Yesterday (June 2), in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Nguyen Minh Hieu, architect, was solemnly awarded the National Order of Merit and the title of Knight (Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia) by Mr. Enrico Padula, Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, on behalf of President Sergio Mattarella. The event took place during the ceremony to celebrate the 79th anniversary of the National Day of the Italian Republic.
Dr. Nguyen Minh Hieu, 35 years old, is a lecturer at Ton Duc Thang University. The Order of Merit, the title of knight, is the highest Italian medal awarded to foreign individuals who have made outstanding contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Italy and other countries. Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, witnessed this solemn moment and expressed his encouragement for the contributions of Dr. Nguyen Minh Hieu to the diplomatic and academic development of the two countries Vietnam - Italy.
Dr. and architect Minh Hieu (middle) with Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee (left cover) and Mr. Enrico Padula, Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City. PHOTO: NVCC
Dr. Architect Nguyen Minh Hieu has made many marks in academics, teaching and international cooperation activities. From 2008 to 2023, he continuously won awards at national architecture student festivals, and graduated as valedictorian of his architecture major with a perfect score of 10/10.
In 2014, he started as a lecturer in architecture at a private university. In 2019, he received a doctoral scholarship and a research scholarship from Silpakorn University (Thailand) and Politecnica delle Marche (Italy). From that foundation, he founded the international academic program "The Road to Rome" with Professor Antonello Alici.
In 2020, the Vietnamese male lecturer was awarded a certificate by Mayor Armando Altini (Faleroni region, Italy) for his contributions to research on urban restructuring after natural disasters.
From 2022 to 2025, he receives support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and partners with the goal of replicating the model of the "The Road to Rome" program to become a global student support organization.
The program "The Road to Rome" was founded by Mr. Nguyen Minh Hieu and Professor Antonello Alici.
PHOTO: NVCC
The Road to Rome program has brought hundreds of students and designers from Vietnam, France, Italy, Taiwan, Russia, and Laos directly to advanced training environments in Europe through a network of universities, libraries, monuments, and museums. To date, the program has successfully organized 5 in-person courses and 2 online courses, attracting more than 1,430 registrations, of which 236 students have completed the study abroad course and received certificates from the Italian Consulate.
Since 2021, Dr. Architect Nguyen Minh Hieu has been a full-time lecturer in the field of interior design and also the Head of the International Cooperation Department, Faculty of Industrial Fine Arts, Ton Duc Thang University. At the same time, he continues to be invited to lecture at Silpakorn University (Thailand) and Politecnica delle Marche University (Italy), where he studied.
"I never thought I would be knighted or receive such great awards as I do today."
This afternoon (June 3), Dr. and architect Nguyen Minh Hieu shared his feelings with Thanh Nien Online reporter . The male lecturer sincerely said: "Actually, I never thought I would be knighted or receive such great awards as today. I was also a student in Ho Chi Minh City, studying architecture with many surprises, working part-time, trying to find ways to learn from foreign documents, from teachers, from friends. If I didn't have a scholarship, I wouldn't have had the financial means to study abroad in European countries. Perhaps because of such circumstances, I had to try to move forward on my own. There were times when I was confused about whether I was on the right track or not, but the only thing I always maintained was never allowing myself to stop."
Dr. and architect Nguyen Minh Hieu also recounted his journey, which was not all rosy, to find his dream as it is today. At the age of 18, when he took the entrance exam to Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, he did not have enough points for his first choice. He studied his second choice at the architecture department of a private university. The male lecturer recalled: "Not achieving my first choice was the result of my neglecting my studies during my high school years."
The male lecturer shared, "Opportunities don't come by themselves, they lie in the journey of daring to step out of your comfort zone." PHOTO: NVCC
Having passed the entrance exam to a top specialized school in the province when he was in 10th grade, Minh Hieu had a subjective mentality and thought that studying was easy. In addition, the appearance of online games in the early 2000s dragged him into a long-lasting game addiction. When he failed his first university choice, he still could not stop playing games. Those were dark years, luckily, his parents and relatives were always by his side, helping him quit games and start everything from zero.
The male lecturer shared with the young people: "Many of you think that scholarships are only awarded to the best people. This is probably not quite right. In the spirit of sustainable development for humanity, scholarship funds in Western countries tend to choose people who can inspire and support many generations to come, instead of choosing outstanding individuals who develop in a single, closed branch. Therefore, it will be very difficult to be selected if your achievements are only grades in school without any other activities. Therefore, I think that young people should actively use their abilities and knowledge to contribute to the community through social programs, Youth Union organizations, professional associations... Besides, you need to actively participate in all professional competitions to expand your knowledge, experience and experience".
"Opportunities don't come by themselves, they come from the journey of daring to step out of your comfort zone. And if you are truly persistent, constantly learning and always keeping an open mind, then nothing is impossible. I am just a small example among many people who can do greater things," said the Vietnamese lecturer who was recently knighted by the President of Italy.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giang-vien-nguoi-viet-duoc-tong-thong-y-phong-tuoc-hieu-hiep-si-185250603172645585.htm
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