Participating in the ceremony: from the Embassy of Indonesia in Vietnam there were Mr. Ibnu Hadi (Ambassador of Republic of Indonesia to Vietnam), Mrs. Arum Primasty (Third Secretary); from USSH there were Prof.Dr Pham Quang Minh (USSH's Rector), representatives of Faculty of Oriental Studies, Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Language, Faculty of History, Faculty of Linguistics, and Office for Cooperation and Development.

The Indonesian language course was held according to the agreement between the Embassy of Indonesia in Vietnam and USSH. Accordingly, the Embassy will assign an Indonesia language teacher to teach at the University; the University will make Indonesia language an official subject in the curriculum of Division of Southeast Asian studies. The course gathers 47 students and lasts till June, 2019, who will be split into 2 classes and study 2 sessions/week.

Prof.Dr Pham Quang Minh signs and exchanges copies of MOU with Ambassador Ibnu Hadi

Speaking at the ceremony, Prof.Dr Pham Quang Minh sent his congratulations to the students majoring Southeast Asian studies, because Bahasa Indonesian is the 4th most-spoken language in the world and arguably the most popular and familiar tongue to Southeast Asian citizens. As a leading higher education institution in Vietnam, USSH has the mission of contributing to the educational and cultural development within the ASEAN Community. The Rector also gave thanks to the Embassy of Indonesia for arranging and supporting the realization of this course.

Prof.Dr Pham Quang Minh speaks at the ceremony

On behalf of the Embassy of Indonesia, Mr. Ibnu Hadi expressed his optimism towards the Vietnamese students participating in the course. He said Bahasa Indonesian is used by nearly 200,000,000 people in the world. In Southeast Asia, it is not only present in Indonesia but also Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, etc. As people-to-people diplomacy increasingly became a bridge connecting ASEAN member states, studying Indonesia would help the students better integrate into regional cultural flows. The Indonesian Embassy also promised to provide a short-term scholarship to study in Indonesia for the most excellent student in the course.

Mr Ibnu Hadi speaks at the ceremony

On behalf of the staff at USSH's Division of Southeast Asian studies, Prof.Dr Mai Ngoc Chu (Head of Division) expressed his gratefulness for Indonesian language was once again officially taught at USSH after over 20 years. He also believed the Vietnamese students would find it not hard to understand and master the language as long as they have a firm Vietnamese language foundation as well as decent English proficiency. Understanding Indonesian language not only increases job opportunities but also helps them become more attached to ASEAN and Southeast Asia.

Prof. Dr Mai Ngoc Chu speaks at the ceremony

On behalf of the students participating in the course, student Dao Thai Hoang expressed his pride for being one of the first USSH's students to study Indonesian language with a native teacher. This language would help them improve their cultural background and act like a key to open the gate for integration into the ASEAN community and Southeast Asia. He also sent sincere thanks to the University and the Embassy of Indonesia for allowing students of the Division of Southeast Asian studies to take part in the course.

Student Dao Thai Hoang speaks the ceremony

Starting in 2018, Southeast Asian studies officially became an independent major taught at USSH. Students graduating from this Division are able to use English and another regional language such as Thai and May, also are equipped with research methods in area studies and international communication skills.