Between 25 and 31 October, the Study in Hungary team, and the representatives of six Hungarian universities visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to strengthen the long-existing relations between Vietnam and Hungary. In both cities, the delegation took part in education - and alumni events to promote Hungarian study opportunities and to further develop connections with Vietnamese alumni who graduated in Hungary recently or long ago. It was a great mission with many memorable moments. Here you can read a summary of all events.
The strong international ties between Hungary and Vietnam go back for decades, already in the 1970’s many Vietnamese students studied in Hungary on different higher educational or internship programmes. Today still more hundred students from Vietnam graduate from various Hungarian universities each year, most of them with the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme. The aim of the mission was to further develop the educational partnership between the two countries and to promote Hungarian higher education to the next generation of Vietnamese youth.
The first stop was in Hanoi on 25 October, where the Hungarian delegation took part in the Hungarian - Vietnamese higher education seminar, organized by the Embassy of Hungary in Hanoi and the Tempus Public Foundation at the Vietnam National University (VNU). The event was opened by Mr. Tibor Baloghdi, Ambassador, Embassy of Hungary Hanoi and by Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training. The welcome speeches were followed by a presentation of the Hungarian study opportunities and the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme, then the Hungarian universities - the University of Szeged, Budapest Business School, Semmelweis University, and the Óbuda University, - introduced their institutions. After the presentations, the students of the Vietnam National University had the chance to ask questions regarding Hungarian higher education and study options, and could also receive further information from each Hungarian institution at the marketplace which took place after the seminar.
Later in the afternoon, VNU hosted a meeting for the Vietnamese alumni where participants could get to know each other, network and share their memories about the time they studied in Hungary. The meeting was opened by a symphonic concert with Hungarian songs played by Vietnamese music students, which was followed by two presentations by Vietnamese alumni about their Hungarian journey and an introduction to the Alumni Network Hungary. The meeting had around 40 participants, many of them used to study in Hungary during the 70s and 80s and spoke Hungarian fluently. The time spent in Hungary was crucial for all of them, they shared many nice memories.
The next stop was in Ho Chi Minh City where the delegation took part in the two-day-long Vietnam Education Fair, one of the biggest international education fairs in Asia. More than 100 universities and high schools from over 18 countries exhibited at the event. At the Hungarian booth, participants could receive first-hand information about Hungarian higher education, available study opportunities, and scholarship programmes. They could also meet the representatives of the Hungarian universities, who gave detailed information about the study programmes at their institutions.
The last event the delegation joined was on 30 October still in Ho Chi Minh City at the Industrial University organized by the Consulate General of Hungary in Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations and Tempus Public Foundation. The event started with a dance and singing performance by Vietnamese students, then the delegation held more presentations on Hungarian study options, universities and mobility programmes with special regard to the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme. The introductions were followed by a marketplace, where students could discuss their specific questions directly with the representatives of the Hungarian universities. It was a very busy event with many participants interested in studying in Hungary in the near future.
On the same day in Ho Chi Minh City, another alumni meeting took place organised by the Consulate General of Hungary in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations, and Tempus Public Foundation. Szilvia Szojka, the Consul General of Hungary and dr. Veronika Varga-Bajusz, the director-general of Tempus Public Foundation highlighted their gratitude for the strong and long-existing relationship between Vietnam and Hungary in their welcome speeches. It was a cheerful meeting with many Vietnamese alumni who used to study in Hungary in the previous era. They still keep all those nice memories from Hungary, speak Hungarian and at the peak of the evening, two alumni members even sang well-known Hungarian songs. At the end of the meeting, the members of the Hungarian delegation received the award of honour from the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations.
The one-week mission of the Study in Hungary delegation in Vietnam was a great opportunity for facilitating educational cooperation between the two countries and for promoting the Hungarian study opportunities available for Vietnamese students. We wish to strengthen these ties further and we hope to welcome even more students from Vietnam to Hungarian higher education.