Vietnamese Students in Japan Receive Assistance from Local Government
	Association of Japanese Language and Education in Vietnam Honored by Japan’s Foreign Minister

The Order recognizes her outstanding contributions to the development of Japanese-language education, human resource training, and the promotion of educational exchanges and mutual understanding between Vietnam and Japan.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki (right) presents the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha. (Photo: Mai Anh)

Having devoted more than half a century to the Japanese language and education, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha is regarded as one of the educators who has made significant contributions to the development of Japanese-language education in Vietnam.

From 1997 to 2010, as Dean of the Japanese Language Faculty at the Foreign Trade University, she helped train approximately 2,200 Japanese-language professionals. During this period, she actively expanded opportunities for students to study abroad in Japan, undertake internships, and work at Japanese companies, thereby contributing to the development of a skilled workforce supporting the growing economic ties between the two countries.

She also played a key role in laying the foundation for business Japanese education in Vietnam, advancing research on Japanese-language education, and expanding academic exchanges with Japanese universities. She previously served as Chair of the Council for the Evaluation of Japanese-language Textbooks, helping improve the quality of Japanese-language teaching and training.

Throughout her teaching career, she emphasized not only language proficiency but also a comprehensive understanding of Japan’s economy, commerce, culture, and workplace environment. Many of her former students have gone on to become Japanese-language professionals working for Vietnamese and Japanese government agencies, organizations, and businesses.

Her expertise in Japanese also led her to serve as an interpreter at numerous important diplomatic engagements between the two countries, including several high-level Vietnam-Japan meetings.

Since 2021, as Dean of the Japanese Language Faculty under the School of Languages and Social Humanities at Duy Tan University, she has continued contributing to the advancement of Japanese-language education in central Vietnam, focusing on enhancing curricula in Japanese interpretation, translation, and business Japanese.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha delivers remarks. (Photo: Mai Anh)

Receiving the Order, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha reflected on what she described as a “special bond” between her own life and Vietnam-Japan relations. She began studying Japanese in September 1973 - the same year Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations.

Looking back on her journey of more than five decades, she said her life has been inseparably connected with Japan, the Japanese language, and the friendship and exchanges between the two countries. She stressed that the decoration is not only a recognition of her personal achievements but also a tribute to her colleagues who have dedicated themselves to Japanese-language education, the generations of students who have become bridges between Vietnam and Japan, and the many people in both countries who have tirelessly fostered educational exchanges.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha, education is not merely about imparting knowledge or language skills; its true essence lies in helping people understand one another more deeply, strengthening mutual trust, and nurturing friendship for the future. The friendship between Vietnam and Japan, she said, is built not only through major policies and large-scale projects but also through the quiet, daily efforts made in every classroom, by every teacher, and across successive generations of students.

For her, the Order “is not a destination, but a new beginning.” She affirmed her commitment to continue contributing through Japanese-language education, helping strengthen the friendship and educational exchanges between Vietnam and Japan.

“Encountering the Japanese language in my youth was the greatest blessing of my life. If in the years ahead I remain healthy, continue to devote myself wholeheartedly to education, and pass on to younger generations my love for the Japanese language and the spirit of Vietnam-Japan friendship, that will be the greatest happiness of my life,” she said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki highly praised Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha’s contributions to the development of Japanese-language education and the training of Japanese-speaking professionals in Vietnam. He also recognized her efforts in promoting academic exchanges and enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.

The Ambassador noted that, as Japan-Vietnam relations continue to deepen under the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, people-to-people exchanges are becoming increasingly important. Human resources, he emphasized, are among the key pillars supporting the extensive cooperation between the two countries, making Japanese-language education, which helps cultivate such talent, ever more significant in the years ahead.

He expressed his hope that Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha would continue drawing on her many years of experience, working alongside fellow educators to further advance Japanese-language education in Vietnam. He also voiced his expectation that more young Vietnamese would study Japanese and become strong bridges connecting Vietnam and Japan.

On behalf of the Foreign Trade University, President Pham Thu Huong said that the prestigious decoration bestowed by the Government of Japan upon Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha is not only a great honor for her and her family but also a source of pride for generations of faculty members, lecturers, students of the Japanese Language Faculty, and the university as a whole.

According to Pham Thu Huong, the Foreign Trade University was the first university in Vietnam to introduce Japanese-language instruction and pioneered the integration of Japanese-language education with economics and commerce. Throughout this journey spanning more than half a century, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha has been among the educators who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to building and developing the Japanese Language Faculty, laying a solid foundation for its subsequent growth.

Beyond educating generations of students, she also mentored younger lecturers, inspiring in them a passion for the Japanese language, Japanese culture, and the teaching profession.

“We have always believed that the greatest value of an educator lies not only in the work they have accomplished, but also in the people they have inspired and the enduring values they have helped preserve. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Ha is precisely such an educator,” President Pham Thu Huong said.

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