policy and vision of executives affecting the continuity of cooperation. There are no concrete guidelines for promoting cooperation and no evaluation of the concurrence between policy and action and 2) management of the cooperation. Support personnel, various budgetary allocations for cooperative projects are unequal and there is no system for ongoing follow-up on performance of projects.Thailand-Vietnam bilateral educational cooperation for ASEAN community development involves the following three methods: 1) Promoting bilateral cooperation with higher education institutions Thailand and Vietnam in joint research and developing curriculum to handle the ASEAN Community; 2) Promoting exchanges between Thailand and Vietnam as a mechanism for promoting relations and building good understanding and 3) Linking every sector participating in the promotion of the ASEAN community.