No.097 - Exchange with VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi

Exchange with VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi

　In November 2023, faculty members and graduate students from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Vietnam National University, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-USSH), Hanoi, which has an academic exchange agreement with the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU), came to Japan and visited both the NIHU HQ and the National Museum of Japanese History (REKIHAKU).

　The academic exchange agreement with VNU-USSH was concluded in November 2019, on the same day as an international symposium in Hanoi. Subsequently, exchanges between the two organizations were not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this visit from Vietnam finally became a reality in connection with the founding of the Graduate Programs in Japanese Studies in June 2023. The Program is the first in Vietnam to offer both master’s and doctoral programs in Japanese studies, so it is expected to develop exchanges not only with the NIHU but also with other research institutions and universities in Japan going forward.

　At the NIHU HQ, commemorative gifts were presented and discussions on future exchanges with President KIBE and other directors were held.

NIHU President KIBE (left) and
VNU-USSH Head of Department of Japanese Studies VU (right)

　At REKIHAKU, VNU-USSH members visited its exhibitions and took part in a training session about preserving and passing down historical and cultural resources with REKIHAKU’s Associate Professor AMANO Masashi.

Q&A between Associate Professor AMANO and graduate students

Since interest in preserving local cultural properties and cultural resources is high in Vietnam, just as it is in Japan, there were lively discussions between Associate Professor AMANO and VNU-USSH members.

Text: OHBA Go, Research Fellow, the Center for Innovative Research, the National Institutes for the Humanities