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A college in central Vietnam conferred Thursday an honorary doctoral degree on a Thai visual artist for his contributions to cooperation between Vietnamese art colleges and their Thai partners.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Van Toan, director of Hue University, directly presented the degree to Nonthivathn Chandhanaphalin at the school’s campus, located in the central city of Hue.

This is the first time the university has ever awarded such a title to a visual artist.

In 1997 Chandhanaphalin led his school of painting, sculpture, and graphic arts, under Silpakorn University, and Chiang Mai University to sign a cooperation agreement with the Hanoi University of Fine Arts and Hue College of Arts.

This event established a basis for further cooperation between Vietnamese art colleges and their Thai counterparts later on.

Seven international exhibitions have been co-organized by Vietnamese and Thai art schools ever since. Lecturers and students have been sent to each other’s campuses for teaching, studies, and research as well.

As the president of the school of fine and applied arts under Mahasarakham University, Chandhanaphalin collaborated with the Hue College of Arts to run three graduate courses in visual arts in 2009.

Forty-two Vietnamese lecturers and 75 local students have been enrolled in these programs in Thailand so far.