Attending the reception ceremony were Prof. Dr. Momoki Shiro, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Van Quan (Head of the History Department) and the entire Faculty Management Board, Dr. Dinh Tien Hieu (Deputy Head of the Political and Student Affairs Department of the University), Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim (Director of the Center for Marine and Island Affairs), along with many lecturers, students, postgraduate students and doctoral candidates of the History Department.
Opening the ceremony, Professor Momoki Shiro emotionally shared: “I came to Vietnam in the 1980s as a graduate student, and to date, I have spent over 40 years researching Vietnam. From the very beginning of my research on Vietnam, I was fortunate to receive help and guidance from Professor Phan Huy Le, Professor Ha Van Tan, and many Vietnamese colleagues. In the years that followed, I regularly received the companionship, cooperation, and support of professors and many experts from the Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. I am always grateful and always want to do something to express my gratitude for that invaluable help. Therefore, over the years, I have always strived to participate in training young Japanese researchers on Vietnam in Japan, as well as Vietnamese researchers on Japan; and at the same time, I have tried to collect as many valuable research works as possible to donate to universities and libraries.” To be used as a reference for studying and conducting scientific research.
The books I am pleased to present to the Department of History today are the result of my personal research, as well as books by renowned scholars worldwide researching Southeast Asia and Vietnam, which I have collected over many years. I hope that this small gift will somehow contribute to the training and scientific research of the Department of History and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – the place where I am deeply connected and which has helped me so much.”
Professor Momoki Shiro shared about the process of collecting and classifying over 700 books donated to the Department of History, viewing it as a token of gratitude for the kind sentiments that many generations of faculty members have shown him.
On behalf of the Faculty's leadership and all faculty members, students, and trainees, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Quan expressed his profound gratitude to Professor Dr. Momoki Shiro – a great and extremely close friend of many generations of faculty members, from the pioneering senior teachers of the Faculty of History to the subsequent generations of teachers and students currently studying at the Faculty. For over 40 years, Professor Dr. Momoki Shiro has always been a diligent, dedicated, and devoted scholar to the training and research of Vietnamese history, country, and people. Many of his students in Japan and Vietnam have now become leading experts in regional studies and Vietnamese studies. Professor Dr. Momoki is a world-class expert in Vietnamese studies. His research has made a significant contribution to Vietnamese historical science, not only through valuable discoveries and findings but also through theoretical guidance and new research methods.
Associate Professor Vu Van Quan emphasized: “The gift Professor Momoki presented today is truly invaluable to researchers in Vietnam in general, and to the faculty and students of the History Department in particular, not only for the present but also for many generations to come. We respectfully accept it and commit to carefully managing, preserving, effectively utilizing, and spreading the value of this book set to a wide range of researchers, lecturers, students, and postgraduate students inside and outside the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.”
As a close friend and someone who has had the opportunity to work with Professor Momoki for many years, Professor Nguyen Van Kim emotionally shared: “To me, Professor Momoki is truly a leading expert in Vietnamese studies, on a world-class level. He is a great example of dedication to science, particularly interested in new perspectives, approaches, and application of methods in research. At the same time, as an educator, he always valued the training of young experts in Vietnam and Japan and tirelessly strived to promote academic cooperation and exchange between the two countries. Thanks to him and other leading scientists, Vietnamese studies has achieved a prominent and strong position among Southeast Asian studies research fields in Japan. The gift he bestowed today—the outstanding works of himself and many leading scientists worldwide—is truly a gift of immense significance to the researchers, teachers, and students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.”
Professor Nguyen Van Kim (Director of the Center for Marine and Island Studies) emotionally shared his profound memories with Professor Momoki and many other Japanese experts during their survey and research trips to numerous locations in Vietnam.
Many lecturers and staff members of the History Department present at the ceremony also shared unforgettable memories of working with Professor Momoki, and expressed their admiration and gratitude for his invaluable help and support in their research and scientific publications.
Associate Professor Pham Van Thuy (Deputy Head of the History Department) shared this at the book handover ceremony from Professor Momoki Shiro.
Over 700 books, comprising research works in various fields such as history, culture, archaeology, fine arts, and religion, published in multiple languages including Japanese, Chinese, English, French, and Russian, were collected, selected, classified, and cataloged in detail by Professor Momoki Shiro before being donated to the Department of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Associate Professor Vu Van Quan, representing the faculty and students of the Department of History, respectfully received the gift from Professor Momoki.
Concluding the handover ceremony, Associate Professor Vu Van Quan once again expressed his deepest gratitude for the precious affection that Professor Momoki Shiro has shown to the faculty and students of the History Department over the years. The gift today is not just books, but a gift of love, passion, and dedication to science, especially history. The Head of the History Department hopes that in the future, Professor Momoki Shiro will continue to accompany and show even more favor and attention to the training and scientific research activities of the Department in particular and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in general.
Associate Professor Vu Van Quan sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a small gift as a token of gratitude from the faculty and students of the History Department to Professor Momoki Shiro.
Some photos from the award ceremony.
Related news:
Awarding the "For the Development of Hanoi National University" commemorative medal to Professor Momoki Shiro (Osaka University, Japan) (vnu.edu.vn)
