A warm and emotional exchange night on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Laos took place on June 20, organized by the Department of Archives and Office Management.Teachers and students interacted with three guests: Ms. Thong My Doan - Deputy Head of the Cultural and Educational Counselor of the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; Associate Professor Le Mau Han - former Head of the History Department; Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ham - former Head of the Archival and Office Management Department; and many teachers and students of the Archival and Office Management Department - University of Social Sciences and Humanities. 30 years ago, implementing the cooperation policy between Vietnam and Laos, the History Department, Hanoi National University welcomed the first batch of Lao students to study. From Hanoi National University to the current period of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, along with the strong and comprehensive development in the cooperative relationship between the two countries, the training of human resources for Laos has never stopped. After separating from the Faculty of History, since 1997, the Faculty of Archives and Office Administration, University of Social Sciences and Humanities has continued to train 26 Lao students and graduate students, of which 15 have graduated.
Talking about the first stage of receiving Lao students at the Faculty of History, Associate Professor Le Mau Han said: at that time, this was considered an important political task for teachers and students of the Faculty of History. Many Lao students with extraordinary determination overcame many difficulties in language and material conditions to study well. He said: "We are proud to have trained many cadres and intellectuals for Laos, many of whom hold important and key positions in central agencies, making effective contributions to the cause of building and developing the Lao PDR". Associate Professor Nguyen Van Ham shared about the close relationship between Lao students and Vietnamese teachers and students: Lao students are studious, have the determination to overcome difficulties, and are very sociable in the learning environment in Vietnam. Many students not only study well but also participate in scientific research and win awards from the School and Faculty. Therefore, they are loved by Vietnamese teachers and friends. As a student of the 26th course of the History Department, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim - Vice Principal - recalled memories with many Lao students in the same course: The situation of our country at that time was very difficult. Although the material support from our country in general and Hanoi University and the History Department in particular for Lao students was not much, in return, the affection of Vietnamese teachers and students for Lao students was extremely warm. The teachers assigned us the task that each Vietnamese student was responsible for tutoring and helping a Lao student in both study and life. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim said: “The memories of studying and going on field trips with Lao students are still very deep for me and my peers. Up to now, the Lao students of that time have all been successful and have developed their capacity and role in their assigned positions with the valuable knowledge and experience gained in Vietnam. They are also factors contributing to the development of the sustainable cooperative relationship between the two countries today.”
Ms. Thong My Doan said: Currently, there are more than 5,000 Lao students studying at 156 universities in Vietnam. On April 22, 2011, the two governments signed an agreement assigning the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports to develop a project 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 PDR. The exchange night was also an opportunity for Lao students studying at the Faculty of Archives and Office Management to share the difficulties they encountered as well as emotional memories of the affection and care of Vietnamese teachers and friends during their years of studying here.
