Kaila White

The Republic | azcentral.com

Among the many historic moments during President Barack Obama's first visit to Vietnam on Monday, one was particularly notable for Arizona: When he name-dropped Arizona State University.

In his opening remarks during a press conference with Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang, Obama spoke of American efforts to help Vietnamese universities.

"American academic and technology leaders — including Intel, Oracle, Arizona State University and others — will help Vietnamese universities boost training in science, technology, engineering and math," Obama said.

Hear that, University of Arizona? ASU is an "academic and technology leader."

He's referencing ASU's Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program, or HEEAP, which trains professors from eight Vietnamese universities on new ways to teach engineering.

Through workshops at ASU and abroad, HEEAP goes beyond traditional theory-based engineering programs by adding applied and hands-on instruction in hopes of producing graduates who are ready to work.

The president also mentioned that the Peace Corps works in Vietnam for the first time, and that "Harvard Medical School, Johnson & Johnson, GE and others will join with Vietnam universities to improve medical education."

Read the full transcript of President Obama's remarks on WhiteHouse.gov.

During his trip, President Obama also lifted a decades-long American arms embargo on Vietnam and dined with Anthony Bourdain in a restaurant in Hanoi.