John Phan, Assistant Professor of Vietnamese Humanities, delivers a presentation about the Vietnamese Studies programme at Columbia University. (Photo: VNA) The conference featuredColumbia faculty, including members of the Columbia Vietnamese Studiesprogramme, alumni, partners, and colleagues in Vietnam. It was also attended byDeputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc and US Ambassador to VietnamMarc Knapper.
In 2017, ColumbiaUniversity, one of the eight "Ivy League" schools in the US, launcheda Vietnamese studies programme aimed at helping young people not only from theUnited States but from around the world learn more about Vietnam.
The programme wasinitiated by two full-time faculty dedicated to Vietnamese Studies:Lien Hang Nguyen, Dorothy Borg, Professor in the History of the UnitedStates and East Asia, and John Phan, Assistant Professor of VietnameseHumanities. They are joined by instructors Phuong Chung Nguyen and Vinh QuocNguyen, who teach the Vietnamese language at all levels.
Speaking at the seminar,speakers highlight the importance of the study of Vietnam at Columbia, citing Vietnam'sgeostrategic significance, its growing economic strength, and opportunities fordeveloping future partnerships in higher education between Vietnam andColumbia.
John Phan, AssistantProfessor of Vietnamese Humanities, said Vietnam has transformed over the pastfew decades, and global interest in Vietnam has transformed accordingly.
"Meanwhile, newresearch into Vietnamese language, literature, history, and culture has burstbeyond the confines of traditional knowledge and approaches," he said.
Phan said Columbia'sVietnamese Studies programme was a vision defined by a deep engagement withcontemporary Vietnamese cultures and societies and a commitment to educatingthe world about Vietnam's relevance to all fields of study.
The core faculty hasdesigned an extensive curriculum on Vietnam, offering both undergraduate andgraduate opportunities. For the undergraduate programme, students will beprovided with a two-semester course introducing Vietnamese civilization,covering history, archaeology, literation, philosophy, art and society, andlanguage courses at multiple levels.
For graduateopportunities, students benefit from a comprehensive programme in Vietnamesehistory and culture and the added expertise of one of the strongest programmesin Asia worldwide, Phan said.
In addition to academicprogramming, the University also hosts numerous virtual and in-person events onVietnam, attracting an audience of over 1,000 students, scholars, and publicmembers.
"The expertise gatheredat Columbia means a matchless education in Vietnamese history, culture, andsociety for both the undergraduate and graduate level of engagement. Theprogramme is dedicated to revealing the diversity, richness, and complexity ofall Vietnamese cultures, identities, and history," Phan said.
According to Lien HangNguyen, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her colleaguessucceeded in holding two international conferences in 2019. The programme wascancelled in 2020, but they still had webinars and other activities forstudents and those interested in Vietnamese studies.
This helped ensure thatstudies were sustained through those difficult times.
During his visit to NewYork to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021, PresidentNguyen Xuan Phuc acknowledged Lien Hang Nguyen's and her colleagues'contributions to promoting an understanding of Vietnam in the US.
The meeting withPresident Phuc prompted Lien Hang Nguyen and her colleagues to expand theprogramme.
At the seminar,participants also witnessed the signing ceremony of the MOU between theDiplomacy Academy of Vietnam and Columbia University.
A similar seminar washeld in Ho Chi Minh City on July 29./.
VNA
