Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang met with the community and representatives of Italian universities on the occasion of Vietnamese Language Honor Day.

Implementing the working program in Italy, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and the working delegation of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese recently had community contact activities and met with representatives of Italian universities on the occasion of the Vietnamese Language Honor Day.

On September 11, at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy, the delegation met with representatives of the University of the Orient, Naples, Turin University, and Ca' Foscari University to discuss the teaching and learning of Vietnamese in Italy on the occasion of the Vietnamese Language Honor Day in the Vietnamese community abroad. Also attending the meeting were Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung and Embassy officials.

Ambassador Duong Hai Hung informed the delegation that recently, the Embassy has focused on implementing many exciting activities to promote culture and spread the Vietnamese language in Italy such as through seminars, donating Vietnamese books to libraries, schools, researchers, donating books to the community, bringing domestic delegations to visit Vietnamese language schools to enhance exchanges, promote cooperation, attract the attention and response of the local community and people.

Ms. Le Thuy Hien, a lecturer at the University of the Orient, Naples, said the school is one of the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions in Italy for teaching and research in languages, culture, society and many other fields.

The school currently trains more than 40 foreign languages, of which Vietnamese classes have been implemented in the form of language practice rooms since the 2018-2019 school year, attracting a large number of students to participate; by the 2023-2024 school year, Vietnamese will be officially included in the undergraduate training program of Asian and African Languages ​​and Cultures. Along with the courses, many extracurricular activities, seminars and cultural and artistic exchanges are also actively organized by the school.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang presented books to representatives of three universities.

Professor Pietro Masina from the University of the Orient in Naples added that the school currently has cooperative relations with many universities and research institutes in Vietnam such as Hanoi University, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences , etc.

Some Italian students, after finishing the Vietnamese language course in Napoli, were granted scholarships to study Vietnamese at Hanoi University. The professor hopes that the two sides will have more cooperation agreements in the field of education, continue to promote to attract more students to study and have the initiative to establish a Southeast Asian research center at the school.

Ms. Le Thi Bich Huong, Vietnamese language lecturer and President of the Italy - Vietnam Cultural Bridge Association, represented Ca'Foscari University and Turin to attend the meeting.

Ms. Huong said that the first Vietnamese Language and Literature Course was opened in the 1999-2000 school year and has been maintained for many years at the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​and Modern Literature, University of Turin. In the 2024-2025 school year, 111 students registered to participate in the Vietnamese Experimental Class. In addition to the bachelor's program, Ca'Foscari School will open a master's program in Vietnamese in the future.

To meet the needs of students, Ca'Foscari also plans to open a dual bachelor's degree program with universities in Vietnam to facilitate student exchanges between Italy and Vietnam for students who want to have two university degrees.

Ms. Huong thanked the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese for organizing the Training Course for Vietnamese language teachers abroad, saying that she had attended since 2016 and found the program very useful and practical.

She hopes that the country will continue to support Vietnamese teaching and learning textbooks and bilingual books on all topics to enrich learning and research materials at schools.

Due to being unable to attend the meeting from afar, Professor Marzia Casolari from the University of Turin spoke online.

The delegation also received congratulatory letters on the occasion of the Vietnamese Language Honor Day from Ms. Sandra Scagliotti, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Turin, Director of the Vietnam Center and Professor Laura De Giorgi, Head of the Department of Asian and North African Studies of Ca' Foscari University of Venezia.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang highly appreciated the efforts of the Embassy and Ambassador Duong Hai Hung himself for his great efforts and dedication in spreading the Vietnamese language and culture in Italy. More specifically, the Vietnamese language in Italy is not only popular in the community but also in the long-standing and famous universities of Italy. This demonstrates the interest of the academic community in Vietnam and is a vivid demonstration of the positive and sustainable development in the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The Deputy Minister highly appreciated the enthusiasm and positive contributions of teachers and professors at Italian universities in promoting cultural exchange and enhancing understanding between the two peoples.

Recently, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese has coordinated with the Education Publishing House to provide books to serve the establishment of Vietnamese Bookcases abroad, donate books to libraries and meet the needs of teaching and learning Vietnamese in the community.

