The delegation from Peking University included professors and scientists researching and teaching in the fields of Vietnamese language, international relations, and regional studies, led by Professor Ning Qi (Vice President of Peking University).
Welcoming the delegation, on behalf of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, there were Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan (Principal of the University), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thanh Nam (Vice Chairman of the University Council, Head of Training Department) and leaders of a number of functional departments and training units in the university.
Rector Hoang Anh Tuan warmly welcomed and thanked the delegation of Peking University for visiting the school during the days close to the traditional Tet holiday of Vietnam and China, and affirmed: “The University of Social Sciences and Humanities especially attaches importance to the cooperative relationship with universities and research institutes of China, especially the most prestigious university such as Peking University. In the past time, through the connection of scientists, the two schools have had a number of successful cooperative activities. And recently, a very important event, on December 9, 2024, at Peking University, took place the Vietnam - China Higher Education Cooperation Seminar with the participation of leaders of the two Ministries of Education, functional departments and many leading universities of the two countries. On this occasion, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities officially signed a cooperation agreement with Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University on training and research in the fields of social sciences and humanities, exchange of lecturers and students, and promotion of "We will strengthen cooperation in Chinese and Vietnamese language training. Today's visit by the delegation further affirms our determination to realize the cooperation directions that the two sides have signed."
Professor Hoang Anh Tuan (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) introduced the strengths of the University and the potential for cooperation between the two institutions.
On behalf of the Peking University delegation, Professor Ninh Ky expressed his deep gratitude for the warm welcome and enthusiastic and effective support of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities so that the delegation could organize a working trip to Vietnam quickly and smoothly despite the extremely busy Tet holiday. Introducing Peking University, Professor Ninh Ky shared: Peking University is the leading university in China and ranked 17th in the world according to QS Rankings 2024. Currently, we have about more than 50,000 students (including students, trainees and postgraduates). The majors that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities trains are also available at Peking University and are ranked top in Asia and in the world rankings. In particular, the Vietnamese language major of the Foreign Language Academy started training undergraduates in 1949, being the first university in China to open a Vietnamese language major. Therefore, I see that the two schools have many opportunities to cooperate, share resources, and support each other in many fields: training, research, and international publishing. Joining our working group are leading experts with in-depth research on regions around the world, as well as the relationship between China and countries and regions: Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe; and experts in Vietnamese linguistics and cultural exchange between Vietnam and China. The two sides can openly discuss to jointly come up with specific and feasible cooperation contents and implement them in 2025.
Professor Ninh Ky (Vice President of Peking University) expressed his hope that the two sides would implement many effective and substantive cooperation activities.
During the meeting, representatives from VNU-USSH's training units shared important information about successful activities implemented between the university's faculties and units affiliated with Peking University, and also proposed several areas for enhanced cooperation in the future.
Associate Professor Dr. Dang Hong Son (Head of the Faculty of History) shared: “The University of Social Sciences and Humanities is one of the universities with the best training in Archaeology in Vietnam. Archaeology started in the 60s of the last century, and a Chinese professor, Professor Le Van Chung, came to teach Archaeology in our Faculty of History. I hope that through today's cooperation, we can further promote cooperation between the two universities in the fields of archaeology, history and cultural heritage.
Currently, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is striving to build a repository of Vietnamese historical documents abroad. I understand that some documents by Chinese and European historians about Vietnam are currently stored in mainland China, Taiwan, and several European countries. Therefore, we hope that your university will facilitate access for researchers from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to the Peking University Library to conduct research and search for ancient documents about Vietnam. These are invaluable resources for students and scholars both domestically and internationally studying Vietnamese history and culture, as well as the diplomatic relations between countries in the region during the ancient and medieval periods.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thu Hien (Deputy Head of the Faculty of Literature) emphasized: “This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China. This is a very important milestone, so I very much hope to have deeper cooperation in all fields. I know that the Vietnamese Language Department of Peking University is one of the earliest established departments in China. And the training of Vietnamese language and culture is also a strength of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Therefore, the two universities can cooperate according to the "2+2" model: sending students studying Vietnamese at Peking University to study at VNU-USSH or VNU-USSH students to study the same majors at the other university and have their credits recognized. In the field of literature, there is a reality that Vietnam is still the country that translates the most Chinese literature, but conversely, China has very little understanding of Vietnamese literature. Therefore, I very much hope that we can work together to introduce, promote, and spread the values of Vietnamese literature.” "We bring the cultural and classical literature of Vietnam and China to readers in both countries and friends around the world."
Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa (Head of the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies) shared: “In the past many years, VNU-USSH often sent students to Beijing for short-term exchanges and Beijing students also came to the Faculty of Oriental Studies, VNU-USSH for social internships. However, recently this activity has been interrupted due to objective conditions. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity, the two schools can restore this activity because creating conditions for students to exchange and study abroad, especially at universities in the region: China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, ... is highly valued by the school's leadership."
Representing the Faculty of International Studies, Dr. Vu Thi Anh Thu (Deputy Head of Faculty) also affirmed her appreciation for this valuable opportunity to cooperate in training activities, student and faculty exchanges, and academic exchanges between two leading institutions in Vietnam and China. Dr. Anh Thu further emphasized: “During our research on Vietnam and international relations, we are particularly interested in the research works of Chinese scholars on Vietnam and the relationship between the two countries, especially the original documents currently held in the archives of Peking University and China. We hope that in the future, both sides will cooperate to directly and effectively utilize this source of information.”
Completely agreeing with and highly appreciating the specific cooperation proposals from representatives of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Professor Tran Minh (Director of the Foreign Language Institute of Peking University) affirmed: “The University of Foreign Languages is currently implementing short-term training courses for foreign students and trainees, lasting about 2-3 weeks, on Southeast Asia and international relations; summer classes on Eastern culture and literature research; and regularly organizing academic forums for students and postgraduate researchers. We highly welcome the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to send students and postgraduate researchers to participate in these training activities. Regarding scientific research, the Beijing Forum is held annually in November, and we can certainly organize a separate session for the two universities to exchange on issues of mutual interest. At the same time, we are ready to connect and support Vietnamese scholars in accessing and utilizing original source materials stored at Peking University or its archives.” The research works of lecturers and researchers of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities can be translated into Chinese for publication in Chinese journals and vice versa.
Regarding the 2+2 and 3+1 training models (in the fields of linguistics, area studies, cultural studies, etc.), Professor Ninh Ky fully agreed and affirmed that it is a feasible proposal that both sides can implement immediately in the 2024-2025 academic year. “In 2025, we will strengthen people-to-people exchanges and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China. We very much hope that the cooperation between the two universities will become more substantive and effective,” Professor Ninh Ky expressed.
At the end of the meeting, Rector Hoang Anh Tuan once again expressed his sincere gratitude to the delegation from Peking University for dedicating their valuable time to working with the University and sharing extremely valuable information. He further emphasized: “International exchange is an important prerequisite for creating sustainable and strong development for higher education institutions. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities highly anticipates and is committed to mobilizing all resources to promote substantive and effective activities to bring practical value to students. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities currently has a Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, one of the few most prestigious scientific journals in Vietnam. We hope to receive research papers from professors at Peking University in the future on all fields of social sciences and humanities, especially research on Vietnam based on original Chinese sources.”
Representatives from both sides exchanged commemorative gifts after the meeting.
The delegation from Peking University took a photo with the leaders and staff of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities during their visit to the University.
