Overseas Homecoming Day Held in Hanoi, Vietnam for the Third Time in Seven Years
Representing the University, Director OHSHIMA Kazusato (in charge of Planning Affairs) and Vice President MISHIMA Nobuo (in charge of international affairs), along with five other members, attended the event. The event was also attended by Mr. ITO Naoki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, distinguished guests from Saga Prefecture, faculty members from partner universities such as the VNU University of Economics and Business (VNU-UEB), the VNU University of Languages and International Studies (VNU-ULIS), and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), as well as 23 former international students from Vietnam, totaling 38 participants.
At the beginning of the event, President KODAMA Hiroaki’s greeting was read by Director Ohshima, expressing gratitude to the attendees and conveying the hope that the event would strengthen the bonds between the university and former international students, and foster new connections between the university and Vietnam.
On behalf of the guests, Mr. ITO Naoki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Thu, Vice Rector of VNU-UEB, delivered congratulatory addresses. Vice President MISHIMA introduced Saga University’s outstanding research achievements and support for international students, including a survey on liver disease prevalence among local residents in Yen Bai Province conducted by the university’s Liver Disease Center. Additionally, Mr. SANEMATSU Koichiro, President of SANEMATSU MFG CO., LTD., which has its headquarters and factory in Saga Prefecture, shared insights on the company’s expansion into Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. Ms. NISHIURA Satoko, Director of Saga Multicultural Promotion Division, Saga Prefectural Government, highlighted various initiatives aimed at realizing a multicultural society, noting that Vietnamese nationals are the largest group of foreign residents in the prefecture and that the increase in foreign residents in 2023 was the third highest in Japan.
Representing the Saga Alumni Vietnam (SAV), President Nguyen Duc Huy and Vice President Bui Dinh Thang expressed their desire to further deepen mutual cooperation among Vietnamese alumni. The event was filled with lively conversations as old friends and mentors reunited. Vice President MISHIMA delivered the closing remarks, and the event concluded successfully with a promise to meet again.
Saga University has been enhancing the quality of education and research by strengthening collaboration with overseas research institutions, particularly in Asia, to establish itself as a research hub with rich international character. By establishing overseas alumni associations and holding overseas HCDs, the university has been building and utilizing human networks with former international students and partner universities, facilitating high-quality, reciprocal international exchanges through the acceptance and dispatch of students and researchers. The recent HCD is expected to further promote exchanges between students and researchers with Vietnamese universities.
of Japan to Vietnam, Mr. ITO
【Inquiries】
Office for International Planning,
Academic Research Promotion Devision, SAGA University
TEL 0952-28-8203