VietNamNet introduces the speech of Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung to students of the Academy of Posts and Telecommunications at the opening ceremony of the 2023-2024 school year of the Academy (taking place on September 18, 2023).
Today, I am not here to talk about the great, enormous mission of the Information and Communications industry, or of digital technology , because I am not sure how many students sitting here will still remember those things by this afternoon.
Today, I also do not want to come here to give you students a "responsible" school bag, to be your luggage throughout your years of studying here.
Today, I came here just because I wanted to hear you share with me, and I also share with you the reason why we choose to study Information and Communication, Information Technology, Digital Technology.
Each generation tells its own story
You represent a generation, called Generation Z. The history of every nation is a story, in which each generation tells its own story.
"The white-haired soldier again
"The Legend of Yuan Feng"
(“The old soldier with silver hair
Telling the story of Nguyen Phong forever”)
The story of the Nguyen Phong period in 1258 is still told by old warriors to their children and grandchildren and has become a source of strength for the Dai Viet army and people to continue to defeat strong enemies.
My father told me the story of his footsteps that cut through the Truong Son Mountains. I grew up listening to the lullabies of my grandmother and mother, and there are some sentences that I will always remember:
"When the Fatherland calls the name of each generation
In glory you do not have to bow your head
Who knows how to carry deep pride
Will know how to live a worthy life".
So, Generation Z students, what story will you tell your children and grandchildren about your generation? Why did you choose to study information and communication technology, information technology, and digital technology?
Dream of a generation of programmers
Long before the first computer was invented, Alan Turing dreamed and envisioned a machine that could compute anything that could be computed.
In the digital age, the world is speaking a common language. That is programming language. Don't just use applications written by others, program them yourself. Long before Google became globally popular, Larry Page and Sergey Brin dreamed of making all the world 's information searchable and accessible, and they continue to do so today.
The recently launched iPhones continue to fulfill their creator's desire to create the best products in the world.
Every great achievement is preceded long by such dreams.
And you, Generation Z students, what are your dreams? I think, and I hope, that they will be the dreams of a programming generation. In the digital age, the world is speaking a common language. That is programming language. Don't just use applications written by others, program them.
Maybe, some of you will ask: Why do we need to program digital technology products, when the world already has so many foreign products?
There are problems and issues of Vietnamese people that if we do not do, no one will help us do.
If you remember, just last year, we were still going through prolonged lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Up to now, more than 40,000 Vietnamese people have died from Covid-19, ranking 26th out of 231 territories, and 3rd in ASEAN.
When I joined the Special Task Force at the epicenter of the epidemic in Ho Chi Minh City, the story that I will always remember is that an acquaintance asked me to help find out which hospital their relative was in and what their condition was. But due to the information gap between the Covid-19 prevention hospitals, it took me a while to find out. By then, the patient had passed away. I felt helpless in the midst of the pandemic and wished that we had better digital technology solutions!
Each of us can choose something to excel at. Each of us can choose a place that suits us in this programming generation. The Covid-19 pandemic has subsided, but other pandemics will come.
Maybe, some of you will ask: Alan Turing, Larry Page, Sergey Brin or Steve Job are geniuses, but we are just ordinary people, can we do it?
In fact, there is a sleeping genius in each of us. You may not believe what I say, that you can become a talented person in any field. But believe me, there is absolutely no incompetent person in this world. Alex Ferguson was an average player, but an excellent coach. Each of us can choose something to excel in. Each of us can choose a suitable position for ourselves in this programming generation.
I would like to share a little about my personal choice. 22 years ago, I was the same age as you sitting here and also chose to pursue the information technology industry.
Since high school, I have believed that technology will create better values for society. And my dream back then was simply that one day, I could create an application with millions of users.
This dream led me to the Polytechnic University to pursue Information Technology. In the following years of studying at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, I realized that we Vietnamese people have suffered many disadvantages due to historical factors. We have missed all previous scientific and technological revolutions. Therefore, the achievements in science and technology, production, education or social progress that other countries have hundreds of years to build, we only have a few decades to improve.
