The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has had a fairly successful year in many aspects of its activities and is now taking its first steps on the path to integration with the world. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, the university's veteran faculty members shared their feelings and thoughts about the university's development over the past year, while also offering suggestions for the future development and integration.
Professor Dinh Xuan Lam: Integration requires courage and determination.
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has always been our pride, and I am delighted to see the significant progress of the University, especially in terms of quality. The University is expanding its training programs, from undergraduate to doctoral degrees. The number of foreign doctoral students is increasing. This affirms the growing prestige of our University, attracting students from many other countries to study and learn about Vietnamese culture. Through its expertise, the University has helped promote Vietnam's influence on the international stage. The training programs are becoming more diverse and comprehensive, meeting the learning requirements of foreign doctoral students, many of whom come from countries with advanced universities such as the UK, France, and Russia; as well as contributing to the development and expansion of Vietnamese studies abroad.
Our generation was primarily educated domestically, growing up through self-study and hands-on experience, which limited our exposure to the global environment. The younger generation of faculty members, however, received formal training in countries with advanced universities, resulting in many highly skilled individuals. They grasp educational development perspectives and stay updated on global university trends, enabling them to apply this knowledge effectively to the university's management. The university's leadership has also been very conscious of expanding cooperation with foreign universities to learn from their experiences and improve their skills. International integration is a major and mandatory requirement now. However, integration also requires the courage to choose what to integrate – what is necessary for Vietnamese social sciences and humanities and for the country as a whole. One weakness hindering our integration today is the lack of proficiency in foreign languages among our faculty. I have witnessed foreign experts teaching at our university, and they can use both English and French fluently and naturally. It's quite common for foreign professors to be proficient in three or four foreign languages. We should also avoid chasing after slogans of integration without focusing on the substance and effectiveness of our activities. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities needs to leverage the strengths of Vietnamese social sciences and humanities to present them internationally as a specialized institution. The university has many strengths in basic sciences; let's build upon those strengths. Integration is important, but we must maintain our core values and integrity. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has a crucial responsibility in advising Party and State agencies on the development of social sciences and human resources in Vietnam. The university is aware of this responsibility but hasn't done much yet. I hope that the School will continue to consider this its major mission, helping Party and State agencies build and develop their governmental foundation and strength on the basis of Vietnamese "character," and to promote Vietnam's influence widely in the world.
Professor Nguyen Kim Dinh: Development must always preserve identity and traditions.
We – the first generation of students and teachers of the University – are delighted to witness the current development of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. This is also the heartfelt wish of retired faculty members who still have a deep connection to the University. Previously, the University of Hanoi (UH) only had two faculties in Social Sciences and Humanities: Literature and Philosophy. Now, the University has 14 faculties with nearly 20 academic programs. This is a significant development that we never dared to imagine before.
The second encouraging point is that, despite its development, our university has maintained a good teaching and learning environment, and the teacher-student relationship remains cherished. Although the leadership team has changed significantly over time, the university community has remained united and cohesive, which is extremely important for the development of a university. This is especially true in the current social context, where issues such as teacher-student ethics, profit-driven education, academic fraud, and internal conflicts and lawsuits still exist. Having attended many university meetings, I feel that the university's development is on the right track. The university is very serious and determined in its development strategies, as evidenced by its clear plans, roadmaps, and goals. For example, the transition to credit-based training, in line with modern trends, is very correct, and despite the difficulties, our university has pioneered its implementation. We have received a very prestigious title bestowed upon us by the State and society. These accolades remind us that we must always preserve and further develop what we have, contributing even more to the country's scientific, educational, and training endeavors. We must firmly grasp our main task: building the fundamental sciences – the social sciences and humanities – of Vietnam. This is the identity and strength of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Even with its diverse fields and disciplines, we must ultimately choose the field that is the clearest focus of the University. We still need domestic and international cooperation and collaboration for development, but this cooperation must be based on our position and standing, and on a firm grasp of our core mission. We need to be resolute, avoiding the influence of the market economy that would lead us to pursue profit and lose our identity and tradition. And specifically for the social sciences and humanities, we must understand that while we integrate and learn from the world, the world must also learn from us. Therefore, to integrate well, our social sciences and humanities must focus on what is unique and fundamental to Vietnam. Secondly, in the current context, introducing Vietnamese social sciences and humanities to the world requires a strong foundation in foreign languages. Here, I want to add that achieving sufficient foreign language proficiency to pursue studies in social sciences and humanities is not as simple as it is for natural sciences. Therefore, foreign language teaching for social sciences and humanities must be different, not the same as for natural sciences or technology. In addition, social sciences and humanities should equip students with a basic knowledge of Sino-Vietnamese script to help future generations understand the heritage left by their ancestors and the cultural roots of the Vietnamese people. Thus, to train young people who can engage in dialogue and exchange with the world, they must first have a strong foundation in Vietnamese culture, followed by a strong foundation in foreign languages. Thirdly, as a university, teaching must be linked to research, especially since our institution focuses on basic sciences. In the past, since the time of Hanoi University of Technology, there have been many effective regular scientific activities such as organizing year-end scientific conferences in each faculty where all staff members report on their research results for the year. And the departments must be the core units, the operational units that create cohesion among faculty members in scientific and professional activities. In addition, the university should also encourage students to participate in scientific research and gain practical professional experience while still in school.
