Opportunities are always shared equally

Currently, many students enroll in the Faculty of Oriental Studies with the attraction of career and study opportunities in countries such as Korea, Japan, China, Thailand. However, that opportunity is not always available and not available to everyone. However, the Faculty of Oriental Studies also has a major where the opportunity to find a desirable job and a better learning environment can come to all those who are passionate about this field of study.

Confusion at first

The biggest difficulty for many students when enrolling in the Faculty of Oriental Studies is not knowing which major to choose. Most of them are often caught up in the trend of "hot" majors, not many students choose the major of Indian Studies because this is a newly established major at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, students do not know much about the learning and job opportunities when studying this major. Many students often wonder what they will do after studying. Some other opinions say that Indian English is very difficult to learn and use. Answering these questions, Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thu Ha (Deputy Head of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, concurrently Head of the Department of Indian Studies) said: Although Indian Studies is a new major, only in its 6th year, most of the subjects have textbooks and lectures so students do not have to study by rote. The major has a basic advantage that besides specialized subjects, students only study English as a foreign language and have many study hours. The lecturers of the Department of Indology are all trained in India, have professional knowledge as well as practical experience. Currently, the department's permanent teaching staff consists of 3 people, including 1 Associate Professor, PhD, 2 Masters-PhD students; in addition, there are also part-time staff including 1 Associate Professor, PhD, 2 Doctors and 2 Masters who have just studied abroad and are currently teaching. The lecturers are all very passionate about their profession and close to the students. Moreover, English is a commonly used language. The number of scholarships for students of the Department from countries using this language is very large. Therefore, the scholarship and employment opportunities for students after graduation are very promising.

Like a family

Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thu Ha shared that students majoring in Indian Studies often confided: “We feel very lucky to be students of the Indian Studies major because here, we feel the closeness, love and attachment like a family”. In addition to learning English, students majoring in Indian Studies also learn about the culture and society of South Asian countries in general and India in particular. In addition, students also practice soft skills, participate in singing, dancing, cooking, presenting and participating in Embassy activities such as public speaking, sightseeing, interacting with Indian students and youth, etc. What is special is that this part is applied to calculate training points for students.

The Faculty of Oriental Studies and the Embassy of India often coordinate to organize many exchange activities, creating an environment for students to have the opportunity to learn and absorb reality. Therefore, when they go to study and research in India later, the time for students to adapt to the new environment is greatly shortened. Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thu Ha confided: At first, the students were not familiar with it, were still confused, many of them could not adapt to the climate and living conditions in India. However, after a period of experience and thanks to the connection and regular exchange between the two sides, the Department has chosen regions with better climates, more suitable to send students to study. Therefore, now, it only takes them a month to get used to the new environment. Before going, the students all have careful preparations, and when they go there, they receive support from the Embassy, ​​the School, teachers and seniors. It can be said that the difficulty in adapting to the current environment is no longer an obstacle. In addition, the Department has received support and investment from Iran - an oil powerhouse in the Middle East - so the number of scholarships for students in language and culture as well as other fields of study during and after graduation is very open. Currently, the Department has 7 students who have studied here for 2 to 7 years and are about to return home and will continue to send more due to the needs of society. In the 2010-2011 school year alone, the Iranian Embassy has awarded the Department ten scholarships, including 5 for Bachelor's degrees, 3 for Master's degrees and 2 for Doctorate degrees.

What makes the difference

After a not-so-long development period, students of the Faculty of Oriental Studies in general and the Department of Indian Studies in particular have gradually affirmed their brand. The Department of Indian Studies has a clear development orientation, focusing on teaching materials, learning English, supplemented by Hindi and Persian in the native country. Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thu Ha believes that foreign languages ​​are one of the means to help Oriental Studies students have more job opportunities and study abroad. However, this is not the main strength of Oriental Studies students. The reason why Oriental Studies students are "in demand" is because in addition to knowledge of foreign languages, students are also equipped with knowledge about culture, customs, countries and people of different cultures and different countries.Through the discussion, we also learned that currently, students majoring in Indian Studies (including South Asia and the Middle East) are recruited by many domestic and foreign agencies. Students who graduate in Indian Studies can work in the fields of relations between Vietnam and South Asian and Middle Eastern countries, can research and teach in universities and colleges, institutes and scientific research centers, can work in diplomatic agencies, embassies, representative offices of South Asian countries in Vietnam, domestic and foreign enterprises, government and non-government organizations, manufacturing and tourism companies of South Asian and Middle Eastern countries in Vietnam, etc. In 2009, India invested in Vietnam with a figure of up to 6 billion USD, and many Indian companies are opening in Vietnam. Therefore, job opportunities are increasingly greater. Not only are jobs convenient, but there are also many opportunities for higher education. If desired, all students of the major have scholarships to study abroad. Moreover, it is very special that students can study for a master's degree in any major such as International Relations, Journalism, Business Administration, Political Science... not necessarily majoring in Indian Studies. Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thu Ha affirmed: "There are many job and study opportunities for students majoring in Indian Studies today and they are always shared equally among everyone if students have passion, effort and determination". Through a process of striving to affirm, the attractiveness of the Indian Studies major has been confirmed. In recent years, the number of students enrolling in the Indian Studies major has increased significantly. In 2009, the major only selected students with the first choice to study. In the coming years, the number of students enrolling in the Indian Studies major is likely to increase with an even more surprising number.