Attending the commemoration ceremony were Mr. Joao Manuel Bernardo (Ambassador of the Republic of Angola to Vietnam), Mr. Herminio Lopez Diaz (Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Vietnam), Mr. Dorj Enkhabat (Ambassador of the People's Republic of Mongolia to Vietnam), Mr. Kim Chang Il (Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to Vietnam), Mr. Saadi Salama (Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Vietnam), Mr. Valeriu Arteni (Ambassador of the Republic of Romania to Vietnam), along with representatives from the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Bulgaria, Laos, Mozambique, and others.
Representing the government were Dr. Nguyen The Ky (Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department) and Mr. Vi Quang Dao (Deputy Director General of the Government Electronic Information Portal). Representing the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh (Rector of the University). Also present were representatives from international organizations and foundations, news agencies, universities, and research institutes in Vietnam, along with a large number of faculty members, scientists, and students from various cohorts of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam delivered the opening speech at the commemoration ceremony.
At the ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam (Head of the Faculty of Literature and Television) reviewed the 45-year journey of the Faculty's establishment and expressed gratitude to the team of scientists and teachers from the early days – those who laid the foundation for the development and contributed to building the tradition and academic prestige of the Faculty.
As early as 1956, Vietnamese language for foreigners was taught by teachers from the Faculty of Literature and History at Hanoi University. In 1965, the Vietnamese language department was officially established. On December 18, 1968, the Minister of Higher Education and Vocational Training issued a decision to establish the "Faculty of Vietnamese Language for Foreign Students, abbreviated as the Faculty of Vietnamese Language" with the following tasks: teaching Vietnamese to foreign students; researching and developing methods for teaching Vietnamese to foreigners; and training a number of foreigners to become high-level Vietnamese interpreters. In 1995, the Faculty changed its name to the Faculty of Vietnamese Language and Culture for Foreigners, under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. From April 2008, the Faculty changed its name to the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language and was assigned the task of training Vietnamese studies for both Vietnamese and foreign students.
Over the past period, the Faculty has achieved many accomplishments in training, research, and international relations. In terms of training, more than 8,000 foreigners have studied Vietnamese language and culture at the Faculty, as well as with the Faculty's teachers at many universities and Vietnamese studies centers around the world. Among them, many have become seasoned diplomats, Vietnamese studies scholars, and senior translators. Notably, 12 foreign students have become ambassadors to their respective countries in Vietnam. The Faculty also successfully completed its special mission of training Vietnamese language for Lao officials and students, and for officials and students of universities in Cambodia, for 10 years following the Pol Pot genocide.
Mr. Saadi Salama (Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam) spoke on behalf of the alumni at the commemoration ceremony.
In terms of research, the faculty members have completed dozens of research projects at the ministerial, VNU, and university levels. The Vietnamese language textbooks for foreigners compiled by the faculty members are useful and make exemplary contributions to the compilation of language teaching materials suitable for the needs of each stage. Many research and compilation works by faculty members have had a significant impact, such as the more than 70 books by Associate Professor Nguyen Thach Giang, the Vietnamese-English Dictionary awarded the State Prize for Science and Technology by the late Associate Professor Bui Phung, and works on grammar, instrumental dictionaries, and function words by Associate Professor Do Thanh, Professor Hoang Trong Phien, Professor Dinh Van Duc, and the late Associate Professor Nguyen Anh Que…
The Faculty's international relations are constantly expanding. Students, interns, and researchers from many renowned universities and research institutes around the world come to the Faculty to study and conduct research, creating a unique and distinctive multicultural environment for the Faculty.
Currently, in addition to its expertise in teaching Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese language to foreigners, the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language has taken on a new strategic mission: training Vietnamese students in Vietnamese Studies. The Faculty has trained four cohorts of Vietnamese Studies students, and from this academic year onwards, Vietnamese Studies has been recognized as one of the seven basic science disciplines, granting students numerous preferential treatments from the University and Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
In addition to the Bachelor of Vietnamese Studies program and the Bachelor of Vietnamese Language and Culture program for foreigners, the Faculty will soon open a postgraduate program, a minor in teaching Vietnamese to international students. Currently, the Faculty of Vietnamese Language and Culture is the only faculty in Vietnam that officially trains both international and Vietnamese students.
For its outstanding contributions, the Faculty of Literature and Television was awarded the Second Class Labor Medal by the State.
Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh (Rector) presented the certificate of commendation from the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi and offered flowers to congratulate the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Nguyen Van Khanh (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) affirmed: “The Faculty of Vietnamese Language and Literature has excellently fulfilled the tasks assigned by the Party, State, and Government, contributing to promoting the Vietnamese language and culture abroad, and fostering friendly cooperative relations between Vietnam and countries around the world.” Currently, in the context of globalization, the social sciences and humanities in general and Vietnamese studies in particular are facing many opportunities and challenges for development. The Faculty of Vietnamese Language and Literature needs to rapidly develop its staff, especially a high-level teaching force, expand collaborations with other faculties within the University, and strengthen cooperation domestically and internationally to achieve the goal of becoming a leading institution for training and research in Vietnamese studies in the country.
Representing the generations of scientists and educators of the Faculty, Professor Hoang Trong Phien (former Dean) emphasized the core value in the Faculty's achievements: "successfully building the science of teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language," in which the teachers have "taught Vietnamese as a tool of national culture stemming from the characteristics and inherent nature of the Vietnamese language." The generations of faculty members are the first and most exemplary representatives of Vietnamese culture and the admirable qualities of the Vietnamese people to foreign friends, helping them to better understand and love Vietnam. Building on this tradition, along with a team of young, highly qualified, and dynamic staff with innovative thinking, the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language is expected to continue its success with new tasks, becoming a leading and prestigious institution for Vietnamese studies and language training both domestically and internationally.