On the evening of September 11, 2011, the Opening Ceremony of the Persian Language and Culture class was solemnly held at the Iran Room (Faculty of Oriental Studies). Attending the ceremony were Iranian Ambassador to Vietnam Mr. Seyed Javad Ghavam Shahidi, Vice Principal Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim, representatives of the Foreign Affairs Department, Faculty of Oriental Studies, and the first 22 students of the school.The class is the result of a long-term cooperation process between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Vietnam. Previously, from August 25 to August 31, 2011, a delegation of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities led by Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh visited and conducted field research in the Islamic Republic of Iran to seek opportunities for cooperation and expand cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries. During this trip, the delegation visited and signed MOUs with many universities and research and academic organizations in Iran such as the University of Tehran, the Open University of Tehran (in the capital Tehran), Esfahan University (in the ancient capital of Esfahan - Central Iran) and the Research and Compilation Organization for University Textbooks on Humanities (SAMT) with the witness of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam in Iran Tran Trong Khanh. According to the agreement, every year, students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities will receive 10 full scholarships from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education for bachelor, master and doctoral degrees as well as organize scientific conferences of mutual interest. This trip is of special significance because this is the first time a university in Vietnam has signed a specific exchange and cooperation program with universities in Iran. Iran is an orthodox Islamic country with a world-famous brilliant Persian civilization; has a powerful economy (5 times larger than Vietnam and a population of 75 million people) ranked first among 21 countries in the Middle East. The world's Muslim community with a population of 1.6 billion accounts for the majority of the oil and gas exploited and exchanged annually in the world. The country and people of Vietnam have created a very good image and sympathy for the people of the Middle East through the steadfast struggle against foreign invaders and building a new life in the post-war period. Currently, Vietnam also sends more than 10 thousand workers to work in this region. However, the cultural and social exchange between our country and the Middle Eastern countries has not received much attention commensurate with the potential and needs of the parties. Therefore, the delegation of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities received a warm and respectful welcome from the other side.
Over the years, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has had a strategy to prepare for cooperation and long-term development of relations with this important region. Since 1983, the University has sent 7 students to study Persian Language and Civilization programs at Khomeini-Ghazvin University of Foreign Languages, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in Persian and Middle Eastern studies in the fields of Language, History, International Relations, Political Science, Society and Culture in 5-year and 8-year programs at many other universities in Iran. Up to now, 5 students have returned with master's degrees in Iran. In addition to their master's degrees, they are also fluent in English, Persian and Arabic. Currently, many other students have, are and will study in Iran with full scholarships from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran. These are valuable personnel to prepare for the next deeper and more effective steps between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and partners in Iran in particular and the Middle East in general.