The Deputy Minister acknowledged the proposals as a basis for proposing programs and activities to honor and spread the Vietnamese language in the coming time.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang visited Foyer Phat Diem. (

On the afternoon of September 12, the delegation visited Father Tran Manh Duyet, Director of Foyer Phat Diem, and Father Dinh Cong Lich, Vice Director and President of the Vietnam Association of Religious in Rome, along with the nuns there to discuss the achievements in socio-economic development in the country, the religious policies of the Party and State, as well as the progress in the relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican.

The Deputy Minister informed about the activities organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese and hoped that priests would participate and regularly return to Vietnam to witness the rapid and strong development of their homeland.

Father Tran Manh Duyet, Director of Foyer Phat Diem, informed the delegation about the operations of Foyer Phat Diem, expressed his joy at the changes in the country and supported the increasingly good development of the Vietnam - Vatican relationship.

The delegation took souvenir photos with priests and monks at Foyer Phat Diem.

On the morning of September 13, at the Embassy headquarters, the working delegation and Mr. Bui Thanh An, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, had a meeting with a group of experts, intellectuals, and young overseas Vietnamese in Rome.

Attending the meeting were more than 10 overseas Vietnamese who are experts and intellectuals working at a number of international organizations in Rome such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Alliance for Biodiversity and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance of Bioversity -CIAT)... and a number of outstanding students of the Vietnamese Student Association in Italy.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, currently Head of the FAO's Research and Strategic Policy Development Team, said that currently there are only about 10 people working at international organizations in Italy; although the number is small, in general, Vietnamese people have many advantages and are highly appreciated for their capacity and prestige.

Ms. Huong expressed her wish to have more Vietnamese people present at international organizations in Italy and is willing to support and share information about internship and job search opportunities here.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang met with Vietnamese experts, intellectuals and students in Italy.

Ms. Vu Bich Diep, Master of Finance and Banking, President of the Vietnamese Student Association in Italy informed the delegation that the number of Vietnamese students in Italy is increasing rapidly, currently there are about 2,000 people.

Over the past time, the Association has played an active role in connecting and supporting the study and living life of international students, as well as spreading the spirit of Vietnamese students being enthusiastic and responsible to the community, while expressing the desire to participate in foreign affairs activities to gain more experience and contribute to the relationship between the two countries.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Bui Thanh An, Standing Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, said that the province is actively implementing the quartet of strategic resolutions, striving to develop the locality rapidly and sustainably by 2030, expand international cooperation and become a new attractive investment destination.

Mr. Bui Thanh An hopes that the overseas Vietnamese community will pay more attention and participate more in the province's FDI projects, as well as support the province to strengthen cooperation with international organizations to implement projects on environmental protection, climate change adaptation, agricultural transformation, promoting science and technology and innovation, thereby contributing to the overall development of the country.

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' leadership, the Deputy Minister informed the people about policies to attract Vietnamese experts, intellectuals and talents to return to work in the country, including Resolution 57 on science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation; emphasizing that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been coordinating with relevant ministries and branches to continue creating a favorable legal framework, policies and guidelines to attract leading experts to return to work in the country, contributing to the country's development in the new era.

The delegation took souvenir photos with Vietnamese experts, intellectuals and students in Italy.

The Deputy Minister expressed his pride that there are more and more Vietnamese people present in international organizations, especially many people holding leadership positions and team leaders with high prestige; he hoped that the Vietnamese people would continue to be a bridge, sharing information, supporting young people to have the opportunity to experience the international working environment, contributing to promoting friendly cooperation between Vietnam and other countries.

The Deputy Minister also suggested that the Vietnam Student Association continue to promote the strengths of youth in supporting and helping the community, participating in teaching Vietnamese, as well as promoting Vietnamese culture in the host country.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thu-truong-le-thi-thu-hang-tiep-xuc-cong-dong-gap-mat-dai-dien-cac-truong-dai-hoc-italy-nhan-ky-niem-ngay-ton-hon-vinh-tieng-viet-327655.html