A warm and emotional get-together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of friendly cooperation between Vietnam and Laos took place on June 20th, organized by the Faculty of Archival Studies and Office Management.The teachers and students interacted with three guest speakers: Ms. Thong My Doan - Deputy Head of the Cultural and Educational Counselor's Office of the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; Assoc. Prof. Le Mau Han - former Head of the History Department; Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Van Ham - former Head of the Archival Studies and Office Management Department; along with many teachers and students from the Archival Studies and Office Management Department - University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Thirty years ago, in accordance with the cooperation policy between Vietnam and Laos, the History Department of Hanoi University welcomed the first batches of Lao students. From Hanoi University to the current University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, along with the strong and comprehensive development of cooperation between the two countries, the training of human resources for Laos has never ceased. After separating from the Faculty of History, since 1997, the Faculty of Archival and Office Management, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, has continued to train 26 Lao undergraduate and postgraduate students, of whom 15 have graduated.
Speaking about the initial phase of receiving Lao students at the Faculty of History, Associate Professor Le Mau Han said: at that time, this was considered a crucial political task for the faculty and students. Many Lao students, with extraordinary determination, overcame numerous difficulties in language and material conditions to achieve good results in their studies. He said: “We are proud to have trained many cadres and intellectuals for our friend Laos, many of whom hold important and key positions in central agencies, making significant contributions to the construction and development of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.” Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ham shared about the close and affectionate relationship between Lao students and Vietnamese teachers and students: Lao students are diligent, have the willpower to overcome difficulties, and are very sociable in the learning environment in Vietnam. Many not only excel in their studies but also participate in scientific research and win awards from the University and the Faculty. Therefore, they are loved by their Vietnamese teachers and friends. As a student of the 26th cohort of the History Faculty, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim - Vice Rector - recounted his memories with many Lao students in the same cohort: "Our country was facing very difficult circumstances at that time. Although the material assistance from our country in general, and from Hanoi University and the History Faculty in particular, to Lao students was not much, the affection of the Vietnamese teachers and students towards our Lao students was incredibly warm. The teachers assigned us the task of each Vietnamese student being responsible for mentoring and assisting one Lao student in both their studies and daily lives." Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim said: “The memories of studying and going on field trips with Lao students are still very vivid for me and my peers. To this day, those Lao students have all become successful and have been able to develop their abilities and roles in their assigned positions with the valuable knowledge and experience they gained in Vietnam. They are also factors contributing to the development of a sustainable cooperative relationship between the two countries today.”
Ms. Thong My Doan stated that currently, more than 5,000 Lao students are studying at 156 universities in Vietnam. On April 22, 2011, the governments of the two countries signed an agreement entrusting the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports with developing a plan to improve the quality of education and training cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, in the future, Vietnamese universities, including the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, will continue to play an important role in training high-quality human resources for the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The exchange night was also an opportunity for Lao students studying in the Faculty of Archival and Office Management to share the difficulties they have encountered as well as touching memories of the affection and care shown by their Vietnamese teachers and friends during their years of study there.
