The lab will be operated by Bach Khoa Networking Academy in HUT, the first regional-level Cisco Networking Academy program in Vietnam. The lab is also Cisco URP's first R&D sponsorship in Vietnam, and is claimed to be the first true world-class communications lab in Vietnam.

The URP operates by soliciting research proposals and subjecting them to peer review, before granting funds to support those deemed most worthy.

James Chia, general director of Cisco Systems Vietnam, said: "This builds on the success of the Cisco Networking Academy program, which has trained thousands of young Vietnamese in networking skills. The URP program will bring in an added dimension of international exposure for the researchers in HUT, helping to increase the quality of its research work. Cisco will in turn benefit as the work done in HUT may be used to enhance the features in Cisco's products."