Opening of the 2017-2018 school year

The opening ceremony of the 2017-2018 academic year of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities took place on the morning of September 16, 2017, in the university campus.

The opening ceremony welcomed distinguished guests: Mr. Ngo Van Quy - Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Kim Son - Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Quan - Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and Vice Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

The opening ceremony was attended by veteran educators and scientists. Pictured are: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Van Khoan (Faculty of History), Prof. Vu Duong Ninh (Chairman of the University's Association of Retired Teachers), and Prof. Dr. Tran Tri Doi (Faculty of Linguistics).

Students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities showcased their fresh beauty at the opening ceremony. This year, the University has 1,677 new students in the QH-2017-X cohort. The three top-scoring students in the 2017 entrance exam with a score of 28.75 are: Tran Tien Anh, Le Thi Dung, and Phung Thi Thu Ha.(Department of Oriental Studies).

The students presented cultural performances to welcome the distinguished guests and the new K62 students of the University.

The students presented outstanding and lively performances. Arts and culture activities have always been a strength of the student movement at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Professor Pham Quang Minh, the Rector of the University, delivered a welcoming speech at the opening ceremony. His speech reviewed the University's achievements in the past academic year and outlined the tasks that the faculty and students will undertake in the new academic year. The speech also emphasized the opportunities for social sciences and humanities in the new context: "Many believe that basic sciences, especially social sciences, will face many difficulties and challenges. However, I don't think so. I believe this is the time when Vietnamese social sciences and humanities have the opportunity to demonstrate and prove their position and role. It is social sciences, not natural sciences and engineering, that have a greater advantage in development."View the full text of the speech.

Professor Pham Quang Minh beat the traditional drum to begin a new academic year with new expectations. He shared: "The University of Social Sciences and Humanities, which you students have chosen, is a place for training, research, and disseminating the core values ​​of the nation, multiplying the spiritual strength that no weapon can overcome. That is patriotism, solidarity, compassion, and tolerance, helping us overcome all difficulties and challenges. What nations today lack is not 'hard' strength, but 'soft' strength, which are cultural and spiritual values."

The Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Nguyen Kim Son, addressed the students on the topic: Learning and Research with a Spirit of Social Responsibility and Humanistic Ideals in the New Industrial Age. He stated that to achieve success, young people must have ambition: "To achieve great things, you need good study methods, but what is extremely important is having great ambition and a long-term vision. Having great ambition is the beginning of a great career. With great ambition, even the greatest difficulties and obstacles become small in comparison. With great ambition, you will find what you need amidst countless books. With great ambition, you will find a mentor to guide you. With great ambition, you will avoid the temptations and vices of society. The path to success begins with setting an ambition. A person with great ambition needs to make solving the problems of social life and humanity their goal. This university is the environment for you to set great ambitions and go far."View the full text of the speech..

The Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi also mentioned the important tasks that the faculty and students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities must focus on in the coming time: "To ensure students acquire the expected competencies and qualities, we need to innovate a great deal. Faculty members need to play a truly leading role in guiding students to keep up with the times. To achieve this, teachers must be pioneers, master their expertise, integrate internationally, and engage in international dialogue on scientific matters. The university needs to innovate to become a smart university. University governance needs to be reformed. We need to build sufficiently large databases of social sciences and humanities to serve management, learning, and research. We need to create an environment of academic freedom, openness, and transparency as a basis for creating new knowledge. The path to Hoa Lac is now wider open; we need to do everything to avoid missing the opportunity to transform the university into a green and beautiful institution in this new land."

The school awarded certificates of merit to 70 students with excellent and good academic achievements; 59 outstanding class, union, and association leaders; and 51 students from disadvantaged backgrounds who still excelled academically, belonging to the QH-2014-X, QH-2015-X, and QH-2016-X cohorts. The school also awarded 17 scholarships from the Dao Minh Quang Foundation to 17 students who were top-scoring entrants in their respective programs in 2017.

During the opening ceremony, many organizations and individuals also awarded sponsorships and scholarships to students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, such as: Vietnam Investment and Development Bank, AEON Vietnam, Overcome English Organization, Dao Minh Quang Foundation (Federal Republic of Germany)... Professor Pham Quang Minh, on behalf of the University, received the support from these organizations and individuals.

Associate Professor Dr. Le Quan - Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and Vice Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi - interacted with students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities on entrepreneurship and employment. He shared with the young people about: the purpose of learning; the importance of positive thinking in life; the two-system mindset that helps us overcome inertia; what entrepreneurship is and why we need an entrepreneurial mindset; and how to create differentiation based on the values ​​of social sciences and humanities.