On November 17, 2011, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi had the honor of welcoming His Excellency David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, to visit and attend the "Multicultural" Seminar within the framework of a state visit at the invitation of President Truong Tan Sang.Attending the seminar were Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Rector of the University, His Excellency Governor General David Johnston, Ms. Deborah Chatsis, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Vietnam, Mr. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Paul Davidson, President, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, Mr. John R. McDougall, President, National Research Council of Canada, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Duc, Vice President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi and many officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Training and 300 students from the Faculty of International Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Faculty of Journalism, Faculty of Tourism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Diplomatic Academy, Hanoi University, University of Law and the Canadian volunteer student group operating in Hoa Binh. In addition, there were officials from the Faculty of International Studies, the only unit in Vietnam with an American Studies training program in which Canada is one of the subjects of interest. The main speakers of the 4-person panel discussion, including 3 from Canada, are Prof. Luong Van Hy, Director of the Graduate Program in Asia-Pacific Studies, University of Toronto, Ms. Li Thanh Kim Thuy, writer, Mr. Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile Group and Prof. Vu Duong Ninh, University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The panel discussion was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Dean of the Faculty of International Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities. In his welcome speech to Governor General David Johnston, Prof. Dr. Principal Nguyen Van Khanh emphasized: “The harmonious combination of cultures and civilizations of more than 200 ethnic groups from different continents has made Canada a colorful and fragrant flower garden. The discussion on the topic of “Multiculturalism” will certainly be really interesting and attractive because the history of formation and development of the two nations, although very different, both share a common characteristic of loving peace and cultural tolerance.”
In a press release from the Canadian Embassy, Governor General David Johnston said: “I am looking forward to my first state visit to Asia as Governor General of Canada. It is a great pleasure and an exciting time for me to lead a delegation of distinguished Canadian scholars and successful business people to Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. These state visits are an opportunity for us to see first-hand what Canada is doing in Southeast Asia. They will also be an opportunity for us to engage with our partners and highlight our shared awareness and interests in the areas of trade, investment, innovation and education. It will also be a unique opportunity to meet with the many talented Canadians who live and work in these three countries.” The panel discussion was divided into three parts. In the first part, the speakers shared their rich and diverse personal experiences on the topic of multiculturalism. Writer Kim Thuy was born in Vietnam, came to Canada at the age of 10 and has been successful in the field of literature. Her works have won many awards, including the Governor General's Award of Canada in 2010. She emphasized the human factor, the humanity of the Quebec community shown in the wholehearted help, sharing, and protection of her and her family in the early days, which helped her integrate into her new life. Cultural values and beliefs are respected and shared, without discrimination. Canada's multicultural policy has created conditions for the preservation of different cultural values, recognizing the official languages of Canada as English and French. Professor Luong Van Hy shared his experiences in the city of Toronto, where he became famous in the field of teaching and researching anthropology, where equality between ethnic groups and cultures is respected, without discrimination. Canadian multiculturalism, unlike the United States, allows all cultures to thrive. The fundamental difference between the United States and Canada is the Canadian government's deep concern for social security issues and equality between ethnic groups. As a CEO of the famous Canadian telecommunications corporation Polar Mobile, Mr. Kunal Gupta emphasized his experiences from the economic and communication perspective. According to Mr. Gupta, information culture, communication and language play an important role in the globalization era, especially for young people. However, this situation is not the same everywhere, so there were "culture shocks" for him when he went to China and when he returned to Canada. With more than 50 years of experience, Prof. Vu Duong Ninh shared his very interesting experiences about multiculturalism in Madagascar, when he was a visiting lecturer in 1988-1989. Madagascar's culture is a cultural blend of the ethnic groups of the continent with the ethnic groups that came from Southeast Asia thousands of years ago, so many people here mistakenly thought that the professor was from Madagascar. The professor's experiences with the ethnic groups in Vietnam also showed the harmony and sharing between people of different cultures to create a common Vietnamese cultural identity. In the second part of the discussion, all four speakers focused on discussing two topics: the role of multiculturalism in development and the impact of globalization on the preservation of cultural values. All speakers emphasized the extremely important role of the Canadian government in promulgating and implementing the Language Acts (1961 and 1988) and the Multiculturalism Act (1988), creating conditions for the cultural and linguistic development of both indigenous peoples and ethnic groups immigrating to Canada. On average, every year, 150,000-200,000 people immigrate to Canada from different continents. What is special is that on the one hand, they have the opportunity to integrate deeply into Canadian society, but on the other hand, they still preserve their cultural values. Therefore, the cultural values of Canada are always preserved, strengthened and promoted, forming a colorful "cultural mosaic", not a "melting pot" as in the case of the United States. The most important thing in Canada is sharing, accepting and respecting differences, which is the result of the process of "intercultural communication". The speakers also emphasized that globalization is an inevitable, irreversible trend, with both advantages and disadvantages, so countries must have policies suitable to their own conditions. In the final part of the discussion, the speakers received dozens of questions from students on issues such as how to resolve the conflict between multiculturalism and national unity, the influence of American culture on Canadian culture, how to manage a group of people from different cultures, and what policies should be in place to limit the negative aspects of globalization.
After the seminar, the performances of 20 volunteer students from Canada and Vietnam brought to the auditorium a youthful, vibrant and attractive atmosphere of multiculturalism and intercultural communication, enriching the content presented by the speakers and being the most vivid expression of the Vietnam-Canada friendship. On this occasion, His Excellency Governor General David Johnston also presented medals to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoi, former Ambassador of Vietnam to Canada and Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Head of the Faculty of International Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities for their contributions to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and their efforts to promote research and teaching about Canada in Vietnam.