Professor Vu Duong Ninh: The school is making steady progress.
Throughout its development, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has faced numerous challenges, yet we have consistently maintained our momentum and progress. In recent times, we have achieved many outstanding accomplishments in the field of scientific research: the number of national-level research projects has increased significantly; the registered projects have been implemented quite seriously, yielding practical results that serve the University's training activities as well as social and public welfare issues of the country. Regarding social impact, our University has increasingly enhanced its prestige and credibility within society. For example, during the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long, Hanoi, many research projects involved the participation of our faculty and students. We have also participated in many international conferences on Vietnamese studies, where our professors and scientists presented papers that were highly appreciated by international colleagues. Recently, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement, the University organized a highly regarded international conference, with the participation of foreign scholars from France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries. This shows that in terms of scientific research, our University has achieved many results, making practical contributions to the development of science as well as the development of the country.
In terms of training, the University remains a reliable institution at all levels, especially in doctoral training. This is thanks to maintaining the quality of training, even though we cannot yet be satisfied with what we have achieved. In the credit-based training environment, some students have managed to shorten their study time, demonstrating their initiative, ability, and willpower. With such achievements in training and research, we have a position and prestige among universities in the region and the world. We have signed many cooperation agreements with foreign partners and, in fact, have trained many foreign students from various countries, helping them understand Vietnamese history and culture, thereby becoming a bridge to introduce Vietnamese culture abroad. It can be said that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has taken steps that may not be flashy, but are solid. This also stems from and is inherited from the tradition of the former Hanoi University of Technology. The school's goal of international integration is correct, meaningful, and practical in the long term. It is also the only path forward if we want to become a leading educational institution in the region and internationally. However, to achieve this goal, we still have much work to do. First, we need to reduce the gap between our training programs and those of the world. There are many subjects we have that the world doesn't, and many subjects the world has, we also have but at a lower level. Resolving this gap is the only way to move closer to the world. Second, a common weakness of our education system is that teaching and learning methods, despite many improvements, still haven't reached international standards. Many lecturers who have studied abroad are very actively applying new methods in their teaching; many students recognize their responsibility and position in their studies and have made great efforts. But there is still a gap with the world, and we must be very determined and proactive to overcome it. So, what direction should the improvements take? It's about enhancing the self-learning and self-responsibility of learners. Thirdly, we need to overcome the limitations in current foreign language teaching and learning. Those who can use foreign languages proficiently in research and teaching are often trained abroad or have taken many additional language courses outside of school. Learning a foreign language only within the school setting is insufficient for work and integration. In our school, we have many examples of individuals who didn't study abroad but are proficient in foreign languages through self-study. Fourthly, this is the age of information technology (IT), so we must be proficient in IT, using the internet and computers effectively. Although everyone knows how to use a computer now, not everyone knows how to use computers and the internet effectively for research and teaching. Finally, I believe that Vietnam currently needs a highly skilled and experienced workforce of social science and humanities professionals. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities must train students and staff who are passionate about and committed to this profession for their entire lives. This elite team will be a solid foundation for training many generations of high-quality students who are capable of disseminating scientific knowledge and contributing more to society.
