28 April 2023
On April 28, 2023 MGIMO hosted a traditional, large-scale celebration of the Vietnamese culture - the 8th Vietnam Day, which was jointly organized by ASEAN Centre in MGIMO and the Vietnamese Students’ community.
The 8th Vietnam Day in MGIMO was attended by more than 500 people, which is unprecedented and speaks about the growing popularity of this annual celebration among the students and the general public. This year, among the guests were representatives of state institutions, diplomatic missions and business of Russia and Vietnam, as well as famous Vietnamese studies experts, lecturers and students from the leading Russian universities. The event was broadly covered by Russian and Vietnamese media.
Dr. Andrey Baykov, MGIMO Vice-Rector for Science and Research delivered his welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony of the conference. He noted that Vietnam Day has already become a traditional event of the University and one of the most important annual events in its academic and cultural life. Vietnam Day, according to the Vice-Rector, is not only evidence of the long-term friendship between Russia and Vietnam, but also an indicator of the growing interest of the public in the culture of Vietnam and the ASEAN countries. Dr. Ekaterina Koldunova, the ASEAN Centre Director spoke about the Day of Vietnam program and welcomed the guests.
This year the keynote speaker of the conference session was Mr. Alexander Boldyrev, Head of the Corporate Communications Department of Zarubezhneft company. He spoke about the history of company’s work in Vietnam and the ongoing projects.
A series of the 8th Vietnam Day events started with the academic conference “Vietnam in the world turbulence circumstances: politics, economy and society”, which consisted of four sessions: “Dynamically developing Vietnam: results, challenges and prospects”, “Vietnam in international organizations: history of interaction and current state”, “Foreign Policy of Vietnam: Partners and Areas of Cooperation”, as well as “Socio-Economic Processes in Vietnam before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic”. For the first time the Vietnam Day’s conference included a joint session of the ASEAN Centre and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.
In total, more than 23 papers were presented at the conference. Annually, the conference brings together both leading Vietnam studies scholars and emerging experts who are ready to present their research in various fields, from politics and economics, to cultural, religious and social studies.
Following the conference, ASEAN Centre Expert Dr. Valeria Vershinina presented her book Regional Organizations in Vietnam’s Foreign Policy: a Middle Powers Concept Perspective, published by Aspect Press. As a part of the book discussion, Dr. Vladimir Kolotov, Head of the Department of History of the Far East, Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute of Saint Petersburg State University, Dr. Evgeny Kanaev, Deputy Head of the School of Regional Studies, School of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University and Dr. Viktor Sumsky Senior Expert of the ASEAN Centre welcomed the monograph’s publication and praised the author's contribution to the contemporary Vietnamese studies.
Following the conference, the students specializing in the Vietnamese Language from MGIMO University, Institute of Asian and African Countries (Lomonosov Moscow State University), National Research University Higher School of Economics and Moscow State Linguistic University, took part in the Quiz on Vietnamese culture, language and contemporary society development.
The Vietnam Day culminated in a large-scale cultural evening held in the MGIMO conference hall. The evening titled “The Land of a Flying Up Dragon” was opened by the Chairman of the Vietnamese Students’ community of MGIMO Nguyen Vu Minh Hoang, the guests were also greeted by the Director of the ASEAN Centre Dr. Ekaterina Koldunova. The concert program included traditional and modern dances, songs, theatrical performances and opera compositions by MGIMO students and other universities representatives as well as by invited Vietnamese professional artists from Moscow and St. Petersburg, After the concert all the guest were offered a try of some Vietnamese traditional food and dishes.
Throughout the day, a colorful fair of Vietnamese souvenirs and food products, as well as a unique exhibition of Vietnamese paintings and artworks, were also held in the MGIMO new building atrium.
