The activity, held from August 12th to 16th, 2025, was guided by Professor Kato Atsufumi (Kyoto Sangyo University); Dr. Nguyen Phuong Thuy (Faculty of Oriental Studies); and Mr. Do Van Kien (Institute of Vietnamese Studies & Development Science, VNU Hanoi), along with 10 KSU students. The aim was to provide students with experiences of rural and agricultural life, to learn about the lives of local people, unique traditional cultural features, and achievements in the new rural development of the area. The Japanese Studies students from VNU-USSH acted as translators, bridging the gap between Japanese students and local people.
Japanese students are participating in an exchange program and studying at the Department of Oriental Studies.
Accordingly, the delegation worked with the People's Committee of Mai Phu commune to learn about the local situation after the administrative boundary merger, the development of OCOP products in the locality, and typical traditional craft villages in Ha Tinh, including Thach My broom-making village, Thach Chau clam village, Mai Phu salt village, etc. In nearly 15 years (2010 - 2025) of implementation, the OCOP program throughout Ha Tinh province has recognized 410 products, of which 267 products still have valid OCOP certification, 8 products achieved 4 stars, and 259 products achieved 3 stars.
The delegation worked at the New Rural Development Coordination Office of Ha Tinh province.
In addition, the delegation visited Ba Hai Temple (Ky Ninh, Ky Anh), toured the Luan Nghiep fish sauce production facility with its 3-star and 4-star OCOP products; conducted surveys and interviews with local people, and participated in cultural and sports exchanges with students at Thach Chau Primary School.
The field team interviewed residents of Mai Phu commune, Ha Tinh province.
The students participated in a cultural and sports exchange with students from Thach Chau Primary School.
During the meeting with the delegation, Associate Professor Dr. Dang Hong Son - Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - expressed his gratitude for the long-standing relationship between the two universities since 2018 and hoped that both sides would continue to have effective cooperation activities.
Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Dang Hong Son, expressed his hope that VNU-USSH and KSU will have many effective cooperation activities in the future.
Fieldwork in Ha Tinh has become a meaningful experience for students majoring in Japanese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies. For Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan (a K65 student majoring in Japanese Studies), who hails from Ha Tinh, accompanying and supporting the KSU University student delegation on this recent field trip brought her special experiences. “Through the working sessions and translation support during the survey, I had the opportunity to look back at my hometown from a new perspective, better understand the characteristics of the new rural areas, the distinctive products of each region, traditional villages, and the achievements in building new rural areas in my hometown,” Thuy Ngan shared.
For Phuong Quynh Giang (a K66 student majoring in Japanese Studies), this is her second time participating in a field trip to Ha Tinh with a group of students from Kyoto Sangyo University. Quynh Giang said that the trip has helped her become more confident, not only in translation but also in proactively exchanging and sharing the knowledge and skills she has honed during her studies and research in Japanese Studies with the Japanese students.
