At the joint event organized by the University of Debrecen (DE), the Hungarian-Vietnamese Friendship Association, the Embassy of Vietnam, and the Kossuth Lajos University Friendship Association, Zoltán Szilvássy, rector of the University of Debrecen, spoke about how he had many Vietnamese fellow students, with whom he was on good terms when he was at university.
- The most important thread of Hungarian-Vietnamese friendship, human relationships, was woven at Hungarian universities. Hungarian higher education institutions still find their Vietnamese partners today-said Zoltán Szilvássy.
The rector emphasized that, in addition to its extensive and long-standing network of Western contacts, the University of Debrecen has also placed great emphasis on cooperation with Eastern countries in recent years, recognizing that the connection between Eastern and Western cultures offers a wealth of opportunities. Vietnam could also be an important partner in this, said Zoltán Szilvássy. He also recalled that the institution was the first in Hungary to join the One Belt, One Road initiative, whose university research network will hold its annual presidential roundtable forum at the University of Debrecen next year. The rector invited Vietnamese partners to the event.
Elek Bartha, Vice-Rector for Education at the University of Debrecen, explained that five decades ago, at the end of the Vietnam War, when higher education in Debrecen was still fragmented, a large number of Vietnamese university students suddenly appeared in Debrecen, mainly studying natural sciences and medicine.
- During these university years, lifelong friendships and romances developed between members of the two nations. The Vietnamese-Hungarian families that were formed at that time are still important pillars of the relationships between our institutions. There is mutual sympathy and respect between the two nations, said Elek Bartha. Bui Le Thai, Ambassador of Vietnam to Hungary, spoke about how Hungary was one of the first European countries to recognize Vietnam's independence in 1950.
- The Vietnamese people greatly appreciate and remember the assistance Hungary provided during the struggle for national reunification and in the period that followed. Since then, relations between the two countries have developed significantly, said Bui Le Thai.
The Ambassador of Vietnam emphasized that thousands of Vietnamese citizens have studied and are studying in Hungary, including at the University of Debrecen. He believed that joint higher education research projects could also be launched in the future. In addition, they would welcome Debrecen becoming a bridge for Vietnamese goods, such as agricultural, wood and fishery products, to enter the local market.
In his video message, László Papp, Mayor of Debrecen, emphasized that in recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the city among foreigners, including Vietnamese. For example, there have been ambassadorial visits, conferences and exhibitions on Vietnam. Young Vietnamese people regularly learn Hungarian here at the Debrecen Summer University, and there are even Vietnamese people who are learning a trade in our city.
-Today, more and more people from Debrecen are able to visit Vietnam, and without exception, they enthusiastically recount the natural wonders they encountered there and the hospitality of the Vietnamese people- said Mayor László Papp.
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Zoltán Pajna, president of the Hajdú-Bihar County Assembly, recalled that when he was in high school in 1974, his school participated in the Flower Carnival with a flower float modeled after a Vietnamese tea house.
- The exceptionally rich geothermal resources in our county offer opportunities that have already attracted the interest of our Vietnamese partners. These include, for example, health tourism, spa development, and even the use of thermal water for agricultural purposes- he said.
Márton Váraljai, retired Hungarian ambassador to Vietnam and vice president of the Hungarian-Vietnamese Friendship Association, spoke primarily about Vietnam's recent history and its quest for independence. He said that the country became a French colony in 1884. During World War II, it was occupied by Japan, and then the French returned. The First Indochina War, in which Ho Chi Minh led the Vietnamese rebels against the French colonial army, lasted from 1946 to 1954 and ended with the victory of the Vietnamese. Then the Americans arrived, against whom the Second Indochina War continued until 1975. Our country also played its part in the subsequent reconstruction. Since then, the Far Eastern country has undergone tremendous development.
Retired Lieutenant General László Botz, president of the Hungarian-Vietnamese Friendship Association, recalled the period when the International Control and Supervision Commission was established in 1973 to oversee the end of the Vietnam War. Within this framework, 524 Hungarian soldiers and law enforcement officers, as well as 112 diplomats and civilians, arrived in the country in three shifts. Two of them lost their lives.
Ferenc Kun, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology at DE, reported that they currently have nearly 2,500 students, of whom nearly 800 are foreigners, including 17 Vietnamese.
He said that between 1970 and 1992, most of their foreign graduates were Vietnamese, with 56 obtaining degrees here during that period. They did this despite the lack of English-language training, which meant that they had to spend a year learning Hungarian before they could begin their actual university studies-he recalled.
- At that time, Vietnamese students were studying nine different subjects at our faculty. The most popular subject among them was mathematics, which 20 students completed, while 16 graduated as physicists," said Ferenc Kun.
Attila Jenei, director of the DE International Education Coordination Center, who has visited Vietnam more than thirty times, reported that meetings presenting the Debrecen higher education institution are now held regularly in Vietnam and are very successful. Since 2004, a total of 470 Vietnamese have decided to attend university here. Most of them choose to study medicine at the University of Debrecen.
Thanks to the Embassy of Vietnam, participants at the event were given a taste of Vietnamese food, agricultural and handicraft products that are also available for export, and watched the Hungarian-Vietnamese co-production feature film Flower of the Apple Tree.
Press Center - OCs