But less than 6 months after graduating, I decided not to follow the path I had originally chosen. Instead, I decided to return to Vietnam and become a civil servant in the field of information technology at the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Why did I do that? Because I realized that, if I were alone, no matter how good I was, I could only create a limited number of applications. But if I became a civil servant in charge of information technology, I would be able to create policies and support hundreds of thousands of people to create tens of thousands of useful products and applications that could serve hundreds of millions of users in the future. Same dream, but done in a different way. I think we don't have to limit ourselves to one choice, one path. There are many ways to realize our dreams, and sometimes, the less chosen path brings the biggest change.
Maybe, some of you will ask: We are facing many difficulties, can we do it?
The dream of a generation of programmers will create a programming nation. A generation of programmers will make Vietnam a digital, prosperous, humane and widespread nation. If you were born into a difficult situation, remember that hardship is the midwife of great talents. The ancients concluded: “When Heaven entrusts a great mission to someone, it must first temper their will, make their tendons and bones tired, make their body hungry and thirsty, make them suffer poverty and hardship, and make everything they do not go smoothly. This is to shake their mind, to make their character become patient, to increase their talent.”
The dream of a generation of programmers who will be our guiding star, our torch to light our way. The dream of a generation of programmers who will create a nation of programmers. A generation of programmers who will make Vietnam a digital, prosperous, humane and inclusive nation.
But no dream can come true if we do not wake up and work hard and persevere for a long enough time. To have the moment when the apple fell on his head in 1687, when he discovered the law of universal gravitation, Issac Newton pondered this story for more than 20 years, from 1665.
Grow up from small things
Grow small. When thinking, think big. When doing, start small. The seed of a giant tree must be planted in a large plot of land, but it grows thanks to billions of dewdrops and raindrops.
Go to school but the important thing is self-study
In university, what you learn is just a general overview to understand the general idea. The sea of knowledge is boundless. In the present era, everything fluctuates and changes very quickly, but the lecture hall teaches us old things that rarely change. The lecture hall teaches us the basics, gives us methods of commenting, reasoning, and searching. The lecture hall gives us the means to learn more on our own. Therefore, going to school is important but self-studying.
Let's keep the curiosity of childhood, when we wondered so much when we saw the stork sleeping on one leg, the cicadas chirping all afternoon, the crabs crawling across the ground, and the fireflies shining every night.
Growing up a little, going to school and then going to work, we often wonder why some people who are very good at studying have a hard time, and why some people who are not very outstanding are successful.
When I first started working, I always wondered why small, sparsely populated countries were rich while others were not. Why did countries with poor resources have developed economies?
Those questions are often not explained thoroughly and convincingly by teachers in class. My parents at home are also not able to explain thoroughly. But fortunately, during my childhood and school years, my parents and teachers created in me a habit of reading and a passion for books.
Whenever I find a good idea in a book, I usually write it down. My teacher taught me: The best thing is to contribute new knowledge, if you cannot do that, then synthesizing what you already know in a new way is also a contribution. What I share with you today is mostly the knowledge that I read and wrote down.
Light a fire in every eye
Students are the best children of the country. To go far, you must be healthy. Choose a sport for yourself and practice regularly. Always have a radiance on your face, the freedom of youth, a fire in every look, self-confidence and courage, and the brilliance of aspiration.
In the past 2 years, we have all experienced this year the development of artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT. It is undeniable that artificial intelligence has changed the world in a groundbreaking way, creating unprecedented advances in the history of technology. However, humanity is facing a huge challenge: How to control artificial intelligence and teach artificial intelligence good values?
In a world where machines are becoming more intelligent and human-like, it is more important than ever to train and cultivate healthy, humane, altruistic, and intelligent people.
Only humane technology can give us the strong motivation to overcome all difficulties to achieve success. I hope that each teacher will be the quickest example to grasp the changing trends of the world, regularly update new knowledge, new skills and necessary capacities to train for technical, economic and social sectors in the digital age.
When I was in school, I had a special feeling when I wore a red scarf, turned towards the national flag and sang the national anthem and the team song.
Back to the question: Why did you choose to study this major?
I think each of us has different reasons. But I hope that whatever the reason, you will put your fellow countrymen and country closest to your own goals.
Only humane technology can give us the strong motivation to overcome all difficulties to achieve success.
Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung
